Digital Foundry: Switch 2 vs Unreal Engine - Fortnite, Cronos + Split Fiction Tested - The Full-Fat UE5 Experience?

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Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?


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Unreal Engine 5 is swiftly become the middleware engine of choice for the generation - but there's no denying that its cutting-edge feature set can be highly demanding... so where does that leave Switch 2? In this video, Oliver Mackenzie and Alex Battaglia tackle a trio of UE5 titles, from Bloober Studios' Cronos: The New Dawn through to Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction. And of course, Epic itself has delivered a Switch 2 port of Fortnite at 60fps - surely the standard bearer for the engine?

00:00 Overview
00:48 Cronos: what features does Switch 2 use?
06:39 Cronos: Switch 2 vs Series S
14:51 Fortnite
23:00 Split Fiction
29:05 Final thoughts
 
Cronos:

Visuals:
- Switch 2 version seems to be similar to "Very Low" preset on the PC version
- Virtual Shadow Maps are forced off. Nanite shows lower quality models than PC's lowest
- Pop-in and LoD shows it's not using Nanite
- Also doesn't seem to be using Lumen GI
- PC's Very Low is so similar to Switch 2 that DF thinks that mode was derived directly from Switch 2's preset
- Despite not using Lumen etc, the dark nature of the game lets it 'get away' without using those features on NS2
- Comparing to Series S, things like GI leaking, clarity of VSM shadows and Nanite set it apart on Series S and looks a lot better there.
- Overall, doesn't look that different in terms of IQ but Series S can look less aliased
- Series S is using TSR and Switch 2 seems to be using a 'cheaper' DLSS, breaking up some more but doesn't show typical TSR deficiencies.
- Portable seems to run the sam config as docked, even the same resolution per DF (540p)

Performance:
- NS2 vs Series 2 both target 30fps
- Series S has a couple of drops above and below 30fps (can go to 29fps or 32fps) where Switch 2 seems to be pretty steady at 30 in DF's tested areas.
- One of the more intense UE5 games on NS2 but also doesn't seem to make use of any of UE5's unique features.


Fortnite:

- Uses a version of Fortnite without the UE5 features added to it.
- No Lumen, Nanite, VSM in the Switch 2 version
- Textures also worse than Series S version
- Nanite vegetation was added to other current gen versions via updates, which NS2 does not have
- "Basically it's the last gen version"
- DF are surprised that Epic themselves have chosen not to highlight any UE5 features in an in-house game
- The one area Switch 2 has an advantage over Series S is resolution, Series S runs at 720p and Switch 2 targets a bit higher than 1080p
- NS2 is generally locked at 60fps with some minor drops here and there
- Portable seems to run the game at 900p with similar performance


Split Fiction:

- This game did not use the UE5 features like Nanite, Lumen on any console
- Switch 2 is very similar to Series S here, visually
- Though it runs at 30fps on Switch 2, where it targets 60fps on Series S
- Neither version uses TSR, they use the older TAAU and aim for 1080p
- Though hair are more aliased on Switch 2 compared to Series S
- Switch also strips out things like Depth of Field in cut-scenes
- Both Switch and Series S use SSR while NS2 uses lower resolution shadow maps
- DF are surprised NS2 needed to reduce things like shadow maps considering it has more memory than Series S and is basically a UE4 title in all but name.
 
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I think the problem is mostly unreal since we already have proof of Switch 2 using better tech than Lumen and Nanite running well. Also these are launch titles with everything it carries.
 
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On again, we see that switch 2 is very far away from Series S. Obviously we knew that but, man the switch 2 is a huge disappointment. If only Nintendo had used tsmc 5nm, we could have had a really good chip. Cheap bastards….
 
I think Lumen is possible to get running in docked mode one day, but handheld mode will be the biggest challenge. Handheld mode (and docked mode) is running at an internal resolution of 540p in Cronos without Lumen. A future game might have to drop to 360p and reconstruct up to 720p. Maybe further work will be done on Lumen to enable a more optimised and less performance intensive version to run on Switch 2 in the future.
 
FalconPunch said:
On again, we see that switch 2 is very far away from Series S. Obviously we knew that but, man the switch 2 is a huge disappointment. If only Nintendo had used tsmc 5nm, we could have had a really good chip. Cheap bastards….
Click to expand...
... And it would've been easily $600+ which would have been way too expensive
 
FalconPunch said:
On again, we see that switch 2 is very far away from Series S. Obviously we knew that but, man the switch 2 is a huge disappointment. If only Nintendo had used tsmc 5nm, we could have had a really good chip. Cheap bastards….
Click to expand...
Outlaws already showed what the Switch 2 is capable, this is more on the Unreal Engine 5 side. Obviously if you want FPS parity with the Series S, some cuts are going to happen like almost everybody with brain expected.
 
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Kataploom said:
I think the problem is mostly unreal arrive we already have proof of Switch 2 using better tech than Lumen and Nanite running well. Also these are launch with everything it carries.
Click to expand...
Lumen leverages general compute where the Switch 2 is more lacking relative to the Series S, whereas Outlaws can take advantage of the Switch 2's RT units.

FalconPunch said:
On again, we see that switch 2 is very far away from Series S. Obviously we knew that but, man the switch 2 is a huge disappointment. If only Nintendo had used tsmc 5nm, we could have had a really good chip. Cheap bastards….
Click to expand...
It's about half as powerful as the S, but going with 5nm would only have provided up to around a 50% boost, that Nintendo may have clawed back anyway to improve battery life. But 5nm wafers are in more demand, while going with 8nm allowed Nintendo to flood the market with units. So it was likely a much better business decision. Also, a future 5nm model will be able to double battery life, which wouldn't have been available had they already started on 5nm.
 
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FalconPunch said:
On again, we see that switch 2 is very far away from Series S. Obviously we knew that but, man the switch 2 is a huge disappointment. If only Nintendo had used tsmc 5nm, we could have had a really good chip. Cheap bastards….
Click to expand...
Star Wars Outlaws says it isn't, more like they trade blows, one is better than the other in different areas
 
Switch 2 is low spec hardware for a portable running at max 15W power draw but it does support DLSS

So there are benefits and tradeoffs compared to the home consoles which run at 150W+ power draw but don't support DLSS

DLSS is basically black magic for upscaling but low spec hardware for portables is what it is
 
Mister Wolf said:
That's too bad Lumen isn't hardware based RTGI like in Snowdrop, Anvil, and Id Tech engines. That is a glaring oversight by Epic.
Click to expand...
Hardware lumen is hardware based and uses rt hardware on the consoles and gpus. It's still around 20% more expensive.
 
Mister Wolf said:
Why is it so much more taxing than what Id Tech and Ubisoft are doing with their Hardware RTGI? Is it more accurate?
Click to expand...
different engines. different games. hard to compare.

i did play silent hill 2, avowed and mgs3 with hardware lumen on PC, and the performance was more or less on par with avatar, star wars outlaws, and ac shadows. My guess is that pre UE5.4, the CPU bottlenecks were too high and thats why we didnt see any hardware lumen games on consoles. Aside from fortnite which did get a hardware lumen patch after UE5.4 released. With UE5.6, they have made hardware lumen perform even better and have further reduced cpu bottlenecks thanks to CDPR's work and they are now able to run witcher 4 with hardware lumen at 800-1080p.

RTGI in doom and indy is not as good. and they are not really pushing any other tech like nanite or virtualized geometry or mesh shaders. which lets them target higher framerates.
 
Kataploom said:
Star Wars Outlaws says it isn't, more like they trade blows, one is better than the other in different areas
Click to expand...

'trade blows' is serious hyperbole

But that's no shade on the Switch 2. It's performing very well indeed, and should really be able to run the vast majority of stuff that's on the flagship consoles.
 
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Ozriel said:
'trade blows' is serious hyperbole

But that's no shade on the Switch 2. It's performing very well indeed, and should really be able to run the vast majority of stuff that's on the flagship consoles.
Click to expand...
It is, even if the GPU is a little weaker, they both succeed where the other fail, check Star Wars Outlaws:

Switch 2 lacks some objects but has better RT and similar IQ with lower input resolution

XSS has more objects and with better detail on screen due to a better CPU but lacks RT reflections and has to rely on SSR

XSS is overall now powerful tho, yet not as some people here claim.
 
Kataploom said:
It is, even if the GPU is a little weaker, they both succeed where the other fail, check Star Wars Outlaws:

Switch 2 lacks some objects but has better RT and similar IQ with lower input resolution

XSS has more objects and with better detail on screen due to a better CPU but lacks RT reflections and has to rely on SSR

XSS is overall now powerful tho, yet not as some people here claim.
Click to expand...
The Series S does have RT reflections but in a few situations they are missing but present on the Switch 2. On the other hand the resolution of the reflections is lower on the Switch 2 and there is increased noise overall. Outside of RT though the Switch 2 version has asset cutbacks, reduced shadow quality and reduced volumetric lighting quality. So if the RT lighting and IQ are similar, other settings are worse on the Switch 2.

Again, that's a good showing however.
 
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FireFly said:
The Series S does have RT reflections but in a few situations they are missing but present on the Switch 2. On the other hand the resolution of the reflections is lower on the Switch 2 and there is increased noise overall. Outside of RT though the Switch 2 version has asset cutbacks, reduced shadow quality and reduced volumetric lighting quality. So if the RT lighting and IQ are similar, other settings are worse on the Switch 2.

Again, that's a good showing however.
Click to expand...
The lighting was fixed in the latest patch afaik, but cuts are expected, XSS is still alive Switch 2, but it's not like Switch 2 is around PS4 level as some claim, it still has strengths over XSS. My suggestion is to give it time, XSS is an already matured platform while Switch 2 is showing good results in the very within 5 months of its release.

I still don't have much faith in Epic for the Switch 2 tho.
 
Kataploom said:
The lighting was fixed in the latest patch afaik, but cuts are expected, XSS is still alive Switch 2, but it's not like Switch 2 is around PS4 level as some claim, it still has strengths over XSS. My suggestion is to give it time, XSS is an already matured platform while Switch 2 is showing good results in the very within 5 months of its release.

I still don't have much faith in Epic for the Switch 2 tho.
Click to expand...
You really can't accept it, isn't it? PS4 with modern graphic features not just PS4. Not sure why it hurt so much your feeling. It's not bad for a portable. And Starwars Outlwas showing exactly that, poly count/LOD are drastically cutbacks.
It's not an Epic fault if UE5 is too much taxing for the switch 2 though it's more tied to the developers who use it.
 
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XSS is far superior. And saying this isn't to belittle SW2; it's simply that the technology doesn't yet exist to achieve a handheld product with similar power or with technology that compensates for the power difference. Not even current Windows handhelds above $1000K. That's the way it is, nothing else.
SW2 must be valued for its price-performance ratio and catalog, and in that regard, everything points to it being better than its predecessor (Switch), and that's what matters.
 
Darsxx82 said:
XSS is far superior. And saying this isn't to belittle SW2; it's simply that the technology doesn't yet exist to achieve a handheld product with similar power or with technology that compensates for the power difference. Not even current Windows handhelds above $1000K. That's the way it is, nothing else.
SW2 must be valued for its price-performance ratio and catalog, and in that regard, everything points to it being better than its predecessor (Switch), and that's what matters.
Click to expand...
Happy Sausage Dog GIF by Unscreen
 
LordOcidax said:
So Lumen is basically software based RT? CPU based?
Click to expand...

Lumen is a signed distance field. Basically a texture with a volume, also called a voxel, that has a distance value.
So it can represent the distance between surfaces.
With this, it can make an approximation of global illumination, ambient occlusion and some shadow casting.
 
adamsapple said:
Cronos:

Visuals:
- Switch 2 version seems to be similar to "Very Low" preset on the PC version
- Virtual Shadow Maps are forced off. Nanite shows lower quality models than PC's lowest
- Pop-in and LoD shows it's not using Nanite
- Also doesn't seem to be using Lumen GI
- PC's Very Low is so similar to Switch 2 that DF thinks that mode was derived directly from Switch 2's preset
- Despite not using Lumen etc, the dark nature of the game lets it 'get away' without using those features on NS2
- Comparing to Series S, things like GI leaking, clarity of VSM shadows and Nanite set it apart on Series S and looks a lot better there.
- Overall, doesn't look that different in terms of IQ but Series S can look less aliased
- Series S is using TSR and Switch 2 seems to be using a 'cheaper' DLSS, breaking up some more but doesn't show typical TSR deficiencies.
- Portable seems to run the sam config as docked, even the same resolution per DF (540p)

Performance:
- NS2 vs Series 2 both target 30fps
- Series S has a couple of drops above and below 30fps (can go to 29fps or 32fps) where Switch 2 seems to be pretty steady at 30 in DF's tested areas.
- One of the more intense UE5 games on NS2 but also doesn't seem to make use of any of UE5's unique features.


Fortnite:

- Uses a version of Fortnite without the UE5 features added to it.
- No Lumen, Nanite, VSM in the Switch 2 version
- Textures also worse than Series S version
- Nanite vegetation was added to other current gen versions via updates, which NS2 does not have
- "Basically it's the last gen version"
- DF are surprised that Epic themselves have chosen not to highlight any UE5 features in an in-house game
- The one area Switch 2 has an advantage over Series S is resolution, Series S runs at 720p and Switch 2 targets a bit higher than 1080p
- NS2 is generally locked at 60fps with some minor drops here and there
- Portable seems to run the game at 900p with similar performance


Split Fiction:

- This game did not use the UE5 features like Nanite, Lumen on any console
- Switch 2 is very similar to Series S here, visually
- Though it runs at 30fps on Switch 2, where it targets 60fps on Series S
- Neither version uses TSR, they use the older TAAU and aim for 1080p
- Though hair are more aliased on Switch 2 compared to Series S
- Switch also strips out things like Depth of Field in cut-scenes
- Both Switch and Series S use SSR while NS2 uses lower resolution shadow maps
- DF are surprised NS2 needed to reduce things like shadow maps considering it has more memory than Series S and is basically a UE4 title in all but name.
Click to expand...
So Cronos is a lazy Port. Thanks
 
Kataploom said:
I think the problem is mostly unreal since we already have proof of Switch 2 using better tech than Lumen and Nanite running well. Also these are launch titles with everything it carries.
Click to expand...
Further proving that unreal engine is fucking shit
 
Karim said:
Following your logic switch 2 hardware should be considered fucking shit also.
Click to expand...
nah the last snowdrop engine port of star wars on switch 2 shows what could be.
Cyberpunk is also amazing.

Most unreal engine games however are dogshit
So no it's not a switch 2 issue it's an engine issue
 
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After seeing what Snowdrop can do on the Switch 2 with actual RTGI while using DLSS to go from 540p to 1440p, and knowing the reputation of UE5, going to assume this is engine based rather than all on the Switch 2.

At some point I'm sure we'll see a studio work on the UE5 engine in a way that has it running better on Switch 2 than what we're seeing now, but for now they'll use the default Switch 2 setting which is basically just UE4.

This happened with UE4 on Switch. Most games were a mess on Switch using UE4 but several games that used it did much better with it. Pikmin 4 is a good example of that.
 
Wow. Series S looks like 2-3 generations ahead in these titles.

I think based on the titles we have seen so far, we can safely say it's not even close to Series S.

Lumen and Nanite, which barely run on Series S, are just too demanding for the Switch 2. You'd have much greater success with your own RTGI pipeline, similar to what Star Wars has.

Outlaws still has a lot of compromises mind you (like the reduced asset quality) but it's close. This is the only port however where the Switch 2 comes close, what other port has Series S like graphics? Let's take a look at the better ports of demanding games.

Street Fighter 6 is rendering on Series S at native 1080p, while DLSS is used to get from 540p to 1080p on SW2. Some effects are missing. Series S is significantly more powerful in this game, yet thanks to DLSS and more RAM you could argue it looks better on Switch 2.

Cyberpunk has better textures and image quality, but performance in dogtown is much worse and NPC density is much reduced to the point of where I am asking myself if this is even the same game. I wouldn't call it playable, especially not the DLC. Series S is much more stable. Series S has a clear win in this title.

The UE5 ports are not comparable in any way. Anything else I'm missing?

So far Outlaws is the only example of Switch 2 delivering good graphics and performance in a current title. I have the feeling it's going to be that for a long, long time. Not many studios would put that much effort in a port, far from it.
 
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I am no expert, but it is more telling about how devs are using UE5 than the Switch 2's true power.

Fortnite running at 720p on the Series S for eg, doesn't make any sense.
 
Spukc said:
nah the last snowdrop engine port of star wars on switch 2 shows what could be.
Cyberpunk is also amazing.

Most unreal engine games however are dogshit
So no it's not a switch 2 issue it's an engine issue
Click to expand...
What you say it hasn't any sense. So an engine sucks only when the switch 2 port is underwhelming? Because it's not the first and won't be the last.
 
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I find Switch 2 graphics discussion annoying because the console has two (somewhat significantly) different performance profiles yet people are not discerning or stipulating what mode the footage was captured in.

"See it looks fine". Ok but was it docked or handheld footage you watched?
 
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Spukc said:
nah the last snowdrop engine port of star wars on switch 2 shows what could be.
Cyberpunk is also amazing.

Most unreal engine games however are dogshit
So no it's not a switch 2 issue it's an engine issue
Click to expand...
Cyberpunk is barely playable on Switch 2.

FPS-COMP.00_30_27_49.Still014.jpg


Atleast the DLC. But the base game is not great either with its reduced NPC density.

Not playable.
 
Dampf said:
Cyberpunk is barely playable on Switch 2.

FPS-COMP.00_30_27_49.Still014.jpg


Atleast the DLC. But the base game is not great either with its reduced NPC density.

Not playable.
Click to expand...
Yes let's post a single example stating the switch 2 is bad 😆
 
Spukc said:
Yes let's post a single example stating the switch 2 is bad 😆
Click to expand...
Bro, please. Frame drops in Phantom Liberty are extremly common. The game is running below 30 FPS all the time there.

per Eurogamer:

"Next along, the Phantom Liberty expansion presents a much greater technical hurdle for Switch 2. Sadly, this is where we see the flip-side to the Switch 2 version - and it does fall short of Series S' often stable 30fps reading. In short, from our first landing in the Dog Town area, sub-30fps drops are much more abundant. Low points include an early shoot-out with multiple enemies, a run through its slums area, and also a drive down its besieged streets. Each moment sees a sustained drop into the mid-20s on Switch 2 - and lower - while Series S comfortably clears 30fps through it all. Worst of all, Switch 2 has frame time hitches in excess of 120ms while driving here, which makes driving a genuine challenge."
 
Dampf said:
So far Outlaws is the only example of Switch 2 delivering good graphics and performance in a current title. I have the feeling it's going to be that for a long, long time. Not many studios would put that much effort in a port, far from it.
Click to expand...
Indiana Jones already starts with better performance on the S, so you may only have to wait until next year.

Dampf said:
Atleast the DLC. But the base game is not great either with its reduced NPC density.

Not playable.
Click to expand...
According to DF's comparison video, the crowd density uses the "medium" setting, which matches the PS5.

 
FireFly said:
Indiana Jones already starts with better performance on the S, so you may only have to wait until next year.


According to DF's comparison video, the crowd density uses the "medium" setting, which matches the PS5.

Click to expand...

Sadly Rich was wrong there.

The crowd density is very dynamic in this game. Either it looked like the crowd density was comparable at this spot in this specific time per coincidence or they upped the crowd density on that spot manually.

In reality, the crowd density is similar to PC Low and PS4. Infact, Eurogamer have said it themselves, directly contradicting this video:

"For all its advantages, Switch 2 does have some limitations too. Let's start with a big one: NPC and vehicle density are roughly on par with the base PS4 version. It's still very respectable, but it essentially means that traffic in Night City is less likely to build up to outrageous gridlock levels, while market crowds have a similar density to last-gen. By comparison, PS5 and Series S use a higher setting for both NPC and vehicle density, often filling its roads with more bustling activity. It's a concession for Switch 2 that almost certainly caters to a CPU limit that might otherwise cause some turbulence to its 30fps (or 40fps) cap. Still, what Switch 2 achieves here is impressive." https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfo...e-translates-well-to-nintendos-console-hybrid

So it's certainly not on PS5/PC Medium level.
 
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