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It's hard to believe, yet we're nearly at the new Switch 2 console's half-year mark. Once the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 debuts on December 4, we'll be able to give the device a comprehensive progress report thanks to its solid selection of exclusive early titles. Major titles like Donkey Kong Bananza will lead that analysis, yet it's two newest Nintendo titles, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and recently Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, that have allowed the successor overcome a crucial test in its first six months: the performance test.

Tackling Power Concerns

Prior to Nintendo formally revealed the Switch 2, the main issue from gamers around the hypothetical device was regarding performance. Regarding technology, the company fell behind PlayStation and Xbox for several generations. This situation began to show in the Switch's final years. The desire was that a new model would introduce more stable framerates, smoother textures, and standard options like 4K resolution. That's precisely what arrived when the system was launched in June. At least that's what its technical details suggested, at least. To accurately assess if the Switch 2 is an upgrade, it was necessary to observe major titles running on it. We now have that evidence in recent days, and the assessment is favorable.

Legends: Z-A serving as Early Test

The console's first major test came with last month's Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The Pokémon series had some infamous tech struggles on the initial console, with releases including Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launching in very poor shape. Nintendo's hardware didn't bear all the responsibility for those issues; the underlying technology running the Pokémon titles was outdated and getting stretched past its limits in the series' gradual open-world pivot. Legends: Z-A would be a bigger examination for its developer than any other factor, but there was still a lot we'd be able to glean from the title's graphics and how it runs on the new system.

Despite the release's restricted visual fidelity has opened debates about the studio's prowess, it's clear that this Pokémon game is not at all like the technical failure of its earlier title, the previous Legends game. It runs at a stable 60 frames per second on the new console, while the older hardware reaches only 30 frames per second. Objects still appear suddenly, and you'll find various fuzzy textures if you look closely, but you won't hit anything resembling the instance in the previous game where you initially fly and observe the entire ground below transform into a uneven, basic graphics. That qualifies to earn the Switch 2 some passing marks, but with caveats considering that the developer has its own problems that exacerbate limited hardware.

The New Zelda Game as a Tougher Tech Test

We now have a more demanding performance examination, however, because of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, launched earlier this month. The latest Musou title tests the new console thanks to its action-oriented style, which has gamers battling a massive horde of creatures continuously. The series' previous game, Age of Calamity, performed poorly on the first Switch as the system couldn't handle with its quick combat and sheer amount of activity. It frequently dropped below the desired frame rate and created the sensation that you were breaking the game when fighting intensely.

The good news is that it also passes the hardware challenge. After playing the title extensively during the past month, completing all missions it has to offer. Throughout this testing, it's clear that it achieves a smoother performance versus its previous game, actually hitting its 60 frames target with more consistency. Performance can dip in the most heated of battles, but I've yet to hit any moment where it becomes a slideshow as the frame rate suffers. Part of that might be due to the situation where its compact stages are designed to avoid excessive numbers of foes on screen at once.

Significant Compromises and General Assessment

Present are foreseeable trade-offs. Primarily, splitscreen co-op sees performance taking a substantial reduction near thirty frames. It's also the first Switch 2 first-party game where it's apparent a significant contrast between older OLED technology and the new LCD display, with cutscenes especially looking faded.

But for the most part, the new game is a complete change over its previous installment, similar to Z-A is to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If you need any sign that the upgraded system is fulfilling its hardware potential, despite some limitations remaining, these titles provide a clear example of the way the new console is significantly improving titles that performed poorly on previous systems.