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The Nintendo Switch 2 has been a bit controversial since it was first unveiled this spring. Not only was the new Nintendo handheld more expensive than the original, the games would cost more as well. However, those early gripes were somewhat assauged once fans got their hands on the Switch 2, reporting solid performance upgrades and raving over the first Switch 2 games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.
But then more time went by, and it seemed Nintendo was already hitting the Switch 2’s hardware limits. Considering how long Nintendo tends to take between hardware generations, the idea the console was tapped out within the first month had a lot of folks worried about the future of Nintendo’s hybrid console lineup. But those worries may have been a bit premature.
Early Switch 2 games are pushing limitations
First we’ve got to move fast and break things.
Nintendo opted for a custom Nvidia APU with the Switch 2, much like the original Switch console. The chip isn’t the most powerful, but it doesn’t need to be. The Switch 2, like its predecessor, is designed to flex between home console and handheld modes, and gets a power boost when docked and connected to your TV. So maxing out that hardware wouldn’t take much time.
However, this is also just how game development tends to work. Game devs will push hardware limitations early in a console generation to maximize graphics quality, and then optimize for the best performance once the limitations of the hardware have been found. So while Donkey Kong Banaza maxes out the Switch 2’s hardware, it’s also one of the more poorly optimized games we’ll see this generation.
So don’t get too paranoid about the next Zelda game just yet.
