Pokémon Scarlet & Violet on the Switch 2: The update Paldea deserved

To coincide with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo confirmed that several titles for the Switch 1 would be receiving updates for performance and, in some cases, even adding features when played on the new console.

Among these titles were Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Scarlet and Violet are among the best-selling games in the Pokémon franchise but have also been the subject of significant criticism for their performance and technical hiccups. However, this new update aims to resolve some of those issues with a more stable frame rate, improved resolutions, and rendering of the environment and Pokémon.

Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 has been released, we’ve finally gotten to see how the update has impacted the titles. The standout improvement to Scarlet and Violet is the increased frame rate. Bumped from 30 fps to a semi-smooth 60, the game feels far better to play.

The stability of the game has also been improved across the board. In the Switch 1 version, traversing the overworld on your mount Pokémon caused consistent dips in performance where simple navigation became a challenge. In contrast, these issues are almost entirely alleviated when playing on the Switch 2. Riding, swimming and flying on Koridon and Miradon doesn’t cause dips, battles run smoothly, and the Terastal animations are completely stable.

Load times have also been improved. When comparing the opening cutscenes of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the original Switch 1 versus the Switch 2, the Switch 2 version cuts to black and opens to the player in seven seconds, versus fourteen seconds on the Switch 1.

The improvements to frame rate also apply to the Teal Mask and Indigo Disk DLC areas. Where simply looking up and panning along the large mountain in the middle of Kitakami would cause the game to lag originally, no such slowdown is present when doing the same on the Switch 2.

The amount of Pokémon capable of being rendered on screen has been substantially increased as well. Scarlet and Violet suffer from significant performance issues when rendering large numbers of Pokémon on screen, especially during the Mass Outbreak events. On the Switch 2, the world’s biomes have been given new life with the update’s increase in wild Pokémon density, and they truly appear to be thriving environments with many Pokémon moving and coexisting at once. This isn’t to say pop-in doesn’t occur at all, however. Models still load in as you progress through an area and can still be distracting when moving quickly.

Locations such as Area Zero can render over thirty animated Pokémon at once and appear crisper with minimal blur and jagged edges from a distance. The biggest benefit of this is for immersion. The open-world aspect of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is one of its strongest selling points, and this improvement to Pokémon rendering contributes to that.

The visuals and resolution of the game show really shine on the new console, especially on larger screens. The Switch 2 version, across the board, showcases an improved resolution with sharper textures on clothing, buildings and the environment. The lighting appears warmer, with a slight increase in saturation that helps the colours pop.

Many of the jagged edges on buildings or shimmering along the grass that were apparent in the Switch 1 version of the game are no longer there in the Switch 2 version. In its place are small ghost trails along the grass and Pokémon as they move, which could suggest the possible use of DLSS. DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, is a NVIDIA-developed rendering technology that enhances image quality and boosts performance through AI. The Nintendo Switch 2 does feature a custom NVIDIA processor that would allow Nintendo to take advantage of this technology, and while no word has confirmed the use of this technology in Pokémon, this ghosting could suggest the use of DLSS to improve the resolution.

These Switch 2 changes are an exciting, and frankly overdue, improvement upon the original version of the games, and Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are perfect examples of how games originally released for the Nintendo Switch have the potential for a new experience on the Switch 2, even if developers are just using the new console’s power to furnish their original vision for how they intended their games to look and play. While Scarlet and Violet still have their flaws, this update has finally delivered upon the experience many fans were expecting when the games were announced.

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