🔗 Share this article

It's hard to believe, yet we're already closing in on the new Switch 2 console's six-month milestone. Once the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 launches on Dec. 4, we can provide the console a detailed assessment thanks to its impressive roster of exclusive launch window games. Major titles like Donkey Kong Bananza will headline that check-in, but it's the company's latest releases, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and now Age of Imprisonment, that have helped the successor conquer a key challenge in its first six months: the tech exam.

Tackling Hardware Concerns

Before Nintendo publicly unveiled the new console, the main issue from gamers regarding the then-theoretical console was about power. In terms of technology, Nintendo trailed Sony and Microsoft for several generations. That fact began to show in the end of the Switch era. The expectation was that a Switch 2 would deliver consistent frame rates, smoother textures, and modern capabilities like ultra-high definition. Those are the features included when the system was released in June. Or that's what its hardware specifications promised, at least. To truly know if the Switch 2 is an improvement, it was necessary to observe some key games operating on the system. We now have that evidence during the past fortnight, and the assessment is favorable.

Legends: Z-A serving as First Challenge

The console's first major test was the October release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The Pokémon series had well-known technical problems on the original Switch, with releases including Scarlet and Violet releasing in very poor shape. The system didn't bear all the responsibility for those problems; the underlying technology driving the developer's games was old and being pushed past its limits in the transition to larger environments. The new game would be a bigger examination for its developer than anything, but we could still learn to observe from the visual presentation and performance on Switch 2.

Despite the release's restricted visual fidelity has initiated conversations about the studio's prowess, it's undeniable that the latest installment is nowhere near the performance mess of its earlier title, Arceus. It performs at a consistent 60 fps on the new console, but the Switch version tops out at thirty frames. Objects still appear suddenly, and you may notice many low-resolution elements if you zoom in, but you won't experience anything resembling the instance in the previous game where you first take to the skies and observe the entire ground below become a rough, low-poly terrain. That qualifies to give the system a satisfactory rating, but with caveats since the developer has its own problems that exacerbate limited hardware.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment as the More Demanding Tech Test

We now have a more compelling tech test, yet, due to the new Hyrule Warriors, launched earlier this month. The new Zelda spin-off tests the new console because of its action-oriented style, which has players facing off against a huge number of enemies continuously. The series' previous game, the previous Hyrule Warriors, performed poorly on the initial console as the console couldn't keep up with its quick combat and numerous on-screen elements. It frequently dropped below the desired frame rate and produced the feeling that you were overwhelming the system when going too hard in battle.

Thankfully is that it too succeeds the tech test. Having tested the game through its paces in recent weeks, completing all missions it has to offer. Throughout this testing, I've found that it achieves a consistent frame rate compared to its predecessor, actually hitting its sixty frames goal with greater stability. Performance can dip in the most intense combat, but I've yet to hit any situation where the game turns into a choppy presentation as the framerate chugs. A portion of this could be because of the situation where its compact stages are designed to avoid too many enemies on the display simultaneously.

Significant Limitations and Overall Assessment

Present are foreseeable trade-offs. Primarily, cooperative multiplayer has a noticeable decrease closer to the 30 fps range. It's also the premier exclusive release where I've really noticed a significant contrast between older OLED technology and the new LCD display, with particularly during cinematics having a washed out quality.

However generally, this release is a dramatic improvement over its predecessor, just as Z-A is to the earlier Pokémon title. Should you require evidence that the Switch 2 is fulfilling its tech promises, despite some limitations remaining, the two releases provide a clear example of how Nintendo's latest is substantially boosting series that struggled on previous systems.