Skyrim exhibits serious problems on Nintendo Switch 2, Digital Foundry analysis reveals
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim originally debuted in November 2011 and later received a Nintendo Switch port in October 2016. This version of the open-world adventure shipped with notable graphical downgrades and only ran at 30 fps. Last week, Bethesda finally released a native edition for the Switch 2 (about $449 on Amazon), promising major graphical improvements, though the frame rate remains capped at 30 fps.
However, an analysis by Digital Foundry revealed that the new Nintendo Switch 2 Edition performs much worse than the original Switch version in several aspects, particularly its extremely high input latency. Using a high-speed camera, Digital Foundry determined that it takes between 220 and 240 ms – nearly a quarter of a second – for inputs to register on screen. This level of latency is comparable to what is offered by Microsoft’s Kinect motion-sensing controllers on the Xbox 360.
For comparison, the older version of Skyrim showed latency between 150 and 170 ms on the Switch 2. Furthermore, many well-optimised titles can keep their overall input latency below 100 ms even at 30 fps. Bethesda told Digital Foundry that they are investigating the issue. The upside is that the graphical upgrades were praised by the media outlet.
In dock mode, the game’s resolution increases from 900p to 1440p, subsequently upscaled to 4K via DLSS. The new edition also introduces upgraded lighting, textures, view distance and fauna, making it much more visually coherent, especially at night. Still, the improved graphics are by no means flawless: water may briefly flow in the wrong direction during camera movements, and distant plants may appear blue instead of green.
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