Forum > Gaming Discussion > Nintendo Switch 2 Thread UPDATED impressions, hands on, games & screens
Nintendo Switch 2 Thread UPDATED impressions, hands on, games & screens
<<
prev
If you stand by them, you should agree when the whole panel say SF6 looks better in Switch 2 over Series S.
That's the problem, people, not you, (on GAF etc, doing console wars) saying its PS4 level based on DF comparison, then not changing their mind when DF finds different results, upon further inspection.
The problem is that the rest of us have seen the same footage they have and seen comparison videos. We've been saying what's plain to see, and they arrive late with the same findings. Meanwhile system wars douchebags have used DFs early findings as unquestionable Biblical script. Pushing this narrative that Switch 2 = PS4.
They have got a lot wrong, rushing to push analysis out based on early poor quality footage.
But seem more than willing to correct themselves when their testing finds better results.
So they're decent people, the return of John to the podcast helps a lot as he's the only one really into Nintendo and seeing how games scale to less powerful devices.
Rich stating the obvious fact, was something he probably should have said much earlier.
"Well, it's got better textures, no suprise as its got more RAM"
That's the problem, people, not you, (on GAF etc, doing console wars) saying its PS4 level based on DF comparison, then not changing their mind when DF finds different results, upon further inspection.
The problem is that the rest of us have seen the same footage they have and seen comparison videos. We've been saying what's plain to see, and they arrive late with the same findings. Meanwhile system wars douchebags have used DFs early findings as unquestionable Biblical script. Pushing this narrative that Switch 2 = PS4.
They have got a lot wrong, rushing to push analysis out based on early poor quality footage.
But seem more than willing to correct themselves when their testing finds better results.
So they're decent people, the return of John to the podcast helps a lot as he's the only one really into Nintendo and seeing how games scale to less powerful devices.
Rich stating the obvious fact, was something he probably should have said much earlier.
"Well, it's got better textures, no suprise as its got more RAM"
I saw the footage in the DF video and there it does indeed present with a much cleaner look. It's a world away from the comparision pictures you posted earlier though. Might as well ask why there's such a discrepancy between those 2 bouts of footage.
https://youtu.be/-FeYJHMW9xY?si=L673S_srVoyeeOqB
^New HQ Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 creators voice.
You can do Red Steel 2 katana controls and mouse aiming.
Seems to be running at medium to high PC settings. A user did a 1080p comparison with medium PC settings and this port looks much better than that.
Seems very smooth too.
"DISCOVER NEW AND EXCITING WAYS TO PLAY
Hack and slash your foes with Joy-Con™ 2 motion controls, take down enemies thanks to intuitive gyroscope aiming, touch, tap, and swipe your way through menus, or use your Joy-Con™ 2 (R) as a mouse and experience pin-point accuracy in and out of combat."
This is pretty cool, shows the difference between the PS4 and Switch 2 versions of Cyberpunk.
Also from what others are saying it seems to be running at better framerates/resolutions than the PS4 pro version. It seems really smooth so far.
^New HQ Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 creators voice.
You can do Red Steel 2 katana controls and mouse aiming.
Seems to be running at medium to high PC settings. A user did a 1080p comparison with medium PC settings and this port looks much better than that.
Seems very smooth too.
"DISCOVER NEW AND EXCITING WAYS TO PLAY
Hack and slash your foes with Joy-Con™ 2 motion controls, take down enemies thanks to intuitive gyroscope aiming, touch, tap, and swipe your way through menus, or use your Joy-Con™ 2 (R) as a mouse and experience pin-point accuracy in and out of combat."
This is pretty cool, shows the difference between the PS4 and Switch 2 versions of Cyberpunk.
Also from what others are saying it seems to be running at better framerates/resolutions than the PS4 pro version. It seems really smooth so far.
Sega is publishing Hogwarts Legacy in Japan, they put out a press release:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/897/G089776/20250508027/
Hogwarts Legacy is up to 1440p Docked Mode and 1080p Portable mode. Both using DLSS.
So DF basically pixel-counted the input resolution rather than the output resolution.
-Resetera
This is nice as other games like Cyberpunk and SF6 seem to be using DLSS just to get up to 1080p.
Interested in seeing Yakuza 0 now.
Civilization 7 is 4K/30fps or 1080/60 in docket Nintendo Switch 2
https://www.game.co.uk/take-two-sid-meiers-civilization-vii-715385
https://www.4gamer.net/games/897/G089776/20250508027/
Hogwarts Legacy is up to 1440p Docked Mode and 1080p Portable mode. Both using DLSS.
So DF basically pixel-counted the input resolution rather than the output resolution.
-Resetera
This is nice as other games like Cyberpunk and SF6 seem to be using DLSS just to get up to 1080p.
Interested in seeing Yakuza 0 now.
Civilization 7 is 4K/30fps or 1080/60 in docket Nintendo Switch 2
https://www.game.co.uk/take-two-sid-meiers-civilization-vii-715385
Edited: Thu, 08 May 2025 16:46:46
Sega on Hogwarts Legacy:
"The Switch 2 version has significantly improved graphics over the Switch version with DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) support, improved lighting, shadow and anime quality, and anti-aliasing. You can experience up to 1440p resolution in TV mode and 1080p resolution and HDR in portable mode.
In addition, the frame rate has been improved and the load time has been reduced. Seamlessly move through the open world without a loading screen. Joy-Con 2 mouse controls will also be supported."
"The Switch 2 version has significantly improved graphics over the Switch version with DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) support, improved lighting, shadow and anime quality, and anti-aliasing. You can experience up to 1440p resolution in TV mode and 1080p resolution and HDR in portable mode.
In addition, the frame rate has been improved and the load time has been reduced. Seamlessly move through the open world without a loading screen. Joy-Con 2 mouse controls will also be supported."
FFV11 Intergrade Switch 2 vs PS5 comparison.
https://youtu.be/A21_27BEyOg?si=7Rxa2U6IPLTz_loY
Looks very similar, apart from the sharpening on the Switch 2s hair. Very distracting to me. I flip flopped on which version looked better, PS5 is obviously slighter higher resolution, Switch 2 is using DLSS but still manages to be virtually the same.
I did catch this though, which also makes the Elden Ring comparison photo I posted earlier in the thread quite prophetic:
In close ups, DLSS actually brings out more skin detail in the switch 2 version. Skin detail is just better, that's relevant to SF6 and the Elden Ring close up.
Also seems to be true of the remastered Yakuza 0 cutscenes.
https://youtu.be/A21_27BEyOg?si=7Rxa2U6IPLTz_loY
Looks very similar, apart from the sharpening on the Switch 2s hair. Very distracting to me. I flip flopped on which version looked better, PS5 is obviously slighter higher resolution, Switch 2 is using DLSS but still manages to be virtually the same.
I did catch this though, which also makes the Elden Ring comparison photo I posted earlier in the thread quite prophetic:
In close ups, DLSS actually brings out more skin detail in the switch 2 version. Skin detail is just better, that's relevant to SF6 and the Elden Ring close up.
Also seems to be true of the remastered Yakuza 0 cutscenes.
Not tan enough.
I prefer the skin texture on PS5. It's more subtle and looks more natural to me.
Edited: Sat, 10 May 2025 17:59:08
We need to see moles, pock marks and wrinkles. The more the better.
This is why wrinkled old people look awesome in videogames.
Face like a bulldog.
This is why wrinkled old people look awesome in videogames.
Face like a bulldog.
There's a good interview with CDPR insights on developing for Switch 2.
"We really thought it was going to be more of a challenge,” says Charles Tremblay, VP of Technology at CD Projekt Red. “But in the end, [it was] not that much.”
The road to Cyberpunk 2077’s Switch 2 version began back in summer 2023, when Nintendo met with CD Projekt Red to discuss its then top-secret new hardware. “At that point [there was] no Software Development Kit,” explains Tremblay. “Just more like ‘Okay, is there a possibility for us to collaborate with this hardware?’ I remember I was in the room and we just looked at each other. It was like, ‘Yeah of course we will check it [out], it looks like a really cool product.”
CD Projekt Red had, of course, already worked with Nintendo before. The Witcher 3 had been ported to the original Switch in 2019, although development duties were handled by Saber Interactive rather than CDPR itself. This time around things had to be different, in part due to the fact that the Switch 2 had yet to be publicly announced and so needed to be kept a closely-guarded secret. “It was way easier to have a very super small team working end-to-end with Nintendo rather than delegating the process,” says Tremblay.
Another important factor in keeping the development in-house was simply the studio’s knowledge and expertise in Cyberpunk 2077 itself. “We have very key people in here that know exactly how to make Cyberpunk run,” Tremblay says. And those people would be vital, as the Switch 2 version required many elements of the game to be re-engineered.
"Cyberpunk is built for x86 with old PC architecture,” explains Tremblay. “So this from the beginning was completely different. Lots of changes had to be done at the engine level, all the shaders [are in a] different language. We had to convert everything, some HLSL to GLSL. [The Switch 2 uses] a very, very different architecture.”
“We have at least one core we share with the OS [operating system],” Tremblay reveals. That narrowing of resources means that where once there was core space available to enhance performance, that space now has to be used for activities such as decompression or IO operation. “This was one of the struggles we had, but otherwise I think it was surprisingly fast to get the game running on the platform. We were all super impressed.”
During the early stages of production, one of the main aims was simply to “try to figure out if [running Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 is] even possible.” As it became clear that the hardware was capable, a key tool in ensuring the experience was as strong as possible was Nvidia’s DLSS system. This rendering technology uses artificial intelligence to upscale lower resolutions and generate additional frames, resulting in sharper images with increased framerates.
"With DLSS it definitely increases the quality that you can have, on the go and on the TV,” says Tremblay. “That being said, the technology we built scales very well across all the platforms.”
“We can adjust the crowd density, we can adjust the fidelity we want the characters to have when we switch levels of detail,” he explains. “So it was very, very easy. And, of course, the DLSS helped to bring the quality to another level, but I think all of those things together makes the port very good.”
“It was very difficult for the previous generation of consoles,” Tremblay admits. “I think I will say that the most difficult problem was the mechanical hard drive, which is one of the things that’s very important not to have.” The Switch 2 uses bespoke cartridges, but more importantly it supports the new microSD Express storage system that features faster data read and write speeds, “which is great” according to Tremblay.
"The Switch 2 has more RAM [than the previous generation of consoles], which is also very important,” he adds. All this means that not only does the Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 run better than the PS4 and Xbox One versions, but it also includes the Phantom Liberty expansion, which was much too demanding for old tech and thus was not released on last-gen systems.
“We have people that are super experienced about the game and they really looked at what kind of parity we want to have with other platforms, whatever compromise [we made],” Tremblay explains. “We do a lot of iteration with them. So if we reduce the quality of [an element] and we play the game, we figure out ‘Okay, this is great’ or ‘This is not.’ And some of the people that have very, very good eyes can make those calls and we always try to compromise performance versus quality.
"We do have some people that are literally tweaking the settings, playing the games continuously, to figure out what kind of resolution compromise we can have, what kind of quality settings we can have to make the best experience for the players.”
While the Switch 2 has understandable limitations, CD Projekt Red has firm quality bars that it wishes to adhere to. That includes a minimum frame rate of 30 frames per second.
“So just to be clear, if it goes under 30fps, I don't think that's great,” Tremblay states. “There's no such thing as ‘Oh, this is fine to get 25 [fps in this section.’] No it's not, it should be 30fps everywhere.”
"I think the 40fps is a very good compromise to the 60fps,” Tremblay says. “Honestly, I think it's a game changer, at least for me as a gamer. And we have the same on docked mode. The difference is that on docked mode it's dependent on your TV setting. So if you have a 120Hz refresh rate, then you can have the 40fps mode.”
“I think that on the handheld device, I think the experience is very good,” says Tremblay. “I think the experience that we have, that is way different than other platforms, with the gyros, the Joy-Con, the mouse support. I think the whole package in general, I think it's quite good.”
CDPR has gone all-in on these features. Motion controls allow you to augment the shooting mechanics with subtle movements of the Joy-Cons. If you’re looking for something more precise, you can turn the right-hand controller on its side and use it as a mouse, resulting in an aiming experience closer to that used by the PC version. And, of course, all this can be done on a bus, a plane, or at the bottom of your garden.
“I do think that all those things that the platform introduced [is] what makes this version different,” Tremblay says. “At the same time [it’s] the same great experience, don't get me wrong, but different, but not competing with the high-end quality path tracing on PC that you can have. This is not the goal, but the platform as a whole I think stands on its own.”
And for those with both systems, there’s flexibility. “We have the cross save,” says Tremblay. “You can go to your home, you play on PC, and if you want to go, if you want to continue your game, it's no big deal. You just take your save. So for me, it's definitely the handheld device to play on the go. It's a system seller for me, for sure.”
"We really thought it was going to be more of a challenge,” says Charles Tremblay, VP of Technology at CD Projekt Red. “But in the end, [it was] not that much.”
The road to Cyberpunk 2077’s Switch 2 version began back in summer 2023, when Nintendo met with CD Projekt Red to discuss its then top-secret new hardware. “At that point [there was] no Software Development Kit,” explains Tremblay. “Just more like ‘Okay, is there a possibility for us to collaborate with this hardware?’ I remember I was in the room and we just looked at each other. It was like, ‘Yeah of course we will check it [out], it looks like a really cool product.”
CD Projekt Red had, of course, already worked with Nintendo before. The Witcher 3 had been ported to the original Switch in 2019, although development duties were handled by Saber Interactive rather than CDPR itself. This time around things had to be different, in part due to the fact that the Switch 2 had yet to be publicly announced and so needed to be kept a closely-guarded secret. “It was way easier to have a very super small team working end-to-end with Nintendo rather than delegating the process,” says Tremblay.
Another important factor in keeping the development in-house was simply the studio’s knowledge and expertise in Cyberpunk 2077 itself. “We have very key people in here that know exactly how to make Cyberpunk run,” Tremblay says. And those people would be vital, as the Switch 2 version required many elements of the game to be re-engineered.
"Cyberpunk is built for x86 with old PC architecture,” explains Tremblay. “So this from the beginning was completely different. Lots of changes had to be done at the engine level, all the shaders [are in a] different language. We had to convert everything, some HLSL to GLSL. [The Switch 2 uses] a very, very different architecture.”
“We have at least one core we share with the OS [operating system],” Tremblay reveals. That narrowing of resources means that where once there was core space available to enhance performance, that space now has to be used for activities such as decompression or IO operation. “This was one of the struggles we had, but otherwise I think it was surprisingly fast to get the game running on the platform. We were all super impressed.”
During the early stages of production, one of the main aims was simply to “try to figure out if [running Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 is] even possible.” As it became clear that the hardware was capable, a key tool in ensuring the experience was as strong as possible was Nvidia’s DLSS system. This rendering technology uses artificial intelligence to upscale lower resolutions and generate additional frames, resulting in sharper images with increased framerates.
"With DLSS it definitely increases the quality that you can have, on the go and on the TV,” says Tremblay. “That being said, the technology we built scales very well across all the platforms.”
“We can adjust the crowd density, we can adjust the fidelity we want the characters to have when we switch levels of detail,” he explains. “So it was very, very easy. And, of course, the DLSS helped to bring the quality to another level, but I think all of those things together makes the port very good.”
“It was very difficult for the previous generation of consoles,” Tremblay admits. “I think I will say that the most difficult problem was the mechanical hard drive, which is one of the things that’s very important not to have.” The Switch 2 uses bespoke cartridges, but more importantly it supports the new microSD Express storage system that features faster data read and write speeds, “which is great” according to Tremblay.
"The Switch 2 has more RAM [than the previous generation of consoles], which is also very important,” he adds. All this means that not only does the Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 run better than the PS4 and Xbox One versions, but it also includes the Phantom Liberty expansion, which was much too demanding for old tech and thus was not released on last-gen systems.
“We have people that are super experienced about the game and they really looked at what kind of parity we want to have with other platforms, whatever compromise [we made],” Tremblay explains. “We do a lot of iteration with them. So if we reduce the quality of [an element] and we play the game, we figure out ‘Okay, this is great’ or ‘This is not.’ And some of the people that have very, very good eyes can make those calls and we always try to compromise performance versus quality.
"We do have some people that are literally tweaking the settings, playing the games continuously, to figure out what kind of resolution compromise we can have, what kind of quality settings we can have to make the best experience for the players.”
While the Switch 2 has understandable limitations, CD Projekt Red has firm quality bars that it wishes to adhere to. That includes a minimum frame rate of 30 frames per second.
“So just to be clear, if it goes under 30fps, I don't think that's great,” Tremblay states. “There's no such thing as ‘Oh, this is fine to get 25 [fps in this section.’] No it's not, it should be 30fps everywhere.”
"I think the 40fps is a very good compromise to the 60fps,” Tremblay says. “Honestly, I think it's a game changer, at least for me as a gamer. And we have the same on docked mode. The difference is that on docked mode it's dependent on your TV setting. So if you have a 120Hz refresh rate, then you can have the 40fps mode.”
“I think that on the handheld device, I think the experience is very good,” says Tremblay. “I think the experience that we have, that is way different than other platforms, with the gyros, the Joy-Con, the mouse support. I think the whole package in general, I think it's quite good.”
CDPR has gone all-in on these features. Motion controls allow you to augment the shooting mechanics with subtle movements of the Joy-Cons. If you’re looking for something more precise, you can turn the right-hand controller on its side and use it as a mouse, resulting in an aiming experience closer to that used by the PC version. And, of course, all this can be done on a bus, a plane, or at the bottom of your garden.
“I do think that all those things that the platform introduced [is] what makes this version different,” Tremblay says. “At the same time [it’s] the same great experience, don't get me wrong, but different, but not competing with the high-end quality path tracing on PC that you can have. This is not the goal, but the platform as a whole I think stands on its own.”
And for those with both systems, there’s flexibility. “We have the cross save,” says Tremblay. “You can go to your home, you play on PC, and if you want to go, if you want to continue your game, it's no big deal. You just take your save. So for me, it's definitely the handheld device to play on the go. It's a system seller for me, for sure.”
Log in or Register for free to comment
Yes, those nerds on those other forums. No nerds here, we're all cool cats.
As for the full quote, yeah, I still stand by DF in general. You can mock them for missing the DLSS but they're still a very experienced bunch. They went against the grain when there was a lot of optimism online about the capabilities of the Switch2 which was based on little more than hope and dreams, and they were proven wrong on the use of DLSS. Matter of fact is that we know very little about the Switch2's capabilities other than rumours and bits and pieces that were pieced together from all over the internet. Knowing Nintendo, we won't be getting much more. We don't know what type of DLSS they're using, if it's a modified version or one available to PC users.
I'd love for Nintendo to be open about the hardware like MS and Sony were, but I don't see them giving details or even interviews about the technical specs.
And furthermore, no matter how powerfull Switch2 is or isn't, once the next gen of PS and Xbox hardware launches, it'll once again be left in the dust, receiving only the occasional impossible port.