The use of DLSS in the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 has been confirmed, as the port becomes one of the console’s most hi-tech games.
Before anything official had been shared about the Nintendo Switch 2, it was widely assumed that the console would make use of Nvidia’s deep learning super sampling technology.
Better known as DLSS, this was a common rumour that was corroborated by a Nintendo patent and eventually confirmed by Nvidia itself, in the wake of the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct.
What wasn’t so clear was which games would make use of it, but now we know that the first such example is, not a first party Nintendo title, but the Switch 2 port of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which launches alongside the console on June 5.
‘We’re using a version of DLSS available for Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, powered by Nvidia’s Tensor cores,’ said CD Projekt when asked by Digital Foundry.
The tech is not exclusive to any particular mode of play, with the company adding: ‘The game utilises DLSS in all four modes: in handheld and docked, and the performance and quality variations of each.’
We went hands-on with Cyberpunk 2077 during this month’s press event and while the version we played was unfinished, it was still the most technically impressive game there, even managing to look better, in some ways, than on the PS4 Pro.
A CD Projekt Red developer was also on hand to explain that, unlike The Witcher 3, the port had been handled in-house – an indication of the importance with which it’s been treated within the company.
What is DLSS?
For the uninitiated, DLSS uses AI upscaling to artificially improve a video game’s resolution. Basically, it’s a trick that makes games look and run better even on weaker hardware, and is perfect for more graphically intensive games.
The same or similar technology is already used on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, with Sony having its own system called PSSR, but clearly it’s of particular use to the underpowered Switch 2.
While the Switch 2 is significantly more powerful than its predecessor, it’s still not at the same level as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. So, DLSS is an important tool to help ports of games that debuted on stronger hardware look up to snuff when running on Switch 2.
As such, it’s safe to assume that other Switch 2 ports, like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Elden Ring, and Star Wars Outlaws, are making use of DLSS too. Especially as DLSS requires little effort to implement and does not itself use much hardware power.
Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 is already capped at 40 frames per second in performance mode and 30 frames per second in quality mode, which is also likely thanks to DLSS – although using the technology to generate additional frames is more controversial amongst some fans, at least when it comes to pure action games.
It’s possible that Nintendo is also using the tech for games built specifically for Switch 2, but they’ve not mentioned it yet. We certainly wouldn’t be surprised if something like The Duskbloods, a Switch 2 exclusive from FromSoftware, made use of DLSS as well.
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