Nintendo Switch 2 may run Switch 1 games at 60fps hints Xenoblade Chronicles X
It seems the Nintendo Switch 2 may be able to run the new Xenoblade Chronicles X at 60fps, but will that be true for all Switch 1 games?
It seems the Nintendo Switch 2 may be able to run the new Xenoblade Chronicles X at 60fps, but will that be true for all Switch 1 games?
Now that Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is out the Nintendo Switch has hardly any first party exclusives left on its schedule, as the release of its successor, the Switch 2, looms.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends Z-A are still on the docket for 2025, but attention will squarely be on the Switch 2’s line-up once the planned April Nintendo Direct airs in less than two weeks.
The Switch 2’s backwards compatibility means most current and future Switch games will work on the new console but a secret discovery in the code for Xenoblade Chronicles X suggests that at least some games will run better on the new hardware.
Switch modder MasaGratoR has found evidence of a mode in Xenoblade Chronicles X’s executable file that allows the game to run at 60 frames per second instead of the usual 30. Except the Switch 1 isn’t powerful enough to run the game like that.
MasaGratoR theorises that the mode has only been partially implemented, since enabling it causes issues with the game. So, even if you could find a way to activate it there’d be performance issues.
But why would Nintendo and developer Monolith Soft include a 60fps mode if they didn’t intend to use it? The natural assumption is that this is in preparation for when the game runs on Switch 2.
Nintendo may not have shared any specs for the Switch 2, but it’s widely believed to be more powerful than the current Switch and implement upscaling tech that would allow for improved visuals and frame rates.
As such, much like what the PS5 Pro does for PlayStation 5 games, we could see Switch games receive performance boosts on Switch 2, something that was claimed to be the case over a year ago.
Although it’s unclear whether all games could be made to run at 60fps, via a patch or some automatic process, or if the game would have had to have been designed with the feature in mind – which might make Xenoblade Chronciles X one of the few titles to take advantage of the feature.
In other Nintendo news, Nintendo of America has signed a deal with American baseball team the Seattle Mariners, to advertise the company on the team’s jersey sleeves.
Unlike other Major League Baseball teams, the Mariners will be the first to sport different logos depending on whether they’re the home team or not. According to the MLB website, their home jerseys will have the Nintendo logo while their away jerseys will have the Switch 2 logo.
This partnership may seem random, but Nintendo and the Mariners have been working together ever since the 90s, when Nintendo of America bought the team. Nintendo sold its controlling stake in 2016, but it’s still maintained close ties with the team.
They should really commit and all wear Mario hats during games (Bluesky)Email [email protected], leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.
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