Despite the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws coming out in a couple of days, YouTuber Mataleao has seemingly already gotten his hands on the title. The YouTuber has published a couple of videos showcasing the Switch 2 release of Star Wars Outlaws in both docked mode as well as handheld mode, giving us an idea of what kind of performance we can expect from the title. Check out the videos below.
As evidenced from the video, the Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws manages to strike a fine balance between performance and visual fidelity. While definitely a downgrade when compared to the PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions, the relatively weaker hardware in the Switch 2 is still able to push out impressive visuals while maintaining a baseline frame rate of 30 FPS. Some of the texture details have suffered in the port, however, with some walls looking incredibly muddy due to low-resolution textures.
As for handheld mode, the visual fidelity takes a noticeable hit that the high-quality display of the Switch 2 isn’t able to sufficiently compensate for. When in-game, the frame rate seems to stay under 30 FPS, and there are plenty of graphical artifacts that look like they might be cased by the heavy level of DLSS upscaling that might be required to run the game at acceptable frame rates. Travelling large distances on a speeder also causes some frame rate hitches, likely from having to load in new parts of the map that the player is travelling to.
As noted by Mataleao, the differences between the handheld and docked modes of Star Wars Outlaws largely comes down to them running at similar frame rates, albeit with handheld mode losing out quite a bit in terms of visual fidelity, including reduced draw distance for foliage and reduced level of detail for things that might be further away.
On the positive side of things, Star Wars Outlaws still looks quite playable on the Switch 2 despite the visual and performance downgrades, and the UI and HUD have generally been adjusted quite well to ensure that they remain readable on the smaller display of the handheld console when compared to a large TV or monitor.
The Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws was announced back in July during a Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase. The announcement featured creative director Drew Rechner, who spoke about some of the Switch 2-specific features of the game alongside Redlynx senior producer Pasi Piispa. Among the features of the title are options for new control modes, including touchscreen controls for interacting with in-game touch panels.
Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 also include the two expansions that the title has gotten since its release – A Pirate’s Fortune and Wild Card. The game has been available on PC, PS5 and Xbox series X/S since August 2024. For more details on the game, check out our thoughts on its shape in more recent times, as well as our reviews for the A Pirate’s Fortune and Wild Card expansions.
