The February Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase brought new information about several third-party games launching on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. A good portion of the presentation focused on ports launching this year for the current-generation Nintendo system, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
With the recent Nintendo Switch 2 port of Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade running and looking great on the system, many are wondering how the console will handle the second entry in the series, which is a more complex game in pretty much every aspect. Though too early to say, an early analysis of the only footage available to date suggests that Nintendo Switch 2 could deliver a better experience than the Steam Deck.
During the latest episode of their weekly podcast, the tech experts at Digital Foundry provided an early analysis of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Nintendo Switch 2 footage shared last week. At a glance, the new version of the game looks like a pared-down version of the PlayStation 5 version running at a lower resolution, but a deeper look shows how much the game had to be scaled down.
Besides running at an internal resolution of 720p, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Nintendo Switch 2 will sport lower texture quality than on PlayStation 5 (which also brought a sensible reduction of the game's file size, which will be around 100 GB on Switch 2), reduced foliage, particle and density, removed shadows in some instances and lower shadows resolution in places where they are still in, and a sensibly worse hair rendering. Performance also seems iffy, with visible frame pacing issues, though these could be fixed in time for release.
While on paper these visual cutbacks may seem like a lot, the tech experts noted how they are only truly noticeable with side-by-side comparisons with the PlayStation 5 release. Ultimately, with platform-specific optimizations, the Nintendo Switch 2 could deliver a better experience than the Steam Deck, which obviously did not benefit from such optimizations.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s solid performance on the Nintendo Switch 2 could be a great sign for the trilogy's upcoming conclusion. Since the final entry is reportedly a day-one multiplatform launch, the fact that the Switch 2 handles the second game so well suggests Square Enix won't have to strip back the sequel too aggressively. Furthermore, the decision to stick with Unreal Engine 4 could be a major win for this multiplatform release, as the Switch 2 has already shown it struggles with Unreal Engine 5 titles.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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