The Switch 2 makes it easy to revisit beloved GameCube games, but the excellent Dolphin emulator shows what the titles are missing with its advanced performance and graphics enhancements.
New games, crisp resolutions, and high frame rates are good reasons to be excited about the Nintendo Switch 2, but they aren’t the only aspects of the upcoming console that interest me. With a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, the console is getting a feature I’ve wanted since the Wii U days: GameCube games. I sampled several retro classics at Nintendo’s Switch 2 launch event and enjoyed my time with them. However, that wasn’t enough to overlook the elephant in the room regarding retro gaming on the Switch 2: There are better emulation options elsewhere for playing GameCube games, namely Dolphin.F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur 2 Play Well, Show Their Age
Let’s start with the positives. There were four GameCube games available to play at the Switch 2 event: F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soul Calibur 2, and Super Mario Strikers. I fired up F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur 2 because they’re generational favorites of mine. Plus, their genres (racing for the former, fighting for the latter) are great ways to analyze graphical smoothness.
The good news is that F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur ran well on the Switch 2. I couldn’t confirm their rendering resolutions or frame rates, but they featured fluid action. They’re emulated, like Nintendo 64 games on the original Switch.
However, F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur’s textures are the same as on the GameCube, a console with a much lower resolution than the Switch 2.
