No need to pay for an upgrade, some Nintendo Switch games will run better on the Switch 2 anyway
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The Nintendo Switch 2 has dropped, and the community is (for the most part) loving the upgrade. While there are issues here and there, which isn't unexpected, the overall feedback is great. Nintendo was working on fixing 49 games in time for launch or shortly after it, but according to some reports, titles that didn't run so well on the original Switch are running exceptionally well, and that too, without any add-ons or upgrades required.
Games are running better on the Nintendo Switch 2
Before the Switch 2 was released, it was said that you'll have to spend $10 or $20 extra to upgrade some games for the Switch 2, which could include more content and graphical/performance enhancements. However, it seems like you won't need to spend any money, as some titles showcased enhanced performance on the Switch 2 out of the box.
Digital Foundry uploaded a video on YouTube in which they ran two games that didn't deliver good performance on the original Switch – Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3.
Batman: Arkham Knight was running between 17-28 FPS on the Switch 1, and the gameplay was visibly laggy at certain points. However, on the Switch 2, Batman: Arkham Knight was running at a stable 30 FPS, which is likely because it is capped at that. It also looks better graphically on the newer console, and the gameplay didn't seem laggy at all.
As for the Witcher 3, going through areas where it is more taxing on the hardware saw the game dip to as low as 20 FPS with a maximum of 25 FPS. On the Switch 2, however, it was running at a stable FPS, so it seems like the performance increment is there, but the title is probably also locked at 30 FPS.
Image source: Digital Foundry
Image source: Digital Foundry
Switch 2 owners have been testing backwards compatibility
Besides reviewer testing, in the Nintendo Switch subreddit, user KRiSX made a post, claiming the same. They also ran a couple of games like Fairy Tail and Lollipop. They went on to explain that on the original Switch, the game ran at 20 FPS, but on the Switch 2, it “easily looks like 60”.
It was the same with Lollipop Chainsaw; while no figures were given, the user did say that it had some trouble in some spots, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the Switch 2. They went on to update the post after trying other titles as well, such as Xenoblade 2, Doom 2016, and Age of Calamity.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 was also tested, and KRiSX said: “Dragon Quest Builders 2 is another night and day difference. Clearly uncapped framerate, so it looks and runs amazingly well, I might actually go back and finish it now as it was really rough on the level I was at.”
As for why this increase in performance is happening on the Nintendo Switch 2, the top comment on the Reddit post offered a simple explanation.
Any game that has unlocked framerate, uses DRS [Dynamic Resolution Scaling], or didn't reach the framerate it was targeting is going to perform better on the Switch 2 by default.
u/ShmuckaRucka1
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