Switch 2: GameCube games run at higher resolution but Nintendo's emulator is not perfect
Alongside the official announcement of the highly anticipated Switch 2, Nintendo has also confirmed that the console can play a certain number of GameCube games that are included in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription, which costs $49.99 a year. Nintendo has already confirmed that F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness will be included in this lineup.
However, these GameCube games will only be playable on the Nintendo Switch 2, and not on the original Switch. According to a new analysis by Digital Foundry, there are no technical reasons for this. The older Nvidia Tegra X1 would absolutely be capable of emulating GameCube and even Wii games, as Nvidia has illustrated with a comparable chipset found in the Nvidia Shield TV. The Shield TV can even upscale some GameCube games to a higher resolution and still run them at nearly 60 frames per second.
As seen in the video embedded below, Digital Foundry has compared some original GameCube games to their emulated Nintendo Switch 2 variants. The Nintendo Switch 2 renders GameCube titles at a resolution of 1280 x 900 pixels with antialiasing. Compared to the GameCube's 480p resolution, games look visibly sharper, but not as sharp as the 1920 x 1440 pixels on the Nvidia Shield TV.
The frame rate remains within the limits of the GameCube versions. For example, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is capped at only 30 frames per second. Moreover, there are some issues with frame pacing, which can make the game feel slightly stuttery. That said, Nintendo has added support for online multiplayer, while the original GameCube was limited to local multiplayer modes.
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