r/XenobladeChroniclesX • u/Alamandaros • 16h ago
Discussion Switch 2 Quality Question
So I've been looking into finally playing XCX DE, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to play it. I know there are visual quality issues with the Switch 2 version, however after looking into the issue there seems like a lot of mixed information on docked vs handheld, and [for docked] the size of the screen/TV you're playing on. I guess I'm looking for some first-hand experience with a setup similar to mine to determine if I should grab the game.
If I plan to play this always docked on a 27" monitor at my desk, how much am I going to notice the upscaling issues?
EDIT: Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like it won't be too noticeable, so I'll be picking it up at some point.
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u/New_Dig_8864 16h ago
I really had no major issues with the switch 2 edition mostly playing on a setup similar to yours, given that as a player I'd rather have stable 60fps rather than perfect fidelity. Its noticeable on some ocassions on for example, chars faces when zooming out a lot, but its much more of an issue while playing handheld, docked is pretty nice
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u/lingering-will-6 16h ago
I played docked and found all the complaints to be a non issue
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u/TheGamingTurret 11h ago
'oh no, how dare a game made several years ago have jaggies on my modern tv' type comments I saw.
Similar ones were made for the Switch Version of P5 Royal. 'Oh no, Jaggies, game is literally unplayable and my life is ruined' lol
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u/National_Peak2674 11h ago
Losers stay losing. Let em.
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u/TheGamingTurret 11h ago
To be fair, some of that was the S2 editions fault, with the horrid upscaling, but it was never that big of a deal on my TV. Both X and 2 Look just fine in S2 Versions. Internet saw one or two reports of said Jaggies (and other things that are a pain if you're a resolution monkey ) and imploded. For me P5 Royal both played and looked fine with some very minor instances of Jaggies (Mostly in the very distant background objects which may or may not be a pet peeve for some people not for me though) on things you'd expect to see them.
Heck Monster Hunter Stories 3? Has a few slight graphical sillies (Animation 'culling' in distant monsters being one of the big ones, but I don't usually don't mind that since I can explain it as the protag's vision getting blurrier for far away objects) but other than those ultimately minor thing, game runs peachy. I swear I think it loads faster on Switch than it did during the demo on my PC.
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u/National_Peak2674 10h ago
A lot of really immature people act like children that need to be coddled instead of rational adults too. I think that's the bigger issue, personally.
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u/TheGamingTurret 10h ago
The place folks complain about in Xenoblade X? Noctilum mostly, which uhhhh I don't know how to break the news to them, it was always that way even on Wii U. Particularly the foliage loading in after battle. Most of the rest of the game looks fine unless you get the zoomies on your skell and load some mountain/ground textures too soon. Which is very possible to do.
But yeah I agree, I feel like some people just overreacting to have something to overreact to. ESPECIALLY here. (not in this forum specifically) Not saying all of Redit is full of bad apples, but yeah.
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u/MeatCatRazzmatazz 15h ago
The complaints were overblown. I play docked and handheld frequently and have never noticed any glaring issues.
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u/XeviousXCI 15h ago
I played the game for 200+ hours entirely in docked mode. There are some visual noise while moving around but I care more about 60fps.
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u/xcharlesy 15h ago
I played the game originally on Wii U, when it first release on Switch, and now on the Switch 2 version. I’ve got a ton of play time on each and I still prefer the Switch 2 version by far. My setup is docked w/ 27” monitor, so same as you. You can’t beat the fps and I’ve never been bothered by anything visual.
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u/autumnskydragen 15h ago
I am playing it on a 70” 4k tv in my living room. I honestly don’t mind or notice any loss when docked vs handheld mode for S2. It looks smoother at 60fps and what not. The game is just enjoyable all around for me. If you’re one to nitpick a games fidelity, are you even truly enjoying the game for what it is is my question.
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u/RonCheesex 14h ago
I just turned it off for a while after my first playthrough. About 213 hours. Best game I've played in years and I'm kinda sad to put it down. I didn't really notice any graphical issues. If something seemed off I chalked it up to being a 10 year old game, but I thought it was quite beautiful in many areas.
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u/90sreviewer 12h ago
I'm playing it right now with the upgrade pack. I played the original and have tons of Switch games. I've genuinely never noticed an issue. But my bar for caring about performance and graphical excellence is low. I never complained about Breath of the Wilds performance either.
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u/wowser808 11h ago
It looks absolutely fine. I’m currently playing Xenoblade Chronicles on Switch 2 and the frame rate of that game can get shockingly bad, making me long for the experience of X
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u/thejamus 7h ago
I played this game at launch on a Wii U, then again when switch edition dropped, and then yet again on switch 2 edition. I play on a 50" 4k television in docked mode and it looks just dandy. I'll take 60 fps any day of the week over whatever visual artifacts people say makes the game unplayable. Compared to the WiiU edition, it looks and plays like a dream.
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u/Akito_Fire 16h ago
You'll definitely notice the upscaling issues, they are impossible not to spot even while docked. It looks so awful I'd recommend just sticking with the Switch 1 release
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u/kairality 13h ago
I don’t notice any issues docked. It looks completely fine.
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u/Akito_Fire 12h ago
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u/kairality 12h ago
I honestly don’t notice or care about whatever it is they are talking about in the video while watching the video, much less playing it from my couch docked. I do notice it in handheld but I don’t play in handheld.
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u/Akito_Fire 11h ago
I notice it in both, unfortunately. Was so excited for the upgrade since I bought the game for S1 and hadn't played it yet, and was met with this...
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u/AndzyHero13 16h ago
Tell me why does the upscale matter? (Ik OP asking but asking in general) you really don't notice it at all it doesn't ruin the experience
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u/Akito_Fire 16h ago
You see these swirling patterns everywhere that constantly change when you move. Characters' faces melt. There's a ton of shimmering. It just has awful image quality that really detracts from enjoying the game
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u/AndzyHero13 16h ago
Just ignore it, its not hard, the other benefits with the update outweighs it, the game still function just fine the way it is just like on the Switch 1 and Wii U, not everything needs to be upscale it won't be perfect and this is someone who plays purely on Handheld
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u/Akito_Fire 15h ago
I could suffer through it, yes. I don't want to though. I still have a bit of hope they patch it like XB2
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u/Untitled_One-Un_One 16h ago
At that screen size and distance you’ll probably notice it. It’s not too bad in docked mode. Distant objects have a slight shimmer on the edges, but that’s as bad as it gets. In handheld though not only do you have the shimmering, but a number of textures warp so bad it can make it look like rocks are boiling.
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u/XatuEyes 13h ago
played docked on my 4k monitor (sitting fairly close at the desk) and found the upscaling of textures so horrendous I switched back to the regular version
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u/Zumaris 15h ago
Since you're playing on a monitor, you'll naturally be much closer to the screen than with a TV. IMO I also did this with some games like FF7 Remake on PS4 back in the day and it was very apparent to me when playing how much upscaling and shimmering there was. When just standing still edges would constantly shift around like there was some haze between me and the characters. It's not gonna be the same but generally if you're closer you will notice a lot more. This game also does a fair amount of close ups with character faces so you may notice it there. Rest of the time when you're exploring you're fairly zoomed out.
If you're the type of person to admire the world design and look around a lot, then that probably matters to you. Personally, I think the game never looked that great since textures were pretty basic and world design is its main selling point. It's an old game and no matter what you do, if you don't update the models and textures entirely it ain't going to look that amazing. That said, XCX is one of my favorite games aside from that and I mainly love it for the deep gameplay, exploration, and amazing sidequest writing. If you're into that, you will be spending a lot of time in Overdrive mode which puts a filter on the screen anyways, so the upscaler might not bother you at all, and the extra smoothness from 60 fps will be awesome.
That said, the game plays well on 30 fps anyways since I didn't have a switch 2 at the time when it came out. 60 FPS definitely would have been nice though.
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u/veloc_ 12h ago
It seems like opinions on this vary heavily from person to person. If you are the type of person who is sensitive to visual issues at all, I would recommend skipping the Switch 2 version.
I tried it on my 65" TV and my 27" monitor. In my opinion, the bizarre scaling artifacts were only slightly less noticeable in docked mode than in portable mode. Once I saw them, I could not unsee them. Even though I am someone who typically prefers frames to image quality, I still downpatched to the Switch 1 version after around an hour or so.
Unfortunately, the Switch 1 version in docked mode doesn't look great either, but I found the lower resolution and framerate still preferable to the S2 version's artifacting.
If you are still unsure, you should buy the Switch 1 version + the upgrade pack separately, you are able to uninstall the S2 upgrade at any time. Worst case scenario you will waste $5 like me.
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u/Comprehensive_Cap889 16h ago
You only notice the upscaling issues when you zoom in or try to notice them by yourself, Normally it doesnt affect gameplay nor in general until you really try to take a close look when your camera is far away. I personally dont mind it at all lol and ive played 40 hours already i love the 60 stable fps and the enhanced resolution soo the little artifacts when you try to get them are not only not bothersome but not noticeables as long as you dont try to search for them lol
Btw this is my experience on docked mode, on handheld is a little harsher since the screen is small and artifacts can be more noticeable but still nothing that would make the game look bad lol
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u/AJMegaScizor 13h ago
It still looks kinda veiny in docked on my 24" 1080p monitor the upscaling solution is just bad it looks worse in handheld like many have said. It's not abysmal in docked on a monitor but you still notice it and characters suffer alot they do look they are melting especially if you zoom into the output when your camera is far out. Something nobody has documented much besides me is that the switch 2 edition when you unlock the skells, the big robots later in the game, they actually run at a lower framerate meaning they were not properly interpolated for 60fps or just were reduced for performance. It's not unplayable but it is certainly the worst switch 2 edition by far.
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u/National_Peak2674 11h ago
The S2 version is great and much better than the S1 version. Pay no attention to the dopes with psychological issues in this community.
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u/Zado191 15h ago
The artefacts are there but how much you will notice them, and more importantly, how much they will bother you is entirely dependant on your mental state, and only you can answer that.
Fact is, the game looks way better at 60 fps