Six Months Later, the Change 2 Proves It Has Staying Energy

It’s been six months for the reason that Nintendo Switch 2 lastly stepped out into the light of day. The inevitable tragedy of any new product is that the novelty rapidly dissipates. Regardless of having it in hand for half a yr, followers, detractors, and even Nintendo itself appear to be underestimating simply how this iterative handheld/console hybrid machine could maintain the key to even higher handhelds of tomorrow.

Nintendo would relatively you give attention to its first-party video games. On the similar time, the PC crowd continues to be too obsessive about getting their palms on the most recent and best chips to acknowledge the advantage of handheld-specific sport optimization. The result’s solely ever a small bump in body fee that received’t actually affect the general high quality of titles. Even when the Change 2’s on-paper specs don’t appear to hit the mark as handhelds that value $200, $550, or $900 extra, its console-based {hardware} has managed to maintain tempo in 2025. Time will inform whether or not it would keep that manner into 2026 and past.

The Change 2 is a mannequin for a way the previous methods of constructing consoles should still win in the long term. The 5-year-old Xbox Series S and Series X, in addition to the PlayStation 5, are PCs in every part however title. They’re each engaged on AMD APUs, or accelerated processing models, that make porting video games between consoles and PCs comparatively straightforward. The Change 2 is the outlier. It’s using an Nvidia-made chip that’s primarily based on a completely distinct ARM-based microarchitecture. Public statements from quite a few builders present porting video games to Change 2 isn’t easy. Nonetheless, due to Nvidia’s hardware-specific DLSS (deep studying tremendous sampling) upscaling, video games on Nintendo’s handheld are simply as playable.

See Nintendo Switch 2 at Amazon

The Change 2 isn’t a alternative for a PC. It’s a tool that additionally hides its share of hidden prices. I had to purchase an additional 256GB microSD Categorical card for the sake of downloading all these video games I’ve performed all year long. And to that finish, Nintendo appears to be emphasizing digital media with the proliferation of game key cards—relatively than the collectible bodily media you’ll be able to truly declare to personal. Nintendo additionally introduced us the primary $80 sport, and it’s nonetheless attempting to power shoppers to simply accept a brand new pricing commonplace for a pastime that’s getting ever costlier.

The Switch 2 may not stay $450 for long, both. Due to the RAM shortage, consoles and PCs alike will probably cost more in 2026. The very best recommendation I can provide is that it is best to get the console you need now and revel in it whereas it lasts.

Change 2 manages to carry its personal

The original Switch was a secondary console for a lot of gamers; solely there to play Nintendo’s first-party titles not accessible elsewhere. The Change 2 has the potential to be a major machine, particularly for individuals who stay a cellular gaming life-style. With its decrease energy draw, restricted reminiscence, slim design, and minimal battery, it may’t provide the identical constancy as costlier machines. The factor is, it is advisable to examine it to different accessible handhelds. In that regard, the Change 2 makes video games look simply nearly as good for a fraction of the fee.

With all of the 2025 handhelds at hand, I made an effort to check efficiency between all accessible methods, in official and non-official configurations. This yr, I examined the $650 Legion Go S with SteamOS, the $1,350 Legion Go 2, and—lastly—the $1,000 Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. These are all handheld PCs. They’re all working varied working methods, although they’re all powered by AMD chips constructed for this manner issue. Some sport higher screens, just like the Legion Go 2’s lovely OLED show, they usually characteristic extra console-like controls than the Change 2. I examined every handheld at its most decision, however PC players have the selection to cut back graphical high quality for the sake of efficiency; the Change has far fewer choices.

I dual-booted the Legion Go 2 with Bazzite in addition to Home windows 11. Bazzite is a Linux-based working system much like SteamOS. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is working Home windows, however with the complete display screen expertise, a model of the OS that permits you to navigate to your video games with a controller. The brand new UI continues to be buggy. Nonetheless, Microsoft has made strides with preset game profiles so that you just don’t should finagle graphics or mess with TDP (thermal design energy). Each Linux-based handhelds provide higher efficiency on the identical specs in comparison with Home windows 11, even to at the present time.

In comparison with these handheld PCs, the Change 2 runs on rather more restricted {hardware}. It makes use of an Nvidia Tegra T239, which is an octa-core ARM-based CPU alongside an Ampere GPU. Ampere microarchitecture goes again all the best way to 2020. All these different handhelds are working on AMD’s newer RDNA 3.5 microarchitecture. All of them characteristic extra RAM (the Change 2 has 12GB, however solely 9GB is used for video games) and better TDP (the Change 2 is restricted to 13W in comparison with 30W, 35W, and even 40W on these different methods).

Regardless of all that, the scenario with video games is an entire completely different story. I examined three titles which have come to Change 2 since launch: Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws, and Murderer’s Creed: Shadows. Nintendo labored with the builders of all three video games to make their titles work nicely on Change 2, and it reveals while you truly play every title.

In Cyberpunk 2077, a Legion Go S with SteamOS (which notably provides higher efficiency than the model with Home windows 11) clocks in at about 35 to 40 fps in common gameplay working on the max 33W TDP. An Asus ROG Xbox Ally X manages between 39 and 45 fps, with body charges solely dipping to round 37 fps. That’s all with Steam Deck settings at every handheld’s max wattage and never plugged in. The hand held PCs all had AMD’s FidelityFX Tremendous Decision for upscaling, enhancing efficiency at the price of some cases of visible constancy.

A Change 2, at lower than half the full TDP of a Legion Go S, runs at just under 30 fps within the “High quality” graphics mode. In “efficiency” settings, Cyberpunk 2077 targets 40 fps. Evaluating the Change 2 in handheld mode to the opposite gadgets, Nintendo’s machine is ready to maintain its personal. Geometry stays detailed, although it comes at the price of density with NPCs or avenue visitors. I did a whole playthrough on Nintendo’s system, and the one time I discovered there to be constant body fee issues or any bugs was throughout sections discovered within the Phantom Liberty DLC.

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Purple eliminated minor or insignificant environmental particulars to enhance general efficiency. Nintendo’s handheld depends on Nvidia’s DLSS. Which means, in each handheld and docked modes, the Change 2 is hitting 1080p from an unique a lot decrease decision. Efficiency mode targets 720p in handheld mode, and even that’s upscaled. The one time in my checks the place I discovered a real distinction in efficiency was with a Legion Go 2. With that handheld (32GB of RAM and Ryzen Z2 Excessive chip model) working at 33W TDP, it may equal 50 fps at Steam Deck settings at 1200p. That creates a a lot smoother expertise than these different handhelds may hope to realize. Sure, 40 versus 30 fps is a greater expertise, however when you think about the amount of cash it is advisable to spend to hit these additional body charges, the Xbox Ally X’s efficiency appears paltry. The one different handheld that may nearly match the Change 2’s worth, the Steam Deck (non-OLED), can keep 30 fps comparatively constantly.

Ubisoft’s video games had been rebuilt with Change 2 in thoughts

The efficiency scenario will get extra fascinating with two Ubisoft titles. The writer tapped its builders and even introduced on additional assist—particularly Ubisoft Red Lynx on Star Wars Outlaws—to design Change 2-specific ports for every sport. Outlaws, which makes use of the Snowdrop engine, is an particularly nice port on Change 2. It runs at a good clip the complete manner by means of and nonetheless helps nice environmental lighting results.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, the newer title, runs on the Anvil engine. On higher-end PCs, it would characteristic some epic environmental quirks and ray-traced lighting that received’t be current on any handheld you select. Not if you’d like playable framerates. On the Xbox Ally at 1080p decision, it would squeak a body fee above 30 fps on low settings and typically dip under that. On the Bazzite-installed Legion Go 2, you received’t see a lot distinction at 1200p. On a Change 2, you’ll usually expertise body charges at or simply under 30 fps, typically dipping decrease.

Ubisoft’s developers wrote that bringing Shadows to Change 2 was an “formidable technical endeavor”—and it reveals. The sport lacks sure environmental results, like splashes when working by means of water. The Change 2 model nonetheless makes use of the identical cloud and material physics because it does when on extra highly effective methods, however they’re scaled again. Murderer’s Creed: Shadows options Steam Deck-specific settings for handhelds. This comes up even when working Bazzite, and it provides a steady 30 fps, although it additionally limits your capacity to vary graphics settings except you alter the sport’s .ini file. Total, you may get a barely higher expertise on the costlier handhelds, however it’s not so completely different that I’d argue it’s value spending $200 or extra to get the PC model.

Builders don’t have a selection. Video games must be fine-tuned for the Change 2. Again in September, Gearbox delayed Borderlands 4 for Change 2 for “extra improvement and polish.” FromSoftware equally pushed again its port of Elden Ring Tarnished Version on Nintendo’s system after quite a few hands-on studies cited efficiency points.

Video games with out correct optimization received’t work nicely on any handheld, interval. The following process is then to incentivize builders to make their video games for this manner issue. That is the place Nintendo wanted its first-party video games to showcase the perfect of what the Change 2 has to supply. The corporate largely succeeded in 2025, however it nonetheless must take issues additional.

The primary get together sport scenario

Nintendo has to make sure its first-party titles present builders and players alike what the hand held is able to. Mario Kart World could also be an ideal get together sport to pack in with the Change 2, however it’s not the form of sport to emphasise what makes the system distinctive. The next months post-launch have been a blended bag of meh, stable, good, and completely improbable titles. Donkey Kong Bananza is sort of a Christmas tree, festooned with breakable pleasure. Bananza appears improbable and performs nicely, save for infrequent slowdowns when there’s an excessive amount of destruction on-screen.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A tried to utterly reinvent the franchise’s components with real-time battles. On the similar time, the sport’s flat environments and streets devoid of any sense of exercise, from people and pocket monsters alike, make it really feel prefer it was constructed for an older machine. On the flip facet, Kirby Air Riders is a manic blast of power that has the potential to exhaust or enthrall a participant, relying on their temperament.

Nintendo spent a lot of 2025 attempting to emphasise Change 2 upgrades for unique Change titles like Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom. Whereas these video games could have emphasised the Change 2’s efficiency over the unique Change, we needed to await Metroid Prime 4: Beyond to show what’s actually distinctive about Change 2.

The sport is way from good. It’s introduced down by NPCs who’re too eager to chirp in and smash exploration and immersion. It’s not the perfect taste of Metroid Prime on provide (that designation nonetheless belongs to Metroid Prime: Remastered). Nonetheless, it’s the one sport within the 2025 lineup that makes use of the Pleasure-Con 2 and the comforts of each gyro and mouse controls rolled into one. Metroid Prime 4 permits you to seamlessly go from stick-based aiming to express mouse aiming simply by placing the controller in your lap or sofa.

Of all of the video games I examined this yr, solely Metroid Prime 4 can declare to have made use of the Change 2’s greatest options. It may possibly hit a real 4K decision and run at 60 fps when docked and linked to a TV. Its efficiency mode outputs at 1080p and may hit the fabled 120 fps.

Solely Nintendo does Nintendo

Greater than eight years after Nintendo first launched the unique Change, no person has copied its design. No different firm has a handheld as simply dockable, simply sharable, and simple to plug in and play because the Change 2. That ease has its hefty drawbacks. There’s each motive to need a handheld PC merely for the customizability of utilizing SteamOS or Home windows 11. Plus, these handhelds have entry to a greater variety of video games due to their massive PC libraries.

Nintendo’s Change 2 proves how good handhelds could possibly be if that they had the correct help of each the maker and third-party builders. It’s additionally a showcase of how hardware-specific upscaling could make an enormous distinction in how nicely video games carry out. There are a number of leaks to counsel Sony is working on a PlayStation 6. This console may make use of Sony’s own upscaling tech in addition to a model of AMD’s “Redstone” upscaler. Till another firm comes together with the form of {hardware} and software program help, the Change 2 is that this yr’s most spectacular handheld, palms down.

See Nintendo Switch 2 at Amazon