Just in case the news passed you by, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched on Switch 2 this month — the first in the series to do so since the Wii U days. Naturally, a lot of the attention has been on the game’s performance and whether the Switch 2 would be able to keep up with its competitors. Here to answer exactly that are the tech experts over at Digital Foundry, who have just shared their thoughts on the hybrid version’s nitty-gritty details.
We’ll start with the all-important frame rates. DF states that MW4 runs at 30fps in its campaign mode, 60fps in competitive multiplayer, and 40fps (if you have a 120Hz display hooked up) in the DMZ extraction mode. While this is a little lower than other platforms — particularly in the campaign respect — it does mean that we Switch 2 players can still get the full-fat CoD experience.
It’s all relatively stable, too. In the campaign, you’ll see hitching in pre-rendered cutscenes (also found on other platforms), though actual gameplay isn’t affected, and things run at a smooth 30. The same can be said for the DMZ mode at 40fps — though there is obviously a little input latency for both by opting for a locked, lower rate.
Things occasionally drop into the 50s or even high-40s in online multiplayer, with input latency adding “an extra challenge in getting the best kill-to-death ratio”.
There are two anti-aliasing options in the Switch 2 version, running at a dynamic 900p in DLSS mode (dropping to 450p in “the worst cases”) and at a higher 1080p target when using the SMAA T2X mode. In handheld, it runs at a dynamic 720p, dropping to 360p in more intense missions.
There are some cutbacks, of course. Asset resolution is noticeably lower than on other platforms when crouching, and some reflections lose a lot of detail. There are lower-quality shadows (there aren’t any on the player character in the campaign mode), and you will notice more pop-in detail jumps on Switch 2.
That said, DF considers it a “job well done”, all in all, keeping all of the important elements in place — which proves key for keeping things balanced in cross-platform online play.
We had a great time with Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2, calling it “an excellent demonstration of why this crusty series still matters to so many” in our 9/10 review.
