A recent Digital Foundry analysis of Cyberpunk 2077, using the game’s hidden internal benchmarks, has provided a fascinating performance comparison between the rumored Nintendo Switch 2, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox Series S. This investigation was prompted by a candid interview with Eoin O’Grady of Virtuos satellite studio Black Shamrock, who offered a rare developer’s perspective on the upcoming console’s capabilities.
O’Grady suggested the Switch 2’s GPU performs slightly below the Xbox Series S, but that its support for NVIDIA’s DLSS technology makes their overall graphics capabilities comparable. On the processing side, he posited that the Switch 2’s CPU is “just a bit more powerful” than the PlayStation 4’s.
To test these claims, Digital Foundry benchmarked Cyberpunk 2077 across the Switch 2, PS4, PS4 Pro, and Xbox Series S. While acknowledging that direct comparisons are complex due to differing APIs, software optimizations, and hardware architecture, the results offer a compelling glimpse into the new console’s potential.
In terms of GPU performance, the Switch 2 consistently delivered higher pixel counts than the base PS4, showing an average 32% resolution improvement while also utilizing the more computationally expensive DLSS upscaling. Compared to the PS4 Pro, however, the Switch 2’s resolution was either on par or considerably lower, placing its raw graphical output somewhere between Sony’s two last-generation machines.
The gap widened significantly when compared to the Xbox Series S. Microsoft’s console showed a resolution advantage of up to 70% in quality mode. In their respective performance modes, the Series S, targeting 60fps, maintained an average 73% resolution advantage over the Switch 2, which targets 40fps. Based on these metrics from Cyberpunk 2077, describing the GPU capabilities of the two consoles as directly “comparable” appears to be a stretch in terms of raw pixel throughput.
In response to these findings, Virtuos clarified O’Grady’s comments, stating that his reference to 60fps Series S games porting “easily” concerned the relative ease of adaptation, not a guarantee of identical 60fps performance on Switch 2. The studio reiterated that “games with complex physics, animations, or other CPU-intensive elements might incur additional challenges.”
The CPU analysis reinforces this clarification. In CPU-heavy streaming tests, the Switch 2 performed noticeably better than the base PS4 but fell slightly short of the PS4 Pro, which features a higher-clocked CPU. It’s worth noting the Switch 2 appeared to stream in more environmental detail, as the older consoles were likely bottlenecked by their 5400rpm hard drives.
The Xbox Series S, with its modern Zen 2 processor, handled all CPU-intensive scenarios with ease, holding a steady 60fps in performance mode with only occasional dips. This demonstrates a clear generational leap in processing power over both the last-gen consoles and the Switch 2.
Ultimately, the analysis suggests the Virtuos developer’s assessment was largely accurate. The Switch 2’s CPU performance appears to be in the same ballpark as the last console generation, which is logical for a power-constrained handheld. Its GPU, however, performs impressively for a low-wattage device, surpassing the PS4 and leveraging DLSS to produce remarkable image quality. While the Xbox Series S remains convincingly ahead in raw power, DLSS acts as a significant equalizer for the Switch 2, enabling it to deliver a visually competitive experience. The key takeaway is the viability of porting current-generation titles, though CPU-heavy games will likely require significant optimization.
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