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It's surprising, however we're already closing in on the new Switch 2 console's six-month milestone. By the time Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releases on Dec. 4, we'll be able to give the console a detailed progress report due to its impressive roster of Nintendo-developed initial releases. Major titles like Donkey Kong Bananza will lead that review, but it's two newest Nintendo titles, the Pokémon Legends installment and recently Age of Imprisonment, that have enabled the new console conquer a crucial test in its first six months: the tech exam.

Confronting Hardware Issues

Prior to Nintendo publicly unveiled the successor system, the primary worry from players about the then-theoretical console was about power. Regarding hardware, Nintendo has lagged behind PlayStation and Xbox over the last few console generations. This situation began to show in the end of the Switch era. The expectation was that a Switch 2 would bring consistent frame rates, improved visuals, and standard options like ultra-high definition. That's precisely what arrived when the device was debuted this summer. That's what its specs indicated, at least. To truly know if the upgraded system is an enhancement, we'd need to see important releases running on it. We now have that evidence in recent days, and the prognosis remains healthy.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A as an Initial Examination

The first significant examination arrived with last month's Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The franchise had notable performance issues on the original Switch, with games like Scarlet and Violet releasing in very poor shape. The console itself wasn't solely responsible for those problems; the actual engine powering Game Freak's RPGs was outdated and getting stretched past its limits in the franchise's move to open-world. The new game would be a bigger examination for its studio than anything else, but we could still learn we'd be able to glean from the game's visual clarity and its operation on the upgraded hardware.

Although the title's basic graphics has opened debates about the studio's prowess, there's no denying that Legends: Z-A is nowhere near the tech disaster of its earlier title, the previous Legends game. It runs at a smooth 60 frames on the upgraded system, whereas the Switch version maxes out at 30 fps. Some pop-in occurs, and you'll find plenty of blurry assets if you look closely, but you won't encounter anything like the instance in the previous game where you begin airborne travel and watch the entire ground below turn into a rough, low-poly terrain. It's enough to give the system a satisfactory rating, but with caveats considering that the studio has separate challenges that exacerbate restricted capabilities.

Age of Imprisonment as the Tougher Hardware Challenge

There is now a tougher hardware challenge, though, because of the new Hyrule Warriors, released November 6. The new Zelda spin-off pushes the Switch 2 due to its Musou formula, which has users confronting a huge number of enemies continuously. The franchise's last installment, the previous Hyrule Warriors, struggled on the first Switch as the hardware struggled with its fast-paced action and density of things happening. It regularly decreased below the desired frame rate and produced the feeling that you were pushing too hard when fighting intensely.

Thankfully is that it too succeeds the tech test. Having tested the title extensively over the last few weeks, completing all missions available. During that period, the results show that it manages to provide a more stable framerate versus its earlier title, actually hitting its sixty frames goal with more consistency. It sometimes drops in the most intense combat, but I haven't experienced any situation where I'm suddenly watching a slideshow as the performance struggles. Some of this might be due to the situation where its compact stages are structured to prevent too many enemies on the battlefield concurrently.

Notable Limitations and Overall Evaluation

Remaining are compromises that you're probably expecting. Primarily, shared-screen play has a significant drop around 30 frames. Moreover the initial Nintendo-developed title where I've really noticed a noticeable variation between older OLED technology and the updated LCD screen, with cutscenes especially having a washed out quality.

Overall though, this release is a dramatic improvement over its previous installment, like Z-A is to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If you need confirmation that the new console is fulfilling its tech promises, despite some limitations remaining, these titles provide a clear example of how Nintendo's latest is markedly enhancing titles that performed poorly on old hardware.