DLSS makes the Switch 2 as powerful as the Xbox Series S, developer says

Virtuous is a prolific studio that has worked on some of the biggest ports, remasters, and franchises since its inception twenty years ago. From Call of Duty to Dark Souls, the studio's most recent claim to fame was leading development on the well-received The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which it worked on alongside Bethesda Game Studios.

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In a new interview with Eoin O'Grady, technical director at Virtuos, over at Wccftech, the developer opens up about the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware and its capabilities to consoles like the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox Series S, which is the affordable cut-down variant of Microsoft's flagship Xbox Series X.

The Switch 2 features a custom NVIDIA APU based on the RTX 30 Series' Ampere architecture, as opposed to the custom AMD hardware found in the PS4 and Xbox Series S. When it comes to the CPU side of the equation, O'Grady notes that the Switch 2 is "just a bit more powerful than the PS4." However, things get interesting once DLSS enters the picture.

NVIDIA DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, has been a game changer in the PC space, with AI-enhanced rendering or upscaling delivering fantastic performance while maintaining excellent image quality. According to Eoin O'Grady, there's no technology like it on the PS4 or the Xbox Series S, and it's enough to make the portable Switch 2 as powerful as either console.

"GPU-wise, the Switch 2 performs slightly below the Series S; this difference is more noticeable in handheld mode. However, the Series S does not support technologies like DLSS, which the Switch 2 does. This makes the GPU capabilities of the two consoles comparable overall."

This can already be seen in the Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077, which features DLSS. According to technical reviews and deep dives on the game, the Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 is comparable to the PS4 Pro and Series S versions of the game and not a 'downgrade.' Eoin O'Grady adds that not every GPU-bound game that runs at either 30 FPS or 60 FPS on either console "should also port well," thanks to DLSS.