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It's hard to believe, but we're already closing in on the Nintendo Switch 2's half-year mark. By the time Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releases on the fourth of December, it will be possible to deliver the system a comprehensive progress report due to its impressive roster of exclusive early titles. Heavy hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza will lead that analysis, but it's two newest Nintendo titles, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and recently the Hyrule Warriors sequel, that have allowed the Switch 2 pass a key challenge in its opening six months: the hardware evaluation.

Confronting Power Concerns

Ahead of Nintendo publicly unveiled the successor system, the biggest concern from gamers about the rumored system was about power. In terms of technology, the company fell behind Sony and Microsoft for several generations. That fact became apparent in the original Switch's later life. The expectation was that a new model would introduce smoother performance, improved visuals, and standard options like 4K resolution. Those are the features included when the device was launched in June. At least that's what its technical details suggested, for the most part. To truly know if the new console is an enhancement, we'd need to see some key games running on it. That has now happened in recent days, and the outlook is positive.

The Pokémon Title as the Initial Examination

The system's initial big challenge was last month's Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The franchise had notable performance issues on the original Switch, with games like the Scarlet and Violet games launching in downright disastrous states. The system wasn't exactly to blame for those problems; the actual engine driving the Pokémon titles was old and being pushed past its limits in the series' gradual open-world pivot. This installment would be more of a test for its studio than anything else, but there remained much to analyze from the title's graphics and its operation on the upgraded hardware.

Despite the release's basic graphics has sparked discussions about the studio's prowess, there's no denying that this Pokémon game is far from the technical failure of its earlier title, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It runs at a smooth 60 frames on the new console, while the Switch version reaches only 30 frames per second. Objects still appear suddenly, and you may notice plenty of blurry assets if you examine carefully, but you won't hit anything similar to the instance in the previous game where you initially fly and watch the entire ground below become a jagged, polygonal surface. That qualifies to give the system some passing marks, however with limitations since the studio has independent issues that worsen basic technology.

Age of Imprisonment as a More Demanding Tech Test

Currently available is a more compelling tech test, though, because of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, out Nov. 6. The latest Musou title tests the new console due to its action-oriented style, which has gamers battling a literal army of monsters continuously. The series' previous game, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, had issues on the original Switch as the hardware struggled with its fast-paced action and sheer amount of activity. It frequently dropped below its target 30fps and created the sensation that you were breaking the game when going too hard in battle.

Thankfully is that it too succeeds the tech test. I've been putting the title extensively in recent weeks, playing every single mission included. In that time, the results show that it's been able to deliver a consistent frame rate versus its predecessor, maintaining its 60 frames target with better regularity. It sometimes drops in the most intense combat, but I've yet to hit any time when it becomes a slideshow as the performance struggles. Part of that may result from the reality that its short levels are structured to prevent overwhelming hordes on the battlefield concurrently.

Significant Limitations and Final Evaluation

There are still expected limitations. Primarily, splitscreen co-op has a noticeable decrease around 30 frames. Moreover the initial Nintendo-developed title where there's a clear a significant contrast between previous OLED screens and the new LCD display, with particularly during cinematics having a washed out quality.

Overall though, this release is a complete change versus its predecessor, similar to Z-A is to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If you need any sign that the upgraded system is meeting its tech promises, even with some caveats still in tow, these titles show clearly of the way the new console is substantially boosting titles that performed poorly on previous systems.