We are almost at the finish line as we approach the launch day for the Nintendo Switch 2. While the console has 41 confirmed games planned for launch, all eyes seem to be on Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet as the open-world Pokémon games are being patched to run better on the new console.
The games were one of the more controversial launches on the original Nintendo Switch. While they went on to sell a few million units, visual issues and major performance bugs plagued the experience for players. I don’t know if it was poor optimisation or the Switch’s hardware limitations, but Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were rough.
It seems the Switch 2 has provided some much-needed visual enhancements to the game and they actually look pretty great now. Running at 4K 60FPS, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet kind of look like the open-world Pokémon games we were hoping for.
Granted, I have played over 200 hours of Pokémon Scarlet and I didn’t mind the visual issues too much. But these changes are definitely welcome. Perhaps I will do a playthrough of Violet now?
VGC has released a full hour of gameplay showcasing the visual improvements across the games. Everything seems to be brushed up. While I still noticed some hiccups here and there, especially when it comes to the draw distance, the textures are sharp, and the frame rates are fast and smooth.
You can see the stark difference during some water sections at the 50-minute mark. The game’s water areas were highly criticised for being the worst-performing sections of the game. Frame rates would drop into the low teens at times. But they all seem to hold up now.
Tera Raids have also been brushed up. These encounters also suffered from some nasty performance issues. Not only do they run perfectly, but they have also seen some visual enhancements across particle effects and textures.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are two of the many Switch games getting free updates for the Nintendo Switch 2’s hardware. You can find the full list of upgraded games here alongside the full 41 games available on launch day here.
Open World Gameplay
Tera Raid Footage
