Digital Foundry has published its technical analysis of Devil May Cry 5 on Nintendo Switch 2, praising the port’s performance while highlighting its reliance on aggressive image reconstruction.
According to the analysis, the game delivers a near-locked 60 FPS during gameplay in docked mode. While cutscenes can fluctuate between roughly 50 and 60 FPS, gameplay remains consistently smooth with only occasional dropped frames. Digital Foundry says this marks a noticeable improvement over the original PlayStation 4 release and brings the experience closer to the PlayStation 5 version. Load times have also been significantly reduced, with transitions after cutscenes lasting only a few seconds.
Image quality is another area examined in detail. Digital Foundry believes the game uses DLSS reconstruction during gameplay, estimating an internal rendering resolution of around 540p before being upscaled to 1080p in docked mode. Although this is lower than the PlayStation 4’s native 1080p output, the reconstructed image is said to appear cleaner thanks to improved anti-aliasing and greater image stability.
Visually, Devil May Cry 5 remains largely faithful to its original release. Reflections primarily rely on cube maps, global illumination is pre-calculated and shadow quality can vary, though character models and cinematic cutscenes continue to impress. The analysis also notes that the Switch 2 version appears brighter than releases on other platforms, a behaviour previously observed in other RE Engine games.
An optional 120 Hz mode is available when the console is configured for 120 Hz output. In this mode, the frame rate is unlocked and typically ranges between 80 and 90 FPS. However, Digital Foundry says the lack of variable refresh rate support over HDMI on Nintendo Switch 2 results in visible stuttering, making the mode less desirable than the standard 60 Hz option. They also note there is no in-game option to disable the mode when the console’s 120 Hz setting is enabled.
In handheld mode, the analysis estimates the game renders internally at around 360p before being reconstructed to approximately 720p using what appears to be a DLSS performance mode. While image quality softens during movement and reconstruction artefacts become more noticeable, the game’s darker visuals help conceal many of these issues. Performance is also said to remain excellent, with gameplay believed to frequently exceed 60 FPS.
Digital Foundry concludes that Devil May Cry 5 is a strong port for Nintendo Switch 2. Although it falls short of the PlayStation 5 version in terms of image quality, the combination of stable performance, fast loading times and improved presentation over the PlayStation 4 release makes it one of the better portable versions of Capcom’s action game.
