Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Impressions – Upgrade Comparisons, Boost Mode, and More
Tomorrow, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition launches worldwide for Nintendo Switch 2 digitally with a physical release coming October 1. I bought the Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack on the Australia eShop to play it earlier with my original save and have impressions and comparisons ready for tomorrow's launch like I did with Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Since Xenoblade Chronicles 2, my favorite Xenoblade game, had the worst resolution and performance on Switch 1, I was hopeful for this upgrade. I was also a bit worried. Having now spent just under two hours with it, it is a good upgrade in some ways, but lacking in others.
Before the Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack unlocked, I captured gameplay docked at various locations and even tested the load times across Switch 2 and Switch 1. I will be covering the docked visual improvements, how the handheld Switch 2 Edition looks and feels compared to the Switch 1 version via boost mode, and more. There will be some spoilers here as I showcase different locations including later ones in the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition vs Switch 1 visuals and resolution
After booting it up for the first time, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition immediately stood out with smoother and more responsive menus. Once I got in-game, I could see that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on Switch 2 appeared to use a similar upscaling solution as X and 1 Definitive Edition, but the implementation isn't the same. Based on the five areas I ran through with combat on Switch 2 in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, performance is holding up better than Xenoblade Chronicles 1 DE, but the visuals seem to break up a bit more with the upscaling taking a few seconds to settle in some cases near character models when you stop running.
I also noticed a bug where there is a single vertical line that appears to glitch out with shimmering, but looks like it is blurring the background only for that single line. This appears in a few locations while other foliage-dense areas sometimes shimmer a lot when you stand still. Zooming into character models like Mythra when standing still reveals a much better looking image, but environmental detail suffers in parts with shimmering and pop in.
Note: The screenshots in the gallery above were taken through my 4K capture card.
I also noticed poor filtering in some locations making the overall area look softer than it should be, or softer in parts, with other elements looking good on my 1440p monitor. When playing handheld, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition looks a lot better than the Switch 1 version using Handheld Boost Mode, but I wish there was a higher native resolution with 40fps or 30fps mode available.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition also improves on cut-scenes with higher resolution visuals. As an example, the scene where Mythra slaps Rex after blushing with the glass breaking effect on the screen, ends up looking better as well and they added HD rumble to many cut-scenes. One final addition or change is in foliage. This sees some locations get a lot more foliage, but others change where foliage is displayed. I noticed one part where there was grass near one object on Switch 1 and the same part on Switch 2 had no grass near said object, but there was more grass a bit away.
Overall, the visual upgrade here is about what I expected based on X and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on Switch 2, but I hope the shimmering and other visual artifacts can be resolved. Since nothing has been patched in Xenoblade X and Definitive Edition, I don't think we will see any fixes, but I would not go back to the Switch 1 version on Switch 2 even taking these issues into account. The performance upgrade and other visual improvements make up for it as far as I'm concerned docked, and having video capture support is something I've wanted for years here.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition vs Switch 1 via handheld boost mode
As for handheld, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition delivers the same performance upgrade as docked, but the overall visual upgrade isn't as big as docked. That isn't to say it isn't a worthwhile upgrade, but this would be a much bigger deal without handheld boost mode for pure visuals. I've included some off-screen capture taken using the Switch 2's accessibility zoom option. This allows me to showcase the visual differences since system capture will be limited to 720p for Switch 1 games even if handheld boost mode is enabled. To do this, I prepped and took photos of the same locations before and after the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack unlocked. I did this five minutes before it unlocked so everything was in the same position.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition performance impressions
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition targets 60fps, but does not deliver a locked 60fps because of how the v-sync has been implemented as far as I can tell. This means if the game cannot hit 60fps, it drops to 30fps for a second or two before it can go back up. I did notice in the many locations I tested including combat that it does not feel as bad as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition's Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. The other big upgrade is for menus which feel excellent now compared to before.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition vs Switch 1 load times compared
To test load times, I measured the time taken to load the title screen from the console dashboard using Switch 1 on Switch OLED (SD card), Switch 1 on Switch 2 internal storage, and the Switch 2 Edition on the internal storage. I also measured the time taken to load the same save. The results below are in seconds.
| Platform | Dashboard to title | Loading save |
| S1 | 13 | 17 |
| S1 on S2 | 9 | 11 |
| S2 Edition | 10 | 9 |
As you can see, the Switch 2 Edition and Switch 1 on Switch 2 are notably faster than the Switch 1 version on Switch OLED. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 never takes too long to load though.
Is it worth buying the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack?
While I was hoping we'd see a better upgrade for my favorite Xenoblade Chronicles game, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't happy with many of the improvements here. This is also not even taking into account the gameplay and quality of life upgrades with field skills, screenshots with L+R, video capture support, and all the new content and new mode added to this release. I also cannot imagine anyone who upgrades to the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will want to downgrade like with Xenoblade Chronicles X, but if you do, I have a guide on how to do it here. I just hope the shimmering and other visual artifacts can be reduced or addressed in some way because they are quite distracting.
I put in hundreds of hours into Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and I probably will put in a hundred more replaying it on Switch 2 with the Switch 2 Edition in a new profile since there appears to still be only one save slot unfortunately. I will be updating this when the Torna standalone release gets updated if there is anything else to report on that front. I assume it is the same as the Switch 2 Edition upgrade for the expansion pass content, but I will note if there is anything worthwhile in an update to this article. I'm looking forward to seeing how Xenoblade Chronicles 3's Switch 2 Edition ends up since it already had upscaling improvements on Switch 1.