While this week’s Nintendo Direct was full of surprises, perhaps the biggest was that we finally got a release date for Metroid Prime 4 and, more importantly, our first proper look at the gameplay seven years after it was originally announced . It was enough to send some fans in meltdown and it’s equal parts relief and excitement to know that the long-awaited sequel is finally coming in 2025.
But after the dust settled, some parts of the internet started asking the question: Did Metroid Prime 4 work on Switch 2? The release date certainly ties in with everything we know about the Switch successor, plus there are moments in the trailer where it looks like a step up from what we’ve seen on the original Switch hardware. Of course, Nintendo was never going to come out and say what the demo was working on, so IGN sought the advice of the next best thing — the tech experts at Digital foundry.
For years, Digital Foundry has analyzed video game performance to an unparalleled level and recently did take a deep dive into what we can expect from the next generation of Nintendo hardwareso it’s in a better position than anyone else to provide reliable insight into Metroid Prime 4’s gameplay reveal.
So, did Metroid Prime 4 work on Switch 2?
Digital Foundry tech editor Richard Leadbetter gave us the final answer: “It looks great and has a few nice effects that we took a closer look at, but at the end of the day, all evidence points to this game running on the original Switch. The internal rendering resolution is reported at 900p, which is the same as Metroid Prime Remastered. And as good as it is, there are some aliasing issues and even some very minor frame rate drops. Everything about the visual makeup is in line with a really well made Switch game where Retro has an excellent experience. I can imagine the development studio is really happy that people are making the connection with Switch 2, mind you.”
So while many were convinced that we were seeing a Switch 2 game for the first time in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the truth is that it’s probably running on existing hardware. While this is disappointing to some, it’s also hardly surprising; I expect Nintendo to go all out when the Switch’s successor is finally revealed, instead of sneakily dropping our first look towards the end of the (admittedly surprising) Nintendo Direct.
However, developer Retro Studios should be congratulated, because making a game look this good on technology that’s more than seven years old is no mean feat, and Leadbetter explains how Retro might have been able to pull it off: “There’s several things, but ultimately it’s the skill of a developer working on a fixed platform that he’s had time to get to know over a long period of time. This singular focus makes great things possible. Another good example would be Halo 4 on the Xbox 360 – at the end of the console’s life cycle you can see the hardware pushed in ways you would never have predicted before.”
Another reason why a game demo can look so good is because it can be representative of what the final game will look like, rather than exactly how it will turn out. It’s certainly not unusual for this to be the case with early looks at games, and it’s also not the first time Nintendo has done something like this, as Leadbetter revealed: “Nintendo released some trailer assets that looked better than the final release games. There is already the legendary “Too big to switch‘ trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and a Bayonetta 3 trailer which ran consistently at 60fps, where the final game certainly doesn’t. However, in this case, with this developer and game in gestation for so long, the instinct is to say that this is Switch 1 and representative of the actual console experience. If it was on Switch 2, we’d expect anti-aliasing via DLSS – there’s none at all in this trailer – and a higher output resolution to boot.”
While all evidence points to Metroid Prime 4’s gameplay revealing it was then on original Switch hardware, there’s no doubt given its release in 2025 that it will eventually make its way to Switch 2. Indeed, the games from different generations have long been a part of each new console cycle for years, and it would make sense for Retro to develop an improved version of Metroid Prime 4 when the Switch 2 finally comes out. Which begs the question – what improvements can we expect to see over Metroid Prime 4 running on the original Switch? We can only theorize at the moment, but Leadbetter has his thoughts: “It’s a tough one, as it’s as much about Nintendo’s cross-generational strategy as it is about the hardware’s capabilities. One thing that always stands out from running Switch games on PC emulators is how scalable the work is. The quality of the art itself benefits immensely from the higher resolutions, while the gameplay benefits from the higher frame rate. At the very least, I’d expect any remaining performance gaps to be ironed out while running at a higher resolution, potentially boosted by DLSS. If there are noticeable load times, you’d expect them to be reduced as the Switch 2 has faster storage plus a hardware decompression block to lighten the load on the CPU.”
Of course, faster load times and improved visual effects are commonplace for games across generations running on more powerful hardware, but personally, I’m still excited about it – not just for Metroid Prime 4, but for the other Nintendo back catalog. I’d buy a Switch 2 in a heartbeat if it brought out enhanced versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
But we don’t know what Nintendo’s approach will be with the Switch 2 right now. Many are hoping for backwards compatibility, myself included, but what about cross-gen games running on the Switch 2? “The question is whether Nintendo is going for ‘easy wins’ like higher resolutions, higher precision effects and so on, like we’ve seen on Sony and Microsoft consoles before,” says Ledbetter. “Or it will dive into the Switch 2’s feature set more broadly and push for more game-changing effects.” After all, it supports ray tracing.”
If Nintendo’s past has taught us anything, it’s that it doesn’t like to follow in the footsteps of others, so I hope Nintendo does its best with the Switch 2.
Alex Simmons is IGN’s Features Director.
