The End of Performance Issues? Nintendo Launches Critical Software Update for Switch 2

Nintendo has officially released its new software update (version 22.0.0), bringing massive news for Switch 2 players. As part of this update, a new option called "Boost Mode" has been added, which allows first-generation Switch games to run on the Switch 2 in handheld mode the same way they would run on the original Switch in docked mode. This could potentially allow some games to run more smoothly when playing in handheld mode on the Switch 2 and even deliver higher resolution, since original Switch content has been running on the Switch 2 in docked mode at only 720p resolution, while the Switch 2's built-in screen is capable of delivering 1080p resolution.

The feature is available to anyone who has updated their console to the new version, and can be enabled from the console's settings screen, where several limitations are also noted. These include the fact that this is a feature that won't necessarily work on all original Switch games, that in some cases button displays may become scrambled since the console is running these games in docked mode at the software level but gameplay is actually in handheld mode, that playing in handheld mode with an external controller requires disconnecting the Joy-Con 2 controllers from the console in advance, and that in other rare cases the console's touch screen functionality may be affected.