Since its new handheld launched, Nintendo has been slowly but surely introducing boutique upgrades for original Switch games on the Switch 2. Titles like Super Mario Party Jamboree got exclusive new content alongside improved visuals and framerate, while the likes of Xenoblade Chronicles X just received a boost in frames and enhanced resolution. The quality of Switch 2 edition varies wildly, and they should always be seen as just nice little upgrades for those willing to shell out a few extra dollars for a marginally better experience. Simply put, by and large, Switch 2 editions are a little pointless, but a bonus for the right type of person.
Videos by ComicBook.com
What is frustrating is that Nintendo’s inconsistent and questionable Switch 2 editions were, for a short while, the only way fans could expect to see their favorite games be even remotely playable on the Switch 2’s significantly larger screen. Some titles, like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, are visually compromised on Nintendo’s next-gen hardware and really need the boost a Switch 2 edition affords in order to be enjoyable without the need to squint one’s eyes. Well, that was the case until a recent update completely changed that by introducing a feature that vastly improves Switch 1 titles on Switch 2. Interestingly, as great as the update is, it practically mitigates the need for dedicated Switch 2 versions at all.
Nintendo Switch 2’s Boost Mode Is Incredible
I have made it no small secret just how much I dislike a lot of what Nintendo does. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an avid fan of its first-party titles, and I have a great affection for its incredible hardware. Rather, Nintendo’s endless anti-consumer decisions are as baffling as they are often disparaging. Which is why, whenever Nintendo decides to throw in the towel and decide to do something nice for its fans, it is worth celebrating. In a recent update to the Switch 2, Nintendo introduced a new graphical option called Boost mode, which can be applied to almost every Switch 1 game, completely for free.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Boost mode basically runs the docked version of a Switch 1 game while in handheld mode, increasing its max resolution and visual fidelity in the process. It works in tandem with the enhancements to framerate that Switch 1 games inherently get by running on more powerful hardware, making it the best way to experience them on the go. The benefit these games get isn’t minute either. Titles like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 look drastically better while using the Boost mode, as it removes the terrible sharpening effect and softens the image.
Of course, most impressively, and the key reason for this article’s existence, Xenoblade Chronicles X’s Switch 1 port enhanced by Boost mode looks better than the dedicated Switch 2 upgrade. Everything looks sharper and clearer in the boosted Switch 1 version, unlike the paid-for Switch 2 edition, which uses awful AI upscaling that results in everything looking nightmarishly blurry. You can genuinely purchase the original Switch 1 version of Xenoblade Chronicles X for cheaper and boost it for a better experience than the so-called enhanced Switch 2 upgrade. It is genuinely laughable and clear evidence of just how pointless the Switch 2 editions are.
Crucially, the existence of Boost mode now mitigates the need for future Switch 2 editions like Xenoblade Chronicles X’s. There’s still value in versions akin to Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s or Super Mario Party Jamboree’s, which add brand-new content exclusive to the next-gen console. However, if it is just going to enhance the resolution and increase the framerate, then there’s simply no point, as Boost mode, alongside the benefits games get from simply running on the Switch 2, do that for free. That being said, there are a few things Nintendo must improve in order to make Boost mode a viable option going forward.
Nintendo Should Focus On The Boost Mode, Rather Than Switch 2 Editions
As phenomenal and genuinely transformational as the Switch 2 Boost mode is, it has a pretty major flaw that more or less renders it redundant. I know I’ve been exceptionally critical of the premium Switch 2 editions, and I stand by it all, but the singular advantage they have over Boost mode is that you can play them in true handheld mode. In order to get Boost mode to work, you have to detach both Joy-Cons, as it ostensibly registers the console as being docked, even though it isn’t.
It is a slight inconvenience, but one I believe largely removes the unique aspect of the handheld, that being the ability to play it in your hands, as facetious as that may sound. I sincerely hope Nintendo doesn’t just rest on its laurels and call it quits with the current version of Boost mode. If there is the ability to both reap the technical benefits of Boost mode while also being able to play with the console in true handheld mode, then it should absolutely strive to achieve that. As much as that may ultimately hurt its bottom line, as people may feel less inclined to shell out for Switch 2 editions, it would put its consumers first and also encourage those unsure of whether it is worth picking up the console to bite the proverbial bullet.
Ultimately, at a time when games are costing more than ever before, and console prices continue to be raised in the face of global parts shortages, the inclusion of enhancements like Boost mode goes a long way to both retain consumers and win a little goodwill in the process. I highly doubt that Nintendo will stop doing Switch 2 editions, especially as they’re probably fairly cheap to produce, reignite interest in a game, and serve to add more titles to the Switch 2’s lineup, even if they are just barely enhanced ports of the same games on the last-gen system. However, if it can find a balance between the more meaningful Switch 2 editions and improving the Boost mode, then I suspect all types of players will be happy and catered to, and, honestly, it hasn’t felt that way in a long time.
What do you think of the Switch 2 Boost mode? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Crunchyroll -
Image Courtesy of TOHO
