Nintendo Switch 2 Performance Reality: Can It Truly Reach 4K@60FPS?

Gamers and industry analysts alike have been eagerly awaiting concrete information on what the Nintendo Switch 2 is truly capable of, especially as Nintendo leans into bolder performance claims for their upcoming hardware. With the launch date imminent, headlines touting support for up to 120 frames per second in handheld mode and 4K@60Hz in docked mode have generated significant hype. However, a sober note of reality was recently struck by a first-party developer: Koei Tecmo’s candid admission that NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION: Awakening Complete Edition—one of the anticipated launch titles—couldn’t meet the fabled 4K@60FPS performance target, even though on paper, the Switch 2’s specifications suggested it just might.

Lofty Promises, Grounded Realities​

Nintendo’s official word on Switch 2 performance comes painted in broad strokes. The company touts “up to 120FPS” handheld and “4K/60fps” docked capabilities, marketing language that’s become commonplace as console makers blur the lines between best-case and typical scenarios. These figures are theoretical maxima—what the hardware can achieve under certain, often ideal, conditions. Put simply, not every game, especially those with ambitious visuals or sprawling open worlds, will hit these numbers.
To understand where theoretical promise meets practical execution, Wccftech’s recent interview with Koei Tecmo was illuminating. Producer and director Michi Ryu didn’t mince words: their attempted 4K@60FPS target for NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION: Awakening Complete Edition proved untenable. Even though the title isn’t a technical behemoth by contemporary standards, the complexities of rendering the Japanese archipelago at high fidelity, with fluctuating sea, sky, and terrain effects, pushed the system past sustainable limits.

“We are not using NVIDIA DLSS. The game runs at Full HD and 30fps. We also experimented with 4K and 60fps, but the power required to render the Japanese archipelago with these graphics is more than you can imagine and difficult to keep stable, so we had to give up.” – Michi Ryu, Koei Tecmo (Wccftech)

This is an important reality check for informed consumers: system specs and marketing claims are not guarantees of uniform game performance. Instead, each title will undergo a series of compromises, balancing resolution, frame rate, and feature set.

Why 4K@60 Is So Challenging—Even for “Simple” Games​

To truly appreciate why NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION could not maintain 4K@60 on Switch 2, we need to break down the technical barriers. On paper, the game lists surprisingly modest PC requirements: an Intel Core i7-3770 or Core i3-8350K, 8GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX580, both midrange cards from several years ago. On desktop, these specs are more than capable of Full HD (1080p) gaming at smooth frame rates.
However, console hardware—especially within a mobile-first, hybrid design like the Switch 2—faces a different set of constraints:

• Thermal Headroom: The Switch 2 must operate within strict power and temperature envelopes, given its portable form factor. Components can’t be pushed as hard or cooled as aggressively as in a desktop PC, inevitably leading to lower sustained performance.
• GPU and Memory Bandwidth: Even with a next-generation NVIDIA chip rumored for the Switch 2, on-board RAM speeds and shared resources often bottleneck performance, especially at 4K where every pixel eats up memory bandwidth.
• No DLSS to Plug the Gap: Notably, Koei Tecmo confirmed DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling)—NVIDIA’s AI-powered upscaling technology—was not in use for their title. DLSS has been transformative in allowing ray-traced, high-resolution visuals at lower native rendering costs on PC and is expected to be a game-changer for Switch 2. Its absence here means the system had to brute-force the pixel output, vastly increasing hardware demands.
• Engine Optimization: Not all engines or games are coded with console-specific optimizations in mind. Porting from PC without major refactoring can result in inefficient resource usage on more limited hardware.

It’s also telling that, per Michi Ryu, the team hoped to revisit these ambitions in the future should opportunities or improvements arise. Today’s 1080p@30 FPS is not necessarily the end—updates or hardware revisions could change the equation, and future titles may fare better.

Context: How Do Other Lead Platforms Compare?​

The lack of 4K@60 performance for a strategy title on Switch 2 will, inevitably, draw comparisons to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Both these platforms offer more powerful, power-hungry hardware, built for living room use with ample cooling and higher clocks. Even so, many AAA games on PS5 and Xbox only offer 4K at 30FPS, with 60FPS typically limited to a lower “performance mode” resolution—often 1440p or dynamic scaling. Heavyweights like Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Star Wars Outlaws on these consoles employ substantial trade-offs, suggesting that expecting a mobile-oriented Switch to routinely hit 4K@60 is overly optimistic for all but the most carefully optimized or visually restrained games.

What the Switch 2 Actually Delivers​

For prospective buyers, the disappointment at missing “true” 4K@60 in launch titles should be leavened by the real, perceptible step forward made by the Switch 2. Visual fidelity is being dramatically improved over the original Switch, an aging system that often struggled with stable 720p even in undocked mode. Sea, sky, and ground effects look "much more real," said Ryu, and the immersive payoff is evident even at 1080p. For a compact, hybrid console, this is a significant leap.
Additionally, Switch 2 introduces several quality-of-life upgrades for both gamers and developers:

• Joy-Con 2 and Mouse Support: Nintendo doubles down on flexible controls, enabling USB mouse support and new intuitive operations via revised Joy-Con controllers.
• Portability Without Compromise: The new hardware brings console-quality visuals to a truly portable format; this is the backbone of Nintendo’s unique proposition.
• Broader Content Availability: Certain game features previously gated to Asian markets are now included for global players, expanding the experience out of the box.

The Importance of Developer Transparency​

Koei Tecmo’s openness here deserves commendation. In the hyperbolic world of games marketing, there is value in a forthright discussion of not only the system’s capabilities, but also its present boundaries. This is especially true in the context of a hardware launch window, when consumer expectations are at their highest (and most easily dashed).
Clear communication from developers ultimately leads to more realistic hype, smarter purchasing decisions, and productive dialogue between creators and their audiences. As game development becomes increasingly complex, understanding the nuance behind "maximum" performance—what’s possible in a lab, versus what’s sustainable in a shipped game—helps ground the conversation.

Industry Reaction and Risk of Misinformation​

The Switch 2’s real-world performance ceiling for early titles is a crucial data point, especially as games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws are confirmed for the system. These ports are being eagerly watched as litmus tests for what the new hardware can handle: will aggressive upscaling and dynamic resolution tricks bridge the gap, or will the system require further compromise—lower frame rates, pared-back effects—to run today’s most technically demanding games?
Analysts and enthusiasts are warning against reading too much into headline performance claims without context. A system’s “maximums” rarely represent the norm, and the move from theoretical spec sheet to real, tested gameplay is a journey filled with unpredictable engineering trade-offs. Early adopters run the risk of disappointment if they expect parity with current-gen home consoles or assume that every Switch 2 game will reach 4K.
It’s also worth considering that third-party titles developed for cross-platform releases must often target the lowest common denominator or spend additional resources optimizing for each platform. Developers may prioritize stability and battery life over visual grandeur in portable mode, reserving the flashier effects for docked, home theater sessions.

The Strengths of Nintendo’s Approach​

Despite the inability to hit 4K@60 for every game, Nintendo’s system still offers major advances. Key strengths of the Switch 2 include:

• Massive Visual Upgrade: Even at 1080p, the difference from the original Switch is dramatic. Sharper textures, richer lighting, and more environment detail make games feel “next-gen”—even if that’s at a lower resolution than the most powerful home consoles.
• Hybrid Flexibility: For many players, the unique value of Nintendo’s hybrid design—seamless docked-to-portable transitions—is more valuable than chasing the absolute peak in technical specs.
• Longest-Lasting Relevance: Nintendo has a track record of keeping hardware vital far longer than its competitors by leveraging unique software, creative peripherals, and a focus on gameplay over raw horsepower.
• Developer Support: Improved hardware opens the door to more ambitious ports and original projects, broadening the kinds of experiences possible on the platform.

Where Risks Linger​

Of course, challenges remain. Chief among them is managing consumer expectations in an environment primed for blockbuster promises.

• Marketing vs. Reality: Nintendo must walk a fine line between selling the benefits of new hardware and ensuring that players aren’t misled about what is possible on a game-by-game basis.
• Third-Party Support: History shows that, as the generation progresses, developers may be less willing to radically scale down their titles to fit Switch hardware, especially as PC, Xbox, and PlayStation pursue ever-larger frame buffers, ray tracing, and AI-driven effects.
• Upscaling Tech Reliance: For many Switch 2 titles, the ace in the hole will be NVIDIA’s DLSS—and it’s notable that this was missing in Koei Tecmo’s launch implementation. Industry sources suggest that, with proper support and optimization, DLSS could enable 4K-adjacent visuals at reasonable performance, even if native rendering falls short. However, this requires investment from both hardware vendors and game studios, and results will likely vary from title to title.

What to Expect Going Forward​

With the hardware equivalent of a clean slate, Nintendo and its partners now face a key period of experimentation and optimization. The first wave of releases will largely be ports and upscaled versions of existing games—ideal for identifying bottlenecks and exploring the boundaries of Switch 2’s capabilities. Over time, as developers become more familiar with the nuances of the new architecture, performance and visual fidelity should improve.
If, as expected, NVIDIA DLSS becomes a staple technology for Switch 2 development, the system could close much of the gap between mobile and home console performance, at least in appearance if not in raw power. Dynamic resolution, frame-rate targeting, and cross-platform scaling will all play major roles in what players ultimately experience on their TVs or in handheld mode.
Nintendo’s ecosystem has always thrived on the strength of its first-party game design, innovative use of hardware, and accessibility. Early performance ceilings for third-party games should not overshadow the spark of excitement that a new Switch core engenders—not least because the baseline experience for cross-platform games will still be vastly superior to anything offered by the original Switch.

Conclusion: A Welcome Reality Check, and a Promising Path Ahead​

The news that NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION: Awakening Complete Edition could not sustain 4K@60 FPS on Switch 2 is, in the grand scheme, less an indictment of Nintendo’s hardware, and more a reminder of the realities that govern game design and hardware engineering. Ambitious games, even those with seemingly modest visuals, can tax next-gen systems at high resolutions—especially when real portability and efficiency are guiding principles.
Buyers should read Switch 2’s official performance claims as “up to” promises, not guarantees. 4K@60 FPS will be feasible for some games, but not all—much like the situation on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, despite their raw power advantages. The most important upgrade for most players will be the dramatic leap in baseline graphics, improved quality-of-life features, and a much richer ecosystem for new and ported games.
As long as Nintendo and its partners remain transparent about both the system’s capabilities and its genuine limitations, the Switch 2 will likely replicate, if not exceed, the runaway success of its predecessor. The future of portable “console-quality” gaming looks brighter than ever—as long as expectations are kept grounded in reality, not just raw numbers.

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Source: Wccftech Switch 2 Couldn't Manage 4K@60 in NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION: Awakening Complete Edition