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It's hard to believe, but we're approaching the Nintendo Switch 2's six-month anniversary. Once the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 launches on the fourth of December, we'll be able to give the system a comprehensive assessment due to its solid selection of Nintendo-developed launch window games. Major titles like Donkey Kong Bananza will headline that analysis, yet it's two newest Nintendo titles, the Pokémon Legends installment and currently Age of Imprisonment, that have helped the new console pass a crucial test in its opening six months: the tech exam.

Tackling Hardware Concerns

Ahead of Nintendo officially announced the successor system, the biggest concern from gamers regarding the rumored system was concerning hardware. When it comes to hardware, Nintendo trailed PlayStation and Xbox over the last few console generations. This situation was evident in the end of the Switch era. The hope was that a new model would deliver more stable framerates, better graphics, and standard options like ultra-high definition. That's precisely what arrived when the system was debuted this summer. Or that's what its specs indicated, anyway. To truly know if the new console is an improvement, it was necessary to observe important releases performing on the hardware. We've finally gotten that over the last two weeks, and the assessment is favorable.

Legends: Z-A serving as Initial Examination

The system's initial big challenge arrived with last month's Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The franchise had well-known technical problems on the original Switch, with games like Scarlet and Violet releasing in downright disastrous states. The console itself wasn't exactly to blame for that; the actual engine driving the Pokémon titles was outdated and being pushed past its limits in the franchise's move to open-world. The new game would be more of a test for its studio than any other factor, but there remained much to observe from the title's graphics and how it runs on the new system.

Although the title's basic graphics has initiated conversations about Game Freak's technical capabilities, there's no denying that the latest installment is not at all like the technical failure of its preceding game, the previous Legends game. It runs at a smooth 60 frames on the upgraded system, whereas the older hardware reaches only 30 frames per second. Objects still appear suddenly, and there are many low-resolution elements if you zoom in, but you won't hit anything like the situation in Arceus where you begin airborne travel and watch the whole terrain beneath turn into a jagged, polygonal surface. That qualifies to grant the new console a satisfactory rating, though with reservations considering that Game Freak has separate challenges that exacerbate limited hardware.

The New Zelda Game as the More Demanding Performance Examination

We now have a more demanding performance examination, though, thanks to Age of Imprisonment, launched earlier this month. This Zelda derivative pushes the Switch 2 because of its hack-and-slash gameplay, which has players facing off against a huge number of enemies continuously. The series' previous game, the previous Hyrule Warriors, performed poorly on the first Switch as the hardware struggled with its rapid gameplay and density of things happening. It regularly decreased below its target 30fps and produced the feeling that you were pushing too hard when being too aggressive.

Thankfully is that it too succeeds the hardware challenge. Having tested the release thoroughly over the last few weeks, completing all missions included. In that time, it's clear that it achieves a more stable framerate versus its earlier title, actually hitting its 60 frames target with more consistency. It sometimes drops in the fiercest fights, but I've yet to hit any moment where the game turns into a slideshow as the framerate chugs. Part of that could be because of the fact that its compact stages are structured to prevent excessive numbers of foes on screen at once.

Notable Compromises and Overall Assessment

Present are foreseeable trade-offs. Especially, cooperative multiplayer experiences a substantial reduction closer to the 30 fps range. It's also the first Switch 2 first-party game where there's a clear a noticeable variation between previous OLED screens and the updated LCD screen, with particularly during cinematics appearing less vibrant.

However generally, Age of Imprisonment is a dramatic improvement over its earlier title, like the Pokémon game is to the earlier Pokémon title. If you need evidence that the upgraded system is delivering on its hardware potential, despite some limitations still in tow, the two releases show clearly of the way the new console is significantly improving titles that performed poorly on older technology.