All articles tagged with #digital foundry
Digital Foundry’s technical analysis reveals that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered on Nintendo Switch 2 targets a 40 FPS cap, which is unstable in demanding areas, making 30 FPS the recommended setting. The game lacks ray tracing but features improved lighting and textures. While the PC version includes path tracing and DLSS 4.5, the console version prioritizes stability over maximum fidelity.
Digital Foundry reports that Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave runs at 720p in docked mode and 540p in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch 2, using DLSS to upscale to 1440p and 1080p respectively. The game maintains a stable 30fps in both modes. While technical performance is modest, the title has received critical acclaim for its strategic depth and narrative scope.
Digital Foundry’s early testing suggests the Switch 2 in docked mode delivers VRR performance on par with Xbox Series X|S and better than PS5, enabling 40 FPS modes or unlocked framerates for many games. However, VRR support currently requires patches to be fully utilized, and the feature is force-enabled in menus, which users may need to disable for certain titles. The update sets up future Switch 2 titles, like Metroid Ravenous, to benefit from smoother performance.
Digital Foundry tested Nvidia's DLSS 5 in NBA 2K27 and found a heavy frame-rate toll, with about 40–60% FPS loss depending on GPU and resolution (for example, 4K on an RTX 5090 dropped from 128.4 to 62.7 FPS; 1080p on an RTX 5060 dropped from 72.8 to 42.3 FPS). Frame-time costs range from 8.2 ms to 13.7 ms. While DLSS 5 can add lighting detail via neural rendering, the approach is controversial and, at launch, limited to 50-series GPUs and NBA 2K27.
Digital Foundry’s tech analyses show Onimusha: Way of the Sword on Switch 2 is solid but technically behind PS5: players can cap gameplay at 30fps for perfect stability or run uncapped (~30–60fps); docked resolution tops at 1080p (often lower) and handheld up to 900p, with hair quality reduced and DLSS likely in use. A separate Switch 2 vs PS5 graphics comparison confirms PS5 generally offers sharper visuals, while the Switch 2 port remains a competent, portable-friendly option.
Digital Foundry flags an animation/camera pacing issue in GTA 6: even with a steady 30fps, camera and character motion can feel uneven during pans and cuts, giving a sub-30fps look. The issue, tied to a timing/synchronization mismatch in Rockstar's RAGE engine, has plagued past titles and is unlikely to be fixed before launch, despite the game's impressive tech and fans' enthusiasm.
Digital Foundry’s tech analysis of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on Nintendo Switch 2 finds a mostly 60fps experience with notable image quality gains over the Switch 1 version. The game appears to run at 720p internal with temporal upscaling (or a similar upscaler) to a 4K‑like final image, while handheld mode delivers a near‑1080p output with an apparently lower internal render (~468p) but still maintains 60fps with occasional frame drops. Docked Switch 1 ran at 30fps with traversal/cutscene dips; Switch 2 uses double‑buffered vsync, which can yield occasional 33ms frame deliveries when over budget. Some minor handheld artifacts and line issues are noted in the analysis.
Digital Foundry's tests show Halo: Campaign Evolved runs well on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 Pro with near-parity between PS5 and Series X; the PS5 Pro delivers sharper visuals and smoother frame rates, while the standard PS5 offers the most cohesive experience.
Activision charges £35 ($40) per game for the PS4/PS5 ports of Black Ops 1 and 2 (£70 total) with separate DLC packs, and PS Plus discounts temporarily lower the price. Digital Foundry deems the releases low effort, offering little more than 1080p output with no 4K/120Hz, no anti-aliasing, and no modern features (FOV slider, separate sensitivities). Cross-gen matchmaking is confirmed, and season pass owners can play with non-owners, but DLC maps still require purchase. Critics say the upgrades aren’t worth the cost for what amounts to plain ports rather than remasters.
Digital Foundry predicts GTA VI may not reach 60 FPS on current-gen consoles, with the PS5 Pro potentially around 40 FPS due to CPU bottlenecks and the base PS5/Xbox Series X likely staying near 30 FPS in demanding scenes. The PC version could fare better thanks to upscaling, while true 60 FPS may await next-gen hardware (PS6/Xbox Helix) expected around 2027–2028. Rockstar also noted the second trailer was captured on PS5 base hardware, and past GTA titles launched at 30 FPS on consoles.
Digital Foundry argues GTA 6’s extreme scale and CPU-heavy physics will make a true 60 FPS mode unlikely, even on PS5 Pro. Leaks suggesting a 60 FPS option are not proven, and the consensus points to 30–40 FPS with fidelity prioritized over framerate, driven by the game’s ambitious open world and complex simulations.
Digital Foundry’s Steam Machine review finds the PS5 generally matches or slightly outperforms Valve’s living‑room PC in several games, aided by Sony’s memory bandwidth; the Steam Machine does better in some CPU‑limited scenes, but its steep price (over $1k) versus the PS5’s $599.99 makes it a niche choice for PC enthusiasts.
Digital Foundry says the Xbox Series S’s optimization constraints helped train developers for Nintendo Switch 2 ports, noting parallels in tradeoffs like those seen with Final Fantasy VII and acknowledging that DLSS-style upscaling can give Switch 2 an edge in image quality at times, even as Series S often delivers stronger performance. Overall, the Series S optimization regime is credited with pushing broader cross‑platform improvements and smoother Switch 2 porting, though the mapping isn’t perfect and outcomes vary by title.
Digital Foundry’s early testing of Halo: Campaign Evolved on Xbox Series X shows a rock-solid 60 FPS in Performance mode with dynamic resolution averaging 50–75% of output (often around 1080p), while the Series S version isn’t ready yet and the PC/ROG Ally X build runs ~30–40 FPS on Very Low. It’s initial footage and results could change before the July 23 early access release, with additional XSX vs Series S comparisons expected later.
Digital Foundry’s year-one verdict on Switch 2 praises a genuine generational upgrade driven by a custom T239 SoC, DLSS-based upscaling, and strong backwards compatibility that yields higher resolutions and smoother frame rates across many ports and first-party titles. It highlights improvements like 120Hz modes in docked play and better patch-driven performance, while noting drawbacks such as a lackluster LCD, some VRR limitations in handheld, and Nintendo’s uneven deployment of newer tech. Overall, Switch 2 is seen as a capable, long-lived upgrade that narrows the gap with current-gen consoles rather than matching their raw power.