The performance of Nintendo Switch 2 is comparable to PS4 in third-party titles, according to Digital Foundry.
During the latest episode of DF Direct Weekly, Digital Foundry’s Oliver Mackenzie took a look at the technical parameters of the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, and, based on his assessment, the upcoming console delivers performance comparable to the PS4 in third-party games.
Mackenzie’s assessment was derived from comparisons between the Nintendo Switch 2 and PS4 versions of Final Fantasy VII Remake, Hogwarts Legacy, and Elden Ring.
Regarding Final Fantasy VII Remake, Mackenzie mentioned that Nintendo Switch 2 version is based on PS5 and PC’s Intergrade version. However, the gameplay sequences shown from the Nintendo Switch 2 look very similar to the same instances running on PS4. He added that he didn’t spot a whole lot of tweakables in the footage in terms of graphical settings, such as foliage, draw distance, and shadows. He also pointed out that the Switch 2 version runs at a native resolution of 1080p, just like the PS4 version. Broadly speaking, he found the new version to be quite comparable to the PS4 version if not a little bit favorable relative to Sony’s previous-gen console due to the Intergrade version’s lighting.
As for Hogwarts Legacy, Mackenzie noted that the Nintendo Switch 2 version looks similar to the PS4 version in terms of graphical settings. Though, he pointed out that despite running at a native resolution of 720p versus 900p on PS4, image quality appears to be better than on Sony’s previous-gen console, with a sharper and less aliased presentation. He noted that the latter uses FSR1 for upscaling, and that the Nintendo Switch 2 version may be running with a more modern upscaling technique.
With regards to Elden Ring, Mackenzie mentioned that the shadows appear to draw further into the distance on the trees in the Nintendo Switch 2 version compared to the PlayStation 4 version. Furthermore, he said that image quality on Nintendo’s upcoming console looks pretty comparable to Sony’s previous-gen console, which runs the game at a native resolution of 1080p.
Overall, Digital Foundry assessed that the Nintendo Switch 2 is roughly PlayStation 4 level in comparable titles, but it can do much more in terms of storage, bespoke graphical features, and possibly a faster CPU.
