Allegedly, internally developed (first-party) titles for the platform have not yet fully utilized the hardware’s capabilities.

In their weekly podcast, the editors of Digital Foundry discussed why first-generation Nintendo Switch 2 games such as Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza do not use Nvidia’s DLSS upscaler. Instead, they opted for the lower-quality AMD FSR 1 solution. While it cannot be stated with certainty, the editors believe that engine limitations may be the reason why. The engines that power these games do not support the motion vectors required by Nvidia DLSS. Without engine-level support, implementing the upscaler would require significant effort, which Nintendo did not want to undertake for some reason.

However, technical limitations are not the only reason the initial major first-party games for Nintendo’s new console don’t use Nvidia DLSS; artistic direction may also play a role. Nintendo’s games typically feature cartoon-like graphics without complex shapes or patterns. Even if the edges aren’t smooth, they’re not that noticeable, reducing the need for antialiasing and upscaling. Mario Kart World is a perfect example of this; the game looks great (and runs well) without them.

Nevertheless, there is a good chance that first-party games will eventually use Nvidia DLSS. Not only is it featured in the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but the Japanese company has also collaborated with Nvidia to incorporate the necessary hardware for the upscaler into the system, recognizing its value. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long to see it in use. Games like Donkey Kong Bananza would clearly benefit from it given the image quality provided by AMD FSR 1.

The Japanese company also needs to take a next-gen step in development. Their hardware has improved, but this should be accompanied by an update to the software environment.

Source: WCCFTech