Nintendo Switch 2 expected to deliver games in 4K resolution at 30FPS

Experts at Digital Foundry discussed the possibility of the next-generation Nintendo console being able to output a 4K resolution at 60FPS.

The tech experts over at Digital Foundry, the gold-standard for video game hardware/software analysis, recently discussed the Nintendo Switch successor being able to output games at a 4K, 60FPS using NVIDA DLSS. According to the team, the purported Switch 2 may be able to deliver a 4K resolution at 30FPS, but 60FPS will more than likely be off the table due to how expensive it is for the console's GPU to upscale the content.

Digital Foundry referenced a test they conducted with a T239 chip wherein their goal was to replicate the rumored hardware inside the Switch 2, specifically the test where they upscaled Death Stranding from 720p to 4K with DLSS Ultra Performance. The team found the upscaling added 18.3 milliseconds to frame time over native resolution, meaning 60FPS wasn't possible. However, upscaling to 1440p from 720p only added 7.7 milliseconds.

With these results in mind the Digital Foundry experts suggested pushing for 4K, 30FPS would be a misuse of the console's resources as more than half of the GPU time is spent strictly on upscaling. With such a high cost on upscaling in terms of available resources Digital Foundry believes developers wouldn't create their games for this combination, and instead would opt for 1080p or 1440p at a higher refresh rate.