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It's hard to believe, yet we're nearly at the Nintendo Switch 2's half-year mark. When the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 releases on the fourth of December, it will be possible to deliver the console a comprehensive assessment based on its solid selection of first-party early titles. Heavy hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza will dominate that check-in, however it's two newest Nintendo titles, the Pokémon Legends installment and now Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, that have allowed the Switch 2 pass a critical examination in its first six months: the tech exam.

Confronting Hardware Concerns

Before Nintendo publicly unveiled the successor system, the main issue from gamers regarding the then-theoretical console was about power. In terms of hardware, Nintendo has lagged behind Sony and Microsoft for several generations. That fact became apparent in the Switch's final years. The hope was that a Switch 2 would bring consistent frame rates, improved visuals, and industry-standard features like 4K resolution. That's exactly what we got when the device was launched in June. Or that's what its specs indicated, at least. To truly know if the upgraded system is an upgrade, we'd need to see major titles performing on the hardware. That has now happened in recent days, and the prognosis remains healthy.

The Pokémon Title serving as First Examination

The first significant examination was October's the new Pokémon game. Pokémon games had some infamous tech struggles on the initial console, with games like Scarlet and Violet debuting in very poor shape. Nintendo's hardware didn't bear all the responsibility for those issues; the actual engine powering Game Freak's RPGs was old and getting stretched much further than it could go in the franchise's move to open-world. The new game would be more challenging for its developer than anything, but we could still learn to observe from the title's graphics and its operation on the upgraded hardware.

Although the title's limited detail has opened debates about Game Freak's technical capabilities, it's undeniable that the latest installment is not at all like the tech disaster of its earlier title, Arceus. It operates at a stable 60 frames per second on Switch 2, whereas the original console reaches only 30 fps. Objects still appear suddenly, and you may notice plenty of blurry assets if you examine carefully, but you won't experience anything like the moment in Arceus where you first take to the skies and watch the whole terrain beneath turn into a jagged, polygonal surface. This is sufficient to give the system a decent grade, though with reservations since the developer has independent issues that worsen limited hardware.

The New Zelda Game serving as a More Challenging Tech Test

We now have a more demanding performance examination, however, due to Age of Imprisonment, launched earlier this month. The new Zelda spin-off pushes the Switch 2 because of its Musou formula, which has users confronting a massive horde of creatures at all times. The franchise's last installment, the previous Hyrule Warriors, struggled on the initial console as the console couldn't keep up with its rapid gameplay and sheer amount of activity. It regularly decreased under the intended 30 frames and created the sensation that you were breaking the game when fighting intensely.

Fortunately is that it also passes the hardware challenge. Having tested the title extensively during the past month, completing all missions included. Throughout this testing, the results show that it manages to provide a consistent frame rate relative to its previous game, actually hitting its sixty frames goal with better regularity. It can still slip up in the most heated of battles, but I haven't experienced any time when the game turns into a choppy presentation as the framerate chugs. Part of that could be because of the reality that its short levels are structured to prevent too many enemies on the battlefield concurrently.

Important Limitations and General Assessment

There are still compromises that you're probably expecting. Most notably, shared-screen play experiences a significant drop near thirty frames. Moreover the first Switch 2 first-party game where it's apparent a significant contrast between my old OLED display and the current LCD panel, with notably in story sequences appearing less vibrant.

Overall though, Age of Imprisonment is a dramatic improvement versus its earlier title, just as the Pokémon game is to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If you need any sign that the upgraded system is delivering on its performance claims, even with some caveats still in tow, the two releases provide a clear example of the way the new console is substantially boosting franchises that had issues on older technology.