Playing this Switch 2 upgrade underlines a surprise advantage compared to Switch 1
I didn't expect the frames to feel this good
When the Switch 2 was first unveiled, I didn't realise that one of its biggest upgrades over the previous generation would involve older games. It was easy to be caught up in the hype around Mario Kart World and later exclusives like Donkey Kong Bananza without thinking about one of the biggest time-sinks on my old Switch 1, but now that I've had the console for a year, I've been unable to avoid it.
I used my Switch 1 to play a bunch of games I missed from previous generations, since it became a home to thousands of ports and remasters. While plenty of these were from eras long enough ago that they ran like butter, many others were limited to 30fps modes that didn't feel amazing to play.
Now, I'm playing a newly-released Switch 2 Edition that underlines just how much better the Switch 2 is for this sort of long-delayed play-through of a big game. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a beast of an RPG that I've wanted to check out for ages, and its newly upgraded version makes it totally different to play on Switch 2.
The biggest change is an obvious one – the game's previous 30fps limit is now raised to 60fps, and that makes it wildly smoother to play. Frankly, the 60fps performance isn't even the most stable in the world, with some relatively obvious drops in places, but it's still way nicer than 30fps in my book.
The game's also miles sharper, with 4K resolution in docked mode (which is how I've been playing it over the weekend), and while you can still tell that it's an upgraded older game, it's still remarkable to compare it to something like Pokémon Violet and Scarlet, even with those games' Switch 2 patches.
In short, it's a really good-looking game, and so far I'm really enjoying its storytelling and battle system, having previously only played Xenoblade Chronicles 3, a later title that has a bit more involved of a combat setup. This one's more stripped-back since it kicked the series off, and I'm enjoying it a lot.
With a game of this size, the question is always whether I'll actually make it through the whole thing, and while I can't be sure on that front, it's still great to have the best possible version of it available on Switch 2 now. With the series' next game (Xenoblade Genesis) now unveiled and coming out in 2027, it's a fun time for the franchise.
The fact that there are two more Switch 2 upgrades coming later this year, too, for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3, means that those who like a good JRPG but haven't yet dipped their toe in this series could queue up an absolute mountain of content for themselves if they're so inclined. That might be too much of one series even for me, but I'm having a great time for now.
It again raises the question of what I'll end up using my Switch 2 for the most over the next half-decade or more, and I think there's a really good chance that ports make up a huge part of that playtime. After all, being able to play things on the go and while travelling frees up loads of time for extra gaming, and that gives it a sustained advantage over my PS5 Pro and PC.
