Fans universally agree the Nintendo Switch 2’s newest update is a net positive, even if it has some blind spots.
Earlier this week, Nintendo quietly updated the Nintendo Switch 2 with a new handheld boost mode. While it doesn’t affect Switch 2 games, it has greatly benefited backwards compatible Switch 1 games.
Basically, if you have the mode enabled, it makes it so any Switch 1 games you play in handheld mode have the same visual fidelity as they do when they’re running on your TV.
It doesn’t mean games locked to 30 frames per second now jump to a smoother 60fps, but Nintendo fans are more than thrilled with the update, with many saying it’s made certain Switch 1 games much more palatable to play.
The Switch 1 games with the biggest improvements in handheld on Switch 2
On the Switch 2 subreddit, many fans have been excitedly sharing which games they think have benefited the most from the boost mode and there is a welcomingly broad spectrum of first and third-party games.
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MrTambourineMan7 highlights Persona 5 Royal, saying that while it’s not perfect, the ‘difference is pretty massive… given how terrible it looked [in] handheld before.’
MrPabluu says the boost mode has got them replaying Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, saying it ‘looks gorgeous’ and even Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ visuals have significantly improved according to NiceColdPint.
Other examples include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Monster Hunter Rise, and the entire Xenoblade Chronicles series, so it’s safe to say that this update is helping people clear out their backlogs and encouraged replays.
‘I don’t think this update is gonna move the needle for any casual fans, but it’s such a great incentive to dive back into my catalogue and finish up some Switch 1 games I bounced off of,’ says MidnightOnTheWater.
‘I was playing Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and the difference is night and day compared to how that game runs natively on Switch 2.’
If there’s one downside to the feature, it’s that it’s only made fans more desperate for some games to received dedicated Switch 2 upgrades.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses, for instance, which suffers from extremely low tech graphics, looks a lot better in boost mode according to one AtomicEdge, but the locked frame rate of 30fps is now all the more noticeable.
Similarly, Astral Chain looks far better in comparison screenshots but, as Massive_Fly_1709 says, the game remains in dire need of a proper upgrade.
The Switch 1 games that don’t benefit from handheld boost mode on Switch 2
Other fans can’t help but be disappointed that not every Switch 1 game gets to reap the benefits. As we initially reported, some games are exempt due to one reason or another, such as unique control schemes or a reliance on touch screen controls, which the mode disables.
Fans are putting together a list of examples in lieu of an official one from Nintendo and it includes the likes of The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee, and all four Pikmin games.
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‘Such a shame! I’ve been sitting on Pikmin 4, thinking surely Nintendo will update it for Switch 2, but no such luck!’ bemoans whiquibottle, with Craven Motivation adding it’s ‘really sad’ that the first two Pikmin games aren’t compatible.
Pigwarts is disappointed that 51 Worldwide Games (or Clubhouse Games as it’s also known) is exempt too, saying, ‘I was really hoping for a better handheld resolution for Solitaire in particular. The cards are rough in handheld.’
Others also report that some games don’t seem to improve that much when running in boost mode, with a few highlighting Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl as looking barely different to how it looks usually.
‘Hades looks the same to my eyes which was super disappointing,’ says brianh418, while coasterguy11 adds, ‘Similar thing happened with Harvestella, which had a massive performance jump from Switch to Switch 2 but looks almost identical boosted.’
WinGroundbreaking409 says The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is ‘gonna need an official Switch 2 patch to get anything else out of it’. To that game’s credit, the Switch 1 port is technically impressive, but it does make a lot of graphical compromises.
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