Digital Foundry: Pragmata Switch 2 is ambitious port held back by performance

Digital Foundry have gotten their hands on the intriguing Pragmata on the Nintendo Switch 2 and as always have been testing the game’s performance. While the visuals look great, thanks in no small part to DLSS, the performance of the game leaves a little to be desired. The Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Pragmata features a number of cutbacks from the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions and while its fully playable on Nintendo Switch 2 if you own one of the other platforms Digital Foundry’s write up suggests you play it on there.

“Without a stable update rate, the game can feel unpleasant to play, and we would have much preferred at least the option of a lock to 30 or 40fps.”

“The image quality battle also favours Nintendo in this comparison. The Series S operates at an internal resolution of circa 720p but struggles to resolve clean edges, but the Switch 2 benefits from DLSS upscaling which produces a more cohesive image. However, the Series S maintains a solid 60fps output, highlighting Switch 2’s lack of rendering grunt and its need for more stable frame delivery.”

“When moving to handheld mode, the internal resolution of the Switch 2 version drops to a paltry resolution in the region of 360p. While DLSS helps the image hold up better than expected, the result is still muddy and prone to aliasing. Performance in handheld mode is also depressed relative to docked play, with frame-rates often lingering in the 30s. Furthermore, VRR does not appear to be functioning correctly, as the game rarely outputs a stable run of frames even within the console’s supported VRR window.”