Summary
Nintendo announced during the dedicated Switch 2 showcase that you’ll be able to playMetroid Prime 4as though it’s a PC shooter, as the new magnetic Joy-Cons double as mice.
However, this feature will not work if you buy the standard edition. Unlike most games,which will be backwards-compatible out of the box, Metroid Prime 4 will launch in two distinct versions, one for the original Switch and one for the Switch 2. You’ll need to buy the next-gen edition to utilise the console’s new features and more powerful hardware.
For instance, on top of the in-built mouse support, the Switch 2 version will run at 60fps in 4K resolution (or at 120fps in 1080p), whereas buying the standard Nintendo Switch version and running it via backwards compatibility on a Switch 2 will not yield the same results.
IfPokemon Legends Z-A,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, andKirby and the Forgotten Landare anything to go by, then mouse support, higher resolution, and better framerate only scratch the surface of what improvements we can expect from Metroid Prime 4’s next-gen port.
While the Switch 2 uses an LCD screen instead of OLED, it has built-in HDR support, which the aforementioned games will leverage to “make for a fresh experience when revisiting these adventures”. Presumably, we can expect the same from Metroid Prime 4. These games will also benefit from faster load times and “better graphics”. Side-by-side, Metroid Prime 4 certainly looked crisper in today’s Direct than it did in last week’s, when we saw it running on the original Switch.
You can read more about all the new features coming to original Switch games here.
Metroid Prime 4 launches sometime this year, whilethe Switch 2 will be released on June 5for $449.99.
