Nintendo's Switch 2 Freebies: Basically Remasters, But Shhh, They're 'Upgrades'
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Nintendo's sneaky-good 'upgrades' for Switch 2 are basically free remasters of key Switch 1 titles, offering massive improvements in resolution and frame rates, making them well worth revisiting (or buying for the first time). It's like they sprinkled some digital pixie dust and said, 'Presto! Better graphics!'
Alright, mates, gather 'round. Word on the street (or, you know, the digital ether) is Nintendo's been quietly dropping some serious love on their Switch 2 launch, and it's got me thinking they're playing it coy with what they're calling 'upgrades.' But fair dinkum, these free patches are basically giving some of our favorite Switch 1 titles a full-on remaster treatment. We're talking visual overhauls, frame rate fixes, the whole shebang.
Eurogamer's Digital Foundry did a deep dive into these 'upgrades,' and bloody hell, the results are impressive. Games like *The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening* and *Echoes of Wisdom*, which struggled with frame rates on the original Switch, are now running at a silky smooth 60fps. And get this: the resolution boost is massive, going from blurry 720p to a crisp 1620p in docked mode for *Link's Awakening*! Handheld mode gets a bump too, going all the way up to 1080p. It’s like Nintendo waved a magic wand and gave us a free HD makeover.
*Super Mario Odyssey*, that glorious hat-throwing adventure, also gets some love. Dynamic 900p on the original Switch becomes a dynamic 1800p on Switch 2 when docked, making it look gorgeous on a 4K display. And remember those frame rate dips in New Donk City? Gone! Vanished! Poof! Handheld mode gets rid of that weird horizontal interlace thing and runs natively at 1080p. Seriously, it's like playing a brand new game. But wait, there's more!
*Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury* gets a similar boost, with locked 60fps and resolution bumps across the board. *Bowser's Fury* in particular is a massive improvement, going from a choppy 30fps in handheld mode on Switch 1 to a glorious 60fps on Switch 2. Plus, loading times are cut in half! I'm practically salivating at the thought.
And then there's *Splatoon 3*. Nintendo kinda snuck this one in, announcing it alongside the upcoming *Splatoon Raiders* game. But it's a biggie: a dynamic 1080p on Switch 1 jumps to a dynamic 4K on Switch 2 when docked. Even the city hub sections get a 60fps boost, up from 30fps. Handheld mode gets a 1080p60 upgrade, matching the panel resolution.
Other games, like *Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker*, get smaller but still noticeable improvements. Even *New Super Mario Bros. U* gets a 4K upgrade, though Digital Foundry reckons the art style doesn't really benefit that much from the extra pixels. They also pointed out some missed opportunities, like not including optional 120fps support for games that already ran well at 60fps, or doing actual HDR upgrades instead of just tweaking brightness. But hey, can't win 'em all, right?
So, what's the takeaway here? Nintendo's giving away free remasters disguised as 'upgrades' for the Switch 2, and they're bloody brilliant. If you've got a Switch 2, fire up these games and prepare to be amazed. And if you haven't played them before, now's the perfect time to jump in. Just don’t tell Nintendo I called them remasters, alright?
Tags: Nintendo Switch 2, Game Upgrades, Remasters, Graphics, Frame Rate
Original article: Eurogamer