🔗 Share this article

It's hard to believe, however we're nearly at the Nintendo Switch 2's half-year mark. By the time Metroid Prime 4: Beyond debuts on the fourth of December, we can provide the device a fairly thorough evaluation based on its impressive roster of first-party early titles. Heavy hitters like the new Donkey Kong game will dominate that check-in, however it's the company's latest releases, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and now Age of Imprisonment, that have allowed the new console overcome a key challenge in its initial half-year: the tech exam.

Confronting Power Issues

Ahead of Nintendo officially announced the successor system, the biggest concern from players about the then-theoretical console was concerning hardware. When it comes to technology, the company fell behind PlayStation and Xbox over the last few console generations. This situation became apparent in the end of the Switch era. The hope was that a successor would bring smoother performance, smoother textures, and standard options like ultra-high definition. That's precisely what arrived when the device was debuted this summer. At least that's what its hardware specifications promised, at least. To accurately assess if the Switch 2 is an enhancement, we required examples of some key games operating on the system. We now have that evidence over the last two weeks, and the outlook is positive.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A as an Initial Challenge

The system's initial big challenge was the October release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The franchise had well-known technical problems on the first Switch, with games like Scarlet and Violet releasing in downright disastrous states. Nintendo's hardware wasn't solely responsible for those problems; the actual engine powering the developer's games was old and being pushed much further than it could go in the franchise's move to open-world. Legends: Z-A would be more challenging for its studio than anything else, but there remained much to observe from the visual presentation and performance on Switch 2.

While the game's basic graphics has opened debates about the studio's prowess, it's clear that the latest installment is far from the performance mess of its earlier title, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It operates at a stable 60 frames per second on the upgraded system, but the Switch version tops out at 30 fps. Pop-in is still present, and you'll find many low-resolution elements if you examine carefully, but you won't experience anything resembling the situation in Arceus where you begin airborne travel and watch the whole terrain beneath turn into a jagged, polygonal surface. That qualifies to earn the Switch 2 some passing marks, though with reservations given that Game Freak has separate challenges that worsen limited hardware.

Age of Imprisonment serving as a More Challenging Performance Examination

We now have a tougher hardware challenge, though, due to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, out Nov. 6. The new Zelda spin-off tests the new console due to its hack-and-slash gameplay, which has gamers battling a massive horde of creatures constantly. The earlier title, the previous Hyrule Warriors, had issues on the initial console as the system couldn't handle with its quick combat and sheer amount of activity. It often fell below the desired frame rate and produced the feeling that you were pushing too hard when fighting intensely.

Fortunately is that it too succeeds the performance examination. Having tested the release thoroughly in recent weeks, completing all missions it has to offer. Throughout this testing, it's clear that it achieves a smoother performance compared to its predecessor, maintaining its 60 fps mark with more consistency. Performance can dip in the fiercest fights, but I've yet to hit any situation where the game turns into a stuttering mess as the frame rate suffers. Part of that might be due to the fact that its bite-sized missions are designed to avoid too many enemies on screen at once.

Significant Compromises and Final Evaluation

Remaining are compromises that you're probably expecting. Most notably, cooperative multiplayer has a significant drop closer to the 30 fps range. Moreover the initial Nintendo-developed title where it's apparent a major difference between previous OLED screens and the new LCD display, with cutscenes especially appearing less vibrant.

However generally, Age of Imprisonment is a complete change over its earlier title, like the Pokémon game is to the earlier Pokémon title. For those seeking any sign that the Switch 2 is delivering on its performance claims, even with some caveats present, these titles show clearly of the way the new console is significantly improving series that struggled on older technology.