It's only been days since Pokemon Legends: Z-A hit store shelves for the Switch and Switch 2, and the game has already received mixed responses from fans and critics alike. Though discussions about the action-based gameplay and the new Mega Evolutions have been done ad nauseum, the way Pokemon Legends: Z-A looks and performs on Nintendo's current consoles is just as divisive, depending on who you ask.
Pokemon Was Made For The Switch
Let's make one thing perfectly clear here: Pokemon Legends: Z-A was made with the OG Switch in mind. When Pokemon Legends: Z-A was first announced on Pokemon Day in 2024, it was intended to be just released on the Switch. The Switch 2's existence hadn't become widespread knowledge until almost a year later, when Nintendo unveiled its latest console in January.
The Switch 2 also has this small, but convinent feature called backward compatibility for Switch games. With PlayStation and Xbox offering backward compatibility as key features, it's not surprising Nintendo went that route with the Switch 2 from the start. Under the hood, the Switch 2's graphical capabilities already leave the OG Switch in the dust. However, the Switch 2's custom Nvidia Tegra T239 chip has one game-changing feature that no other console has at the present: DLSS.
Pikachu, Use Techno-Babble!
Short for Deep-Learning Super Sampling, DLSS is Nvidia's way of allowing games to render at a lower resolution before being upscaled to fit a display's recommended specs. For example, a game could be rendered in 1080p natively and then use DLSS to upscale to 4K with varying degrees of graphical quality. Think of it as a magic trick that companies like Nvidia and AMD (via their FSR technology) use on PC to give gamers a way to increase performance at the touch of a button. While AMD's FSR is utilized in the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to varying degrees, it often pales in comparison to DLSS across the board.
Fast forward to April's Nintendo Direct about all things Switch 2, and the Big N drops news about how some Switch games would receive Switch 2 Editions that offer better performance and higher resolutions and textures than the base Switch can muster, with prices varying between free and $20. Thankfully, Pokemon Legends: Z-A fell somewhere in between those Switch 2 offers, as the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is just a $10 markup from the base Switch version. What do these extra ten bucks get you? Well, at the very least, the performance boost is as advertised.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Could Still Look Better
It's no secret that the Switch 2 version of Pokemon Legends: Z-A has higher performance and better graphical quality than on the Switch 1. While the Switch 1 can handle Z-A at a stable 30 frames per second (FPS), the Switch 2 allows it to run at a buttery-smooth 60 FPS, even at an upscaled 4K resolution when in Docked mode.
However, the game does not run at a native 4K resolution, as DLSS is doing the heavy lifting for Pokemon Legends; Z-A on the Switch 2. Plus, some of the textures around Lumiose City's walls and roads are only slight upgrades from the Switch 1 to Switch 2, and are not as demanding a load for the latter console to handle. Also, objects and NPCs still pop-in from time to time, though this is simply the nature of the best when it comes to open-world designs. So, while Pokemon Legends: Z-A runs at a stable 60 FPS almost all the time, it could still bear a higher graphical load.
That said, Pokemon keeping things at least stable and consistent on the Switch 2 has me curious and excited what Game Freak has in mind for the next generation. Hopefully, the next Pokemon games won't be knee-capped by the Switch 1's limitations.