Katarzyna Petru
The premiere of Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 was supposed to be a technological showcase for the capabilities of the new console. It runs at 60 frames per second, the smoothness is clearly better, but experts from Digital Foundry temper enthusiasm. According to their analysis, the biggest issue lies in the image quality.
60 FPS is there, but the image is "blurry"
The DF team emphasizes that the game actually runs at stable 60 FPS in both docked and handheld modes, which is a significant step forward compared to earlier versions. The smoothness and responsiveness are at a higher level. The problem begins with the visual presentation itself. In motion, the surface details tend to blur, resembling an oil painting effect. Thin elements like cables or power lines may appear deformed and slightly wavy instead of perfectly straight. In static frames, the image looks sharp, but in dynamic scenes, reconstruction artifacts become noticeable.
This is not pure 1080p
According to the analysis, the game does not render in native 1080p. Everything suggests a lower internal resolution and subsequent image reconstruction. The game files include information about the use of SMAA; however, the final effect does not resemble the classic anti-aliasing of this type. Digital Foundry suggests that the applied solution may resemble a light form of scaling supported by machine learning, but not a full implementation of DLSS. Although Switch 2 supports DLSS, its implementation requires additional developer work, and the current solution looks more like a post-process upscaler. Importantly, even in handheld mode, where the pixel density is higher, artifacts remain noticeable.
Digital Foundry admits that switching to 60 FPS realistically improves the gaming experience. This is the first time that Xenoblade Chronicles X runs at such fluidity on hardware from the Switch family. At the same time, experts emphasize that the visual compromises are clear enough that it's worth being aware of their existence before purchasing. They also hope that future updates may improve the quality of the reconstruction.
Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition on Switch 2 offers significantly better fluidity, but at the cost of image quality. 60 FPS is a strong advantage, however, the expected improvement in sharpness and clarity of the graphics did not meet all expectations.
source: twistedvoxel.com
