The problem is that the latter’s performance looks rather weak based on what we have seen so far…
The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo is now available on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series, allowing users to play through the first two chapters and carry that progress over into the full game when it launches on June 3. If you have save data from the demo, you can claim a Kupo Charm and a survival pack filled with useful items. If you create your save in the full game first, you cannot transfer the demo save, but you can still receive the items. Achievements cannot be unlocked inside the demo itself, but if you transfer your progress into the full game, every achievement tied to that demo progress will unlock there. On the eShop, the Switch 2 demo can be downloaded in the United States with the code D3GM3304HQ4BBMVB and in Europe with the code D3GM3304HQ5BBMVB.
Early footage of the Switch 2 port looked promising, but a closer examination suggests the game’s ambitions may at times be a bit too much for the platform, because in certain situations it struggles to hold a stable 30 FPS even with visible visual simplifications. The comparison video shared by GVG, the third one below, places PlayStation 5 footage captured in Performance mode side by side with footage from the Switch 2 demo. While the port is generally decent when judged against the system’s specifications, a more detailed look highlights the compromises Square Enix had to make in order to reach 30 FPS, including removed elements and repeated instances of aggressive pop-in.
What matters most for the gameplay experience, however, is frame rate, and the demo does not paint an especially flattering picture. While the Nintendo Switch 2 generally sticks close to the 30 FPS target, there are moments during exploration of Kalm where large numbers of NPCs appear on screen and performance drops, in some cases all the way down to 19 FPS. That was always somewhat expected because of the system’s CPU limitations, but it is still disappointing, even if the final build could theoretically reduce NPC density further to stabilize performance. Thankfully, these drops do not appear to hit combat in the same way. In footage of the Materia Guardian battle, the frame rate often dips below 30 FPS, but never low enough to seriously affect playability. Hopefully that relative stability carries through the rest of the game, which features spectacular, particle-heavy battles that will surely put the Switch 2 hardware under heavy load.
Although any direct comparison between the Switch 2 version and the PlayStation 5 was always going to favor Sony’s hardware, it will be very interesting to see how the portable version holds up against the Steam Deck, where Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is playable but heavily compromised, and whether dedicated optimization and Nvidia DLSS will be enough to make this the best portable version of the game.
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