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It's surprising, however we're nearly at the Nintendo Switch 2's six-month anniversary. When Metroid Prime 4: Beyond debuts on Dec. 4, we can provide the system a fairly thorough evaluation based on its impressive roster of exclusive launch window games. Blockbuster games like Donkey Kong Bananza will dominate that review, yet it's the company's latest releases, the Pokémon Legends installment and now Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, that have helped the successor pass a critical examination in its opening six months: the hardware evaluation.

Addressing Hardware Concerns

Prior to Nintendo officially announced the successor system, the biggest concern from players about the rumored system was about power. Regarding hardware, the company fell behind Sony and Microsoft for several generations. That fact began to show in the end of the Switch era. The expectation was that a new model would bring smoother performance, better graphics, and modern capabilities like 4K. That's exactly what we got when the system was debuted this summer. Or that's what its hardware specifications promised, for the most part. To really determine if the Switch 2 is an upgrade, it was necessary to observe important releases operating on the system. We've finally gotten that during the past fortnight, and the outlook is positive.

The Pokémon Title as the Initial Challenge

The console's first major test was October's Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The Pokémon series had well-known technical problems on the original Switch, with releases including Scarlet and Violet releasing in highly problematic conditions. The system wasn't solely responsible for that; the underlying technology powering the Pokémon titles was old and getting stretched past its limits in the transition to larger environments. Legends: Z-A would be more challenging for its studio than any other factor, but there remained much to analyze from the title's graphics and how it runs on the new system.

While the game's basic graphics has opened debates about Game Freak's technical capabilities, it's undeniable that this Pokémon game is nowhere near the technical failure of its preceding game, the previous Legends game. It runs at a stable 60 frames per second on the upgraded system, but the older hardware tops out at 30 fps. Objects still appear suddenly, and you may notice plenty of blurry assets if you examine carefully, but you won't hit anything like the situation in Arceus where you initially fly and watch the entire ground below turn into a rough, low-poly terrain. That qualifies to give the system a satisfactory rating, however with limitations since Game Freak has its own problems that amplify restricted capabilities.

The New Zelda Game as a More Challenging Performance Examination

Currently available is a more compelling tech test, yet, thanks to Age of Imprisonment, released November 6. This Zelda derivative challenges the upgraded system thanks to its hack-and-slash gameplay, which has users confronting a literal army of monsters continuously. The franchise's last installment, Age of Calamity, had issues on the first Switch as the console couldn't keep up with its fast-paced action and sheer amount of activity. It often fell below the desired frame rate and produced the feeling that you were pushing too hard when fighting intensely.

Thankfully is that it also passes the performance examination. After playing the release thoroughly during the past month, experiencing every level it has to offer. During that period, I've found that it achieves a smoother performance relative to its earlier title, actually hitting its sixty frames goal with more consistency. It sometimes drops in the most heated of battles, but I haven't experienced any moment where it becomes a stuttering mess as the frame rate suffers. Part of that might be due to the situation where its short levels are designed to avoid too many enemies on screen at once.

Significant Compromises and Overall Evaluation

Present are compromises that you're probably expecting. Primarily, cooperative multiplayer sees performance taking a substantial reduction closer to the 30 fps range. It's also the premier exclusive release where there's a clear a significant contrast between older OLED technology and the current LCD panel, with particularly during cinematics having a washed out quality.

Overall though, the new game is a night and day difference over its earlier title, similar to Pokémon Legends: Z-A is to the earlier Pokémon title. If you need any sign that the Switch 2 is fulfilling its performance claims, despite some limitations remaining, these titles provide a clear example of how Nintendo's latest is markedly enhancing franchises that had issues on previous systems.