[LONGWINDEDRAMBLE]The "catch" seems to be the magic-enchance-button-from-CSI made real that is DLSS. For the uninitiated, Deep Learning Super Sampling is an AI based upscaler made by Nvidia that takes an image and interprets what a higher res version of that image would look like & displays that. In essence, it allows computers to run games at a higher resolution than they would otherwise be capable of. Incidentally, Nvidia were also the makers of the chipset the 1st Switch used & thus are presumed to be behind NS2's hardware as well.
It's easy to imagine the most immediate benefit to DLSS being implemented on NS2. It is highly unlikely that a new Nintendo handheld at this point in time would be powerful enough on its own to support 4K. But 4K tvs are everywhere these days, thus having something that achieve that result (or at least close enough) would be a boon. I predict this will be the case for most 1st party titles: natively 1080p that's upscaled to 4K.
But IMO, things get more interesting if we were to lower those numbers a bit. Such as a hypothetical game that's running, let' say, 720p natively & is upscaled to 1080p. Or even more aggressively, 540p (Vita resolution) to 1080p. We've seen the Switch get a number of games above its weight class & the end results have varied greatly (E.G. Witcher 3, Doom Eternal, Nier Automata, Mortal Kombat 1). In theory, DLSS could help similar ports run much more smoothly this time around 3rd parties port a PS5-level games, scaled down the settings to make them fit, & the AI scales them right back up to something at least passable.
Naturally, Digital Foundry tested this very idea a couple of years ago with Control & the results are quite astounding:
It should be noted this was done with DLSS 2.0, whereas the rumors say NS2 is running 3.0. So the results should be even better. Maybe not everyone will agree with me on this, but I'm totally fine with KH4 being 1080p post-upscale on Switch 2 if it's as good as that above example.
Now I've been mainly talking about resolutions so far, but apparently DLSS also improves framerates too. I'm sure of how this works, but I'm guessing that since DLSS is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to resolutons, that frees up processing power that can be redirected elsewhere like FPS. Nvidia themselves have posted videos demonstrating this:
So higher res
and FPS, what else does this magical elixir do? Well, possibly smaller file sizes for games too, by reducing the on-cart textures & later AI upscaling them. Thus allowing games to fit on smaller carts.
Perhaps the most interesting piece of this, after a lengthy read, is that one example use case given is explicitly to reduce overall game sizes, to fit a modern game onto "smaller capacity physical media", e.g. Switch carts, which get exponentially more expensive for larger cart capacities.
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I know, it all sounds a little too good to be true. A single bit of software that just magically waves away all of Nintendo's technical shortcomings & makes it perfect for current gen ports. I'm skeptical myself of just how high end of a game can still be feasible. The best case scenario is NS2 is on the level of XB Series S, which is still a weaker current gen console to the point of giving devs headaches with supporting it. Ultimately it'll come down to a case by case basis. Like, I've heard the reason FF16 skipped XBox entirely was because of Series S. So basically that tells me NS2 will be a no-go for 16 as well. But, we have seen PS4/XB1 games ported to NS1, we can then safely assume NS2 will see similar cases of PS5/XBS ports. DLSS will make those ports run better by comparison. & that better performance may well encourage MORE ports.
The fact that Series S exists kinda works in Nintendo's favor. All XBS titles are mandated to support both Series X & S, none are allowed to just be X exclusive. As such, multiplatform games are all kinds restricted from being
too cutting edge as they have to be pared down for XBSS, which likewise prevents them from being too advanced for NS2. It's not all that surprising that MS gung ho on NS2 because they literally don't have anything that's too advanced. Even the Indiana Jones game which is like their best looking one is viable.
& then there's the continuing support for PS4. Last year, half of all PlayStation users were still playing on PS4. EA ported Jefi Survivor to PS4 after it was originally a current gen exclusive, & last year's CoD still had a PS4 version. PS4 is refusing to die & that means there's still plenty of 3rd party support that can transfer from it to NS2.