Digital Foundry’s Alex Battaglia has revealed that the Nintendo Switch 2 utilizes two different versions of Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology. According to his recent analysis, the system features both a standard DLSS model similar to the one used on PC and a secondary, lower-cost variant designed to reduce performance overhead. This finding sheds light on how certain visually demanding games are able to run at higher resolutions on the new hardware.
The distinction became apparent after testing games such as Hogwarts Legacy, The Touryst, and Fast Fusion. Battaglia noted that while this second DLSS type can produce sharper images in still frames, it struggles during motion, often appearing as though the upscaling is not functioning correctly. A developer familiar with the technology confirmed the assessment, stating, “DLSS on Switch 2 has two types. One that is much like the CNN presets on PC and one that has presets that are roughly half the cost in terms of frame time than the CNN model.”
This streamlined model effectively cuts rendering costs in half, giving developers more room to allocate GPU resources elsewhere. Calculations from 2023 suggested that full DLSS at 4K would require around 18 milliseconds on Switch 2’s GPU. With the cheaper variant, that figure is reduced to approximately 9 milliseconds, leaving about seven or eight milliseconds for the rest of the game’s processing. This tradeoff, however, often forces developers to rely on lower base resolutions—648p in Fast Fusion and 720p in The Touryst—to meet performance targets.
The approach highlights both the strengths and limitations of Nintendo’s new hybrid system. On one hand, DLSS makes it technically possible for games to reach 4K resolutions, particularly when docked. On the other, the lower-cost model produces inconsistent visual results during movement, which Battaglia criticized as unsuitable for docked play. He argued that games might benefit more from adopting lower native resolutions paired with traditional anti-aliasing techniques, similar to what is seen in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Street Fighter 6.
As it stands, many launch and early Switch 2 titles appear to be relying on this modified DLSS variant to achieve ambitious resolution and frame rate goals. The compromise reflects both the potential and the challenges of adapting high-end PC rendering techniques to a portable device.
