Nintendo Switch 2 editions have always fascinated me since the console first launched. There were plenty of games that got meaningful upgrades, most prominently of which was Hogwarts Legacy. These games ran terribly on the original Switch and would have sold poorly on its successor had their developers not invested the time in creating bespoke ports that capitalize on the newfound power. However, there were a lot of games that neither needed a Switch 2 edition nor deserved one that nevertheless received one, including many first-party games that ran and looked great on the original Switch.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Nintendo’s questionable selection of Switch games to upgrade has proven to be somewhat divisive amongst fans, but its most recent Switch 2 edition is frankly a joke. The Switch 2 upgrade for Xenoblade Chronicles X, ironically titled Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and thus implying the original is no longer definitive, was not only completely unnecessary, but has seemingly made the game worse on Nintendo’s new handheld. The studio’s decision to release this over many other much-needed Switch 2 upgrades baffles me to a ridiculous degree and makes me question what exactly the point of these Switch 2 editions is.
Xenoblade Chronicles X Switch 2 Edition Proves These Upgrades Are A Joke
The Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (what a ridiculous mouthful) is a $5 upgrade that increases the fps to 60 and upscales the resolution to 4K. Oh, and it makes the game significantly blurry if you’re playing handheld as a completely unwanted bonus. The numerous reports of visual smear in Xenoblade Chronicles X and the lacklustre results of the 4K upscaling have been making fans question the point of the upgrade, as it seems to add little value to an otherwise phenomenal-looking game. Sure, the 60fps is a nice bonus, but it’s hard to believe that it couldn’t have been thrown in as a free update for existing users.
Xenoblade Chronicles X isn’t the first game to get an objectively bad and unnecessary Switch 2 edition. Skyrim’s port to Nintendo’s handy new handheld was disastrous, with it requiring a significant patch to justify its existence. Super Mario Party Jamboree’s Switch 2 edition was disappointing, adding little of value to the experience and feeling as if it robbed the game of fully-fledged and much-needed DLC. The upcoming Switch 2 edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is also getting similarly lukewarm previews for its borderline unnecessary additions to the core experience.
Perhaps the most baffling of Nintendo’s upgrades is the extremely divisive Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 edition. It also cost $5 and added 4K resolution and mouse controls; a separate free patch introduced plenty of new content and upscaled it from 720p to 1080p while in handheld mode. It made many question why they’re having to pay to access basic features built into the console they’ve already shelled out $449.99 for. More importantly, it brings up the rather necessary question of why many first-party games that struggle immensely on the Switch and would benefit greatly from the Switch 2’s improved specs are yet to receive any form of meaningful upgrade.
There Are Many Switch Games In Dire Need Of A Switch 2 Upgrade
What makes the Switch 2 upgrade controversy so utterly frustrating is the inconsistency, both in terms of cost and games chosen. For example, two games that are yet to receive dedicated Switch 2 editions are Pokรฉmon Legends: Arceus and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. They’re technical disasters on the original Switch, despite being two of its very best games, with XBC2 especially punching well above its weight and often struggling to hit even 480p in handheld. These games don’t just deserve a Switch 2 port; they unequivocally need one in order to live up to their full potential. Yet, Nintendo has yet to release a Switch 2 edition for either, potentially because it’s merely taking too long or, worse still, it has no interest in pushing for them.
It’s also difficult to assuage just how Nintendo prices its Switch 2 editions. Pokรฉmon Scarlet and Violet got a free update that bumped the framerate up to 60fps when docked and increased resolution up to 4K. This, to the keen-eyed observer, will sound awfully familiar considering it is the exact upgrade Nintendo is charging $5 for both Xenoblade Chronicles X and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I’ve seen the argument that $5 isn’t worth fretting over, that people are ridiculous to ask for refunds for Xenoblade Chronicles X’s Switch 2 edition because it’s so cheap.
However, not only is $5 worth significantly more to certain people, and not only should you not pay any amount for a broken experience that may or may not be fixed in the future, but Nintendo is also dishing out the exact same enhancements for free for other titles. The inconsistency in quality, in content, in pricing makes it impossible to truly get on board with any of it, and that makes it unbearably frustrating. The most confusing aspect of it all is that I can’t quite determine why Nintendo is bumbling its way so poorly through the Switch 2 upgrade process. It would be able to justifyably charge a decent amount for much-needed technical and potentially even gameplay enhancements for Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but it hasn’t.
It just feels like it’s making the wrong decision each and every time, rather than sticking to a consistent model, as if there’s someone at Nintendo arbitrarily deciding if one 60fps update is worth $5 or not. I sincerely hope that Nintendo either makes XBCX’s upgrade free retrospectively or improves it promptly. I also hope it learns from this to not charge for mostly incremental changes or basic features that Switch users specifically are unlikely to notice. Somehow, I doubt it will, but, at least for now, I’m willing to give it the company that frequently overlooks its core consumer the benefit of the doubt, if only so we can finally get the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 edition we all deserve.
What do you think about Nintendo’s handling of Switch 2 editions? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Netflix -
Image via HBO
