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It's astonishing, but we're nearly at the new Switch 2 console's six-month anniversary. By the time Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releases on December 4, it will be possible to deliver the system a fairly thorough assessment thanks to its strong lineup of first-party launch window games. Heavy hitters like the new Donkey Kong game will dominate that review, but it's Nintendo's two most recent games, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and currently Age of Imprisonment, that have helped the successor overcome a key challenge in its first six months: the tech exam.

Confronting Power Concerns

Ahead of Nintendo publicly unveiled the successor system, the biggest concern from players regarding the then-theoretical console was regarding performance. When it comes to technology, Nintendo has lagged behind Sony and Microsoft for several generations. That reality was evident in the Switch's final years. The hope was that a Switch 2 would introduce consistent frame rates, better graphics, and modern capabilities like ultra-high definition. That's precisely what arrived when the system was released in June. That's what its hardware specifications promised, at least. To accurately assess if the Switch 2 is an improvement, we'd need to see some key games performing on the hardware. That has now happened over the last two weeks, and the assessment is favorable.

Legends: Z-A as an First Challenge

The system's initial big challenge was last month's the new Pokémon game. The Pokémon series had well-known technical problems on the first Switch, with games like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet releasing in highly problematic conditions. The console itself didn't bear all the responsibility for those issues; the game engine running Game Freak's RPGs was aged and strained beyond its capabilities in the transition to larger environments. The new game would be a bigger examination for its developer than any other factor, but there was still a lot to observe from the title's graphics and its operation on the upgraded hardware.

Despite the release's restricted visual fidelity has sparked discussions about the developer's skills, there's no denying that the latest installment is far from the performance mess of its predecessor, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It runs at a stable 60 frames per second on the upgraded system, while the older hardware maxes out at 30 frames per second. Pop-in is still present, and you may notice many low-resolution elements if you examine carefully, but you won't encounter anything similar to the situation in Arceus where you initially fly and see the complete landscape become a rough, low-poly terrain. This is sufficient to grant the new console a satisfactory rating, though with reservations considering that the developer has separate challenges that worsen restricted capabilities.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment as the Tougher Tech Test

We now have a more compelling tech test, though, due to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, out Nov. 6. This Zelda derivative tests the new console due to its action-oriented style, which has players facing off against a literal army of monsters continuously. The franchise's last installment, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, had issues on the original Switch as the system couldn't handle with its quick combat and numerous on-screen elements. It regularly decreased below its target 30fps and gave the impression that you were pushing too hard when going too hard in battle.

Fortunately is that it also passes the tech test. I've been putting the title extensively over the last few weeks, experiencing every level included. In that time, it's clear that it manages to provide a smoother performance versus its previous game, actually hitting its 60 frames target with greater stability. It can still slip up in the most intense combat, but I've yet to hit any moment where the game turns into a slideshow as the framerate chugs. A portion of this might be due to the fact that its short levels are structured to prevent excessive numbers of foes on the battlefield concurrently.

Significant Limitations and Final Assessment

Remaining are expected limitations. Primarily, shared-screen play has a significant drop closer to the 30 fps range. Additionally the first Switch 2 first-party game where I've really noticed a major difference between older OLED technology and the new LCD display, with particularly during cinematics looking faded.

However generally, the new game is a dramatic improvement over its predecessor, like the Pokémon game is to Arceus. For those seeking any sign that the new console is meeting its tech promises, despite some limitations remaining, the two releases demonstrate effectively of how Nintendo's latest is substantially boosting franchises that had issues on old hardware.