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It's hard to believe, yet we're approaching the Nintendo Switch 2's half-year mark. When Metroid Prime 4: Beyond debuts on Dec. 4, we'll be able to give the system a detailed evaluation due to its solid selection of Nintendo-developed early titles. Major titles like Donkey Kong Bananza will lead that check-in, however it's the company's latest releases, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and now Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, that have allowed the new console overcome a key challenge in its opening six months: the performance test.

Confronting Power Worries

Before Nintendo formally revealed the new console, the biggest concern from users about the hypothetical device was regarding performance. Regarding technology, Nintendo trailed competing consoles in recent cycles. That reality became apparent in the original Switch's later life. The expectation was that a Switch 2 would deliver smoother performance, smoother textures, and industry-standard features like 4K resolution. That's precisely what arrived when the console was debuted this summer. Or that's what its specs indicated, for the most part. To truly know if the new console is an upgrade, we required examples of important releases operating on the system. We've finally gotten that over the last two weeks, and the prognosis remains healthy.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A serving as First Examination

The console's first major test came with October's Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The franchise had notable performance issues on the initial console, with titles such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet releasing in downright disastrous states. The system didn't bear all the responsibility for those issues; the underlying technology powering the developer's games was old and being pushed beyond its capabilities in the franchise's move to open-world. Legends: Z-A would be more challenging for its studio than any other factor, but there remained much we'd be able to glean from the game's visual clarity and performance on Switch 2.

Although the title's basic graphics has sparked discussions about Game Freak's technical capabilities, it's undeniable that the latest installment is nowhere near the technical failure of its preceding game, Arceus. It runs at a smooth 60 frames on the upgraded system, whereas the older hardware tops out at thirty frames. Pop-in is still present, and there are plenty of blurry assets if you look closely, but you won't experience anything like the instance in the previous game where you begin airborne travel and see the entire ground below transform into a jagged, polygonal surface. This is sufficient to give the system some passing marks, though with reservations since the developer has independent issues that worsen limited hardware.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment as a More Demanding Hardware Challenge

Currently available is a tougher hardware challenge, however, due to Age of Imprisonment, released November 6. The latest Musou title pushes the Switch 2 because of its Musou formula, which has users confronting a huge number of enemies at all times. The franchise's last installment, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, had issues on the first Switch as the hardware struggled with its rapid gameplay and sheer amount of activity. It regularly decreased under the intended 30 frames and produced the feeling that you were pushing too hard when going too hard in battle.

Thankfully is that it also passes the performance examination. I've been putting the release thoroughly in recent weeks, playing every single mission available. Throughout this testing, I've found that it's been able to deliver a consistent frame rate versus its previous game, maintaining its sixty frames goal with better regularity. It can still slip up in the fiercest fights, but I've yet to hit any time when it becomes a choppy presentation as the performance struggles. Part of that may result from the situation where its short levels are structured to prevent too many enemies on the battlefield concurrently.

Important Compromises and General Verdict

Present are foreseeable trade-offs. Most notably, splitscreen co-op has a substantial reduction closer to the 30 fps range. Additionally the initial Nintendo-developed title where there's a clear a major difference between my old OLED display and the current LCD panel, with particularly during cinematics having a washed out quality.

But for the most part, the new game is a dramatic improvement over its earlier title, like the Pokémon game is to the earlier Pokémon title. For those seeking any sign that the Switch 2 is delivering on its hardware potential, although with certain reservations remaining, these titles show clearly of how the Switch 2 is substantially boosting franchises that had issues on previous systems.