Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Receive Major Technical Upgrades for Nintendo Switch 2

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Published on: June 19, 2025

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Receive Major Technical Upgrades for Nintendo Switch 2 As the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 enters the spotlight, key franchises are already benefiting from the hardware’s enhanced capabilities.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, recently received a substantial free update designed to take full advantage of the Nintendo Switch 2.

A detailed analysis by Digital Foundry sheds light on the technical improvements that elevate the gaming experience for trainers around the world. Improved Resolution and Graphics Quality On the original Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet operated between 720p and 1080p in docked mode and 576p to 720p in handheld mode, often resulting in visible shimmering and aliasing artifacts.

With the Nintendo Switch 2, the update offers a significant leap in image quality.

Internally, the games now run at a stable 1080p resolution when docked, with virtually no evidence of dynamic resolution scaling.

This translates to sharper visuals and greatly reduced shimmering and aliasing on the new hardware.

In portable mode, the average resolution sits at 648p, but the final output appears much closer to 1080p, suggesting the possibility of NVIDIA’s DLSS technology running in the background.

The result is a crisper and more detailed image, particularly notable when the system is connected to a 4K television, though some softness remains at the highest display resolutions. Major Frame Rate and Performance Upgrades Performance on the original Nintendo Switch was a frequent point of criticism, with frame rates dropping into the mid-20s during open-world exploration and even lower during certain cutscenes.

According to Digital Foundry’s findings, the Nintendo Switch 2 update typically delivers a consistent 60 FPS, marking a major improvement.

Occasionally, frame drops can still occur when traversing large areas or using specific battle moves, but overall animation rates have seen a dramatic improvement.

This smoother performance not only enhances gameplay but also increases the number of Pokemon that can appear on screen simultaneously. Shorter Load Times and Additional Enhancements Users will also notice significantly reduced loading times on Nintendo Switch 2.

Visual elements such as draw distance, pop-in behavior, shadow resolution, texture quality, and texture tiling remain largely unchanged, though subtle differences in shadow filtering have been observed.

Despite these minor variations, the overall graphical enhancements represent a marked step up from the initial Switch release. Verified and Detailed Technical Breakdown Digital Foundry’s comprehensive video analysis outlines these improvements, reinforcing that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s free update positions the titles among the top examples of Nintendo Switch games upgraded for Switch 2 players. For gamers who want to experience these technical enhancements firsthand, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Nintendo and Game Freak continue to support the titles with updates and improvements, ensuring an optimal experience as the franchise evolves alongside Nintendo’s hardware advancements.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Nintendo Switch 2 improvements covered in detail