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It's surprising, however we're already closing in on the new Switch 2 console's six-month anniversary. Once the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 releases on the fourth of December, we'll be able to give the system a comprehensive progress report due to its strong lineup of Nintendo-developed initial releases. Major titles like Donkey Kong Bananza will dominate that review, however it's two newest Nintendo titles, the Pokémon Legends installment and currently the Hyrule Warriors sequel, that have helped the Switch 2 overcome a critical examination in its first six months: the tech exam.

Addressing Power Issues

Before Nintendo officially announced the new console, the biggest concern from users regarding the rumored system was concerning hardware. In terms of technology, Nintendo has lagged behind competing consoles over the last few console generations. That fact began to show in the Switch's final years. The expectation was that a successor would deliver more stable framerates, improved visuals, and industry-standard features like 4K. That's exactly what we got when the device was launched in June. Or that's what its hardware specifications promised, for the most part. To truly know if the Switch 2 is an upgrade, we'd need to see major titles operating on the system. We now have that evidence in recent days, and the prognosis remains healthy.

Legends: Z-A as an First Examination

The system's initial big challenge came with last month's Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Pokémon games had some infamous tech struggles on the original Switch, with releases including the Scarlet and Violet games debuting in highly problematic conditions. The console itself wasn't solely responsible for those problems; the underlying technology running the Pokémon titles was outdated and being pushed much further than it could go in the series' gradual open-world pivot. This installment would be a bigger examination for its studio than anything, but we could still learn to analyze from the game's visual clarity and performance on Switch 2.

Despite the release's limited detail has opened debates about Game Freak's technical capabilities, there's no denying that the latest installment is nowhere near the technical failure of its preceding game, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It operates at a smooth 60 frames on the upgraded system, but the older hardware reaches only thirty frames. Pop-in is still present, and you'll find plenty of blurry assets if you zoom in, but you won't encounter anything like the instance in the previous game where you first take to the skies and observe the complete landscape transform into a uneven, basic graphics. This is sufficient to earn the Switch 2 some passing marks, though with reservations considering that the studio has independent issues that exacerbate limited hardware.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment serving as a More Challenging Hardware Challenge

Currently available is a more demanding performance examination, however, thanks to the new Hyrule Warriors, released November 6. The latest Musou title pushes the Switch 2 because of its Musou formula, which has gamers battling a huge number of enemies continuously. The earlier title, the previous Hyrule Warriors, had issues on the initial console as the console couldn't keep up with its quick combat and density of things happening. It regularly decreased below its target 30fps and gave the impression that you were overwhelming the system when fighting intensely.

Thankfully is that it likewise clears the performance examination. I've been putting the release thoroughly during the past month, experiencing every level it has to offer. In that time, I've found that it manages to provide a consistent frame rate relative to its previous game, reaching its sixty frames goal with better regularity. It sometimes drops in the most intense combat, but I haven't experienced any situation where the game turns into a slideshow as the framerate chugs. Part of that might be due to the reality that its bite-sized missions are designed to avoid excessive numbers of foes on screen at once.

Significant Compromises and General Assessment

Present are foreseeable trade-offs. Primarily, splitscreen co-op sees performance taking a substantial reduction around 30 frames. It's also the first Switch 2 first-party game where there's a clear a significant contrast between previous OLED screens and the current LCD panel, with particularly during cinematics having a washed out quality.

But for the most part, the new game is a complete change versus its earlier title, similar to Pokémon Legends: Z-A is to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Should you require confirmation that the upgraded system is fulfilling its tech promises, even with some caveats present, the two releases show clearly of how Nintendo's latest is significantly improving titles that performed poorly on older technology.