Hitman 3 and Control are coming to Switch, thanks to the cloud

Nintendo dropped a new Direct Mini: Partner Showcase today, and it showed how cloud gaming can help graphically intense third-party games run on the Switch’s limited hardware.

The Direct revealed that Control: Ultimate Edition is available on Switch starting today, and Hitman 3 is coming at an unspecified date. Nintendo has labeled both releases as Cloud Versions, meaning that they will use cloud computing to help them work on Switch.

Of course, this means that you’ll need a strong internet connection to play these games. In fact, Nintendo requires you to test Control before you can purchase it. That way you won’t be stuck paying for a game that you can’t actually run all that well.

If these cloud versions are successful, it can give Nintendo a new path when it comes to third-party games. Many developers are now shifting focus to the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Switch couldn’t compete with the specs of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, let alone their successors. But cloud computing can give studios a way to make their triple-A games work on Switch.

In Japan, where high-speed internet is more accessible to the whole nation, Nintendo has already used cloud gaming to get Resident Evil 7 and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey to run on Switch.