After playing Cyberpunk 2077 on many consoles, I'm now looking at how it does on the Nintendo Switch 2. At first, it looks great, which makes me want to go back to Night City.
The Ultimate Edition of Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 is very smooth and fun. It runs well, which is great for a handheld that doesn't need live streaming like some others do.
The controls work very well. Even though Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 can run games at 60fps, the Switch 2 does a good job of keeping the game smooth without needing Wi-Fi.
- When Docked: It feels right to aim with the joystick and gyros, and it's comfy to play sitting down.
- When Handheld: After about 15 hours of testing both ways, the game still holds up well.
- In Mouse Mode on Joy-Con: Aiming works well here. But using it a lot can strain your wrist. The sharp gyros often mean you don't always need a mouse setting for long.
- Motion: You can tilt and turn the Joy-Con to do things, but using buttons feels better for this game.
There's a limit You can't use both gyros and mouse settings at the same time; you must pick one. This is different from some games like "Metroid Prime 4 Beyond," which let you switch anytime.
The game aims for 1080p resolution in both handheld and docked ways. The frame rate is often between 30 to 40fps, even in big fights, much like the Steam Deck but maybe even more stable on the Switch 2.
There were some drops in frames here and there, mostly when there were many people around, but it still looked good most of the time. This Switch isn't for those who must have 60fps all the time.
Some visual bugs, like awkward textures on carpets sometimes show up. This might be due to NVIDIA's DLSS tech, which this Switch 2’s custom NVIDIA chip uses. It's not clear which DLSS version it is, but it's probably not the newest. The chip is equal to NVIDIA's five-year-old Ampere tech, but it's changed for this use.
Even five years after it first came out, Cyberpunk 2077 still looks great. The detailed world by CD PROJEKT RED is key to its story. The Switch 2, even with less power, brings this setting to life well.
Playing this on the Switch 2 makes me value the strong story and deep characters again, despite the game's rough start.
Good and Bad Points
Pros
- Good frame rates most of the time.
- Clean 1080p visuals.
- Sharp and fast gyro controls.
- Mouse mode for another way to aim.
- Works well whether docked or handheld.
Could Be Better
- Small visual bugs due to DLSS.
- Buttons don't always line up the same in-game or in mouse mode.
- Can't change between mouse and gyro modes on the fly.
- Mouse mode can make your wrist hurt after a while.
