FF7 Remake Switch 2 port achieves PS5-tier visuals at 30 FPS

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade has finally made its way to Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo's latest hybrid console in an age it spurred of Steam Deck and competitive PC handhelds. As it turns out, the Nintendo Switch 2 is putting up a very impressive showing (particularly for the price) compared to its competition, thanks to assets and visual settings mostly targeting the PlayStation 5 release's fidelity and Switch 2's own custom "mini DLSS" implementation. Based on the analysis of Digital Foundry, the Nintendo Switch 2 release is outright superior to the PlayStation 4 release, and while the Switch 2 release is capped to 30 FPS in both portable and docked play, it's a stable 30 FPS with visuals comparable to PlayStation 5's 60 FPS Performance mode. Even the SD Express loading speeds are much better than PlayStation 4, and almost comparable to PlayStation 5 on the internal storage.

Besides loading speeds, another major improvement for the Switch 2 release is in enhanced lighting and reflections compared to PS4, again mostly comparable to PlayStation 5. It's not perfect, with shadows still on-par with PlayStation 4, the addition of DLSS-like dithering patterns in certain conditions, and LODs in line with last-gen, but by and large the game looks much closer to PS5 than to PS4.

It's especially noticeable when one compares the textures between the Nintendo Switch 2 and the other major console releases. Key signage and most other textures are in line with PlayStation 5, but some old textures from the PS4 version do creep in periodically. Some examples of low-quality geometry, common across all console versions, can also be seen.

In any case, it's a good showing for the Nintendo Switch 2, though we can't pretend it wouldn't be nice to have the option for a 720p 60 FPS mode, even if visuals are downgraded to PlayStation 4-tier or below. Final Fantasy VII Remake and especially its sequel Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have responsive real-time combat systems that are better with smooth framerate than without.

For more detailed analysis and visuals, the full Digital Foundry video is a treat, especially if you're considering this version for your own shopping cart. Otherwise, it's just nice to see a Switch 2 release look broadly on par with PlayStation 5—as most multi-plats hopefully should.