A well know developer has favourably compared the Switch 2’s power to the Xbox Series S and PlayStation 4.
One of the big points of contention heading into the Switch 2’s launch was exactly how powerful the console would be, with early reports variously comparing it to a PlayStation 4 and Xbox Series S.
The hybrid console’s impressive ports of Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy suggest the console’s power is on the higher end of those expectations and in new comments developer Virtuos seems to agree.
According to Eoin O’Grady, technical director at Virtuos subsidiary Black Shamrock, the GPU of the Switch 2 and Xbox Series S are comparable thanks to the former’s use of DLSS upscaling, whereas CPU-wise the system is closer to a PlayStation 4.
How powerful is the Nintendo Switch 2?
‘GPU-wise, the Switch 2 performs slightly below the Series S; this difference is more noticeable in handheld mode,’ O’Grady said in an interview with Wccftech. ‘However, the Series S does not support technologies like DLSS, which the Switch 2 does. This makes the GPU capabilities of the two consoles comparable overall.
‘CPU-wise, there is a clearer distinction between the two consoles. The Switch 2 is closer to the PlayStation 4 in this respect, having a CPU just a bit more powerful than the PlayStation 4’s. Since most games tend to be more GPU-bound than CPU-bound when well optimised, the impact of this difference largely depends on the specific game and its target frame rate.’
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As such, O’Grady claims any Xbox Series S games targeting 60fps ‘should easily port’ to the Switch 2, although there might be some caveats if complex physics or animations are at play.
‘Any game shipping at 60fps on the Series S should easily port to the Switch 2,’ he added. ‘Likewise, a 30fps Series S game that’s GPU-bound should also port well. Games with complex physics, animations, or other CPU-intensive elements might incur additional challenges in reaching 30 or 60fps or require extra optimisation during porting.’
Along with ports of everything from Horizon Zero Dawn to Dark Souls, Virtuos has worked as a support studio on several projects, including Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Konami’s upcoming remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, aka Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. A Switch 2 port for the latter has not yet been announced.
Beyond Mario Kart World, the Switch 2’s launch line-up mostly consists of third party titles which were released on last gen hardware. As such, the biggest test for the Switch 2’s capabilities moving forward are the games only available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, such as Star Wars Outlaws or the rumoured port of Stellar Blade.
Even if the Switch 2 is a capable machine, however, early reports suggest third party games aren’t selling well on the console so far – but it remains to be seen if this is an anomaly of the launch window.
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