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 into a meltdown and it’s equal parts relief and excitement to know that the long-awaited sequel is finally coming in 2025.
But once the dust settled, some parts of the internet began to wonder: Did Metroid Prime 4 run on Switch 2? The release date certainly ties in with everything we know about the Switch’s successor, and there are moments in the trailer where it looks like a step up from what we saw on the original Switch hardware. Of course, Nintendo never came out and said what the demo was running on, so IGN asked for advice from the next best thing – the technical experts at Digital foundry.
Digital Foundry has been analyzing video game performance to an unrivaled level for years, and recently did so take a deep dive into what we can expect from the next generation of Nintendo hardwareso he’s better than anyone else to provide a credible take on the Metroid Prime 4 reveal.
So did Metroid Prime 4 run on Switch 2?
Digital Foundry technology editor Richard Leadbetter gave us the definitive answer: “It looks great and there are some nice effects that we looked at, but ultimately all the evidence points to this game running on the original Switch. The internal rendering resolution is calculated 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 small frame rate drops. Everything about the visual makeup is in line with a really well done Switch game where Retro excels. I can imagine the dev studio is really happy that people are making the connection with the Switch 2.
So while many were convinced that we got our first look at a Switch 2 game in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the truth is that it’s likely running on existing hardware. While this is disappointing to some, it’s also hardly surprising; I expect Nintendo, when the Switch’s successor is finally revealed, will pull out all the stops to keep our first look at the end of the (admittedly surprising) Nintendo Direct low-key.
Developers Retro Studios should be congratulated, though, because making a game this good to look this good on technology that’s over seven years old is no mean feat, and Leadbetter explains how Retro was able to pull it off: “There are a few things at play here, but in the end it’s the skill of developers working on a fixed platform that they’ve had time to get to know over a long period of time. This unique focus makes great things possible. Another good example would be Halo 4 on the Xbox 360 – at the end of the console’s lifecycle, you’ll see the hardware being pushed in ways you never imagined before.”
Another reason why a game demo could look as good as it does is because it could represent 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 reveals: “Nintendo released some trailers that looked better than the final versions of the games. There is now a legendary ‘Too big for a 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 didn’t. However, in this case, with this developer and the game in gestation for so long, instinct says that this is the Switch 1 and represents a true console experience. If it was on Switch 2, we’d expect antialiasing 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 being revealed on the original Switch hardware, there’s no doubt that it will eventually make its way to the Switch 2 due to its release in 2025. In fact, cross-generational games have long been part of every new console cycle. years and it would make sense that Retro is developing an enhanced version of Metroid Prime 4 when the Switch 2 finally comes out. Which begs the question – what improvements can we expect over Metroid Prime 4 running on the original Switch? We can only theorize at this point, but Leadbetter has his thoughts: “It’s complicated because it’s as much about Nintendo’s cross-gen strategy as it is about the capabilities of the hardware. One thing that always stands out from running Switch games on PC emulators is the scalability of the artwork. The quality of the art itself benefits immensely from the higher resolutions, while the gameplay benefits from the higher frame rates. At the very least, I’d expect any remaining performance fluctuations to be ironed out while running at a higher resolution, potentially enhanced by DLSS. If load times are noticeable, you’d expect them to be shorter since the Switch 2 has faster storage and a hardware decompression block that lightens the load on the CPU.
Of course, faster loading times and improved visuals are a given for cross-gen games running on more powerful hardware, but personally, it’s something I’m still excited about – not just for Metroid Prime 4, but for the rest of Nintendo’s catalog as well. I would buy a Switch 2 soon if it brought 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 to the Switch 2 will be 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 after the ‘easy wins’ like higher resolution, higher precision effects and so on, as we’ve already seen with Sony and Microsoft consoles,” says Leadbetter. “Or it will dive more into the Switch 2 feature set and push for other game-changing effects. After all, it supports ray tracing.”
If Nintendo’s past has taught us anything, it’s that they don’t like to follow in others’ footsteps, so I hope Nintendo goes all out with the Switch 2.
Alex Simmons is IGN’s Director of Features.