Nintendo Switch 2 is a close match for Xbox Series S, says game porting specialist
Closer to a Series S in GPU, and faster than a PS4 in CPU terms
🆚 Another game developer has weighed in on how powerful the Nintendo Switch 2 is against current console hardware
🤔 Eoin O'Grady at Black Shamrock, a Virtuos studio, noted that the GPU is "slightly below the Series S", but because of new tech such as Nvidia's DLSS upscaler, it makes it more comparable to Xbox's more affordable current-gen console
💪 Switch 2's processor is "a bit more powerful" than a PS4, and if games are well-optimized, according to O'Grady' a 60fps game on Series S should "easily port to the Switch 2"
😮 Other game producers, such as Takuto Edagawa, producer of the upcoming Wild Hearts S title, also highlighted how Switch 2 is closer to a Series S than a PS4 in terms of raw power
Another game developer has shared their thoughts on how powerful the Nintendo Switch 2 is, and it concurs with what we already know.
In an interview with Wccftech, the team at Virtuos was asked about Switch 2's "raw performance" and how powerful they think the console is. Their response was that the GPU inside the Switch 2 is "slightly below the Series S", with the difference more "noticeable in handheld mode".
However, Switch 2 supports Nvidia’s DLSS whereas the Series S doesn't, which, according to Eoin O'Grady, the technical director at Black Shamrock, a Virtuos studio, "makes the GPU capabilities of the two consoles comparable overall."
The CPU inside Switch 2 is "closer" to the PlayStation 4, although O'Grady stressed that this comparison is a lot clearer. The Switch 2 has a CPU that's "just a bit more powerful than the PS4’s", and as a lot of games are GPU-bound rather than CPU-bound when "well-optimized", the impact of a different CPU largely depends on "the specific game and its target frame rate."
With this in mind, O'Grady also noted that "Any game shipping at 60fps on the Series S should easily port to the Switch 2. Likewise, a 30fps Series S game that’s GPU-bound should also port well." Where a game may "incur additional challenges in reaching 30 or 60fps" or "extra optimization when porting", include if it has "complex physics, animations, or other CPU-intensive elements".
This isn't the first time we've heard Switch 2 be compared to an Xbox Series S, either. Takuto Edagawa, producer of the upcoming Wild Hearts S title, noted that Switch 2 is closer to a Series S in terms of raw power than a PS4, while he also praised the console's upgraded 7.9-inch 1080p 120Hz screen for its “smoother and more precise” graphics.
A previous roundtable of game developers also described the Switch 2's upgrades in software and hardware to amount to being "huge" for the games they were making. We’ve praised the console’s performance in our ‘Nintendo Switch 2 one month later’ update, where we said: Y”es, Nintendo Switch 2 can't deliver the same visuals as the best PS5 games. But it doesn't need to. The truth is, aside for running at higher resolutions or frame rates, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S games aren't too dissimilar to PS4 and Xbox One.”
Up next: Walmart Nintendo Switch 2 restock: get ready for a possible alert this week
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.