Square Enix’s new comparison video shows Final Fantasy 7 Remake running on Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X and PC
The video shows how well the Switch 2 version can keep up with the others
Square Enix has posted an official video comparing the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X and PC versions of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
The video shows around a minute of footage from the opening sequence of the game, which is rendered in-engine.
Although it isn’t explicitly stated by Square Enix, it appears that the video’s intention is to show how Switch 2 – which is less powerful than the other formats – is capable of keeping up when it comes to visual quality.
Indeed, it can be difficult to tell the difference between all four videos at times, with the only notable changes being things like the quality of the floor texture during close-ups (such as at 48 seconds when Cloud lands on the ground).
One thing that should be noted, however, is that Square Enix’s video runs at 30 frames per second, meaning it’s impossible to compare each game’s frame rate.
The PS5 version has a performance mode which allows the game to run at 60fps, while the PC version can also run at a higher frame rate. However, Square Enix has already confirmed that the Switch 2 version will run “at a stable 30 frames per second”. As such, had the comparison video been running at 60fps, the differences between each version may have been clearer.
Frame rate aside, early hands-on reports suggest the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade – which is set to release on January 22 alongside the Xbox Series X/S version – is a solid port that still looks graphically detailed on Nintendo‘s handheld.
Earlier this month the game’s director Naoki Hamaguchi said the key to making the Switch 2 version look good is not compromising on the lighting.
“I believe lighting is the crucial factor in terms of graphics quality and expression in this day and age,” Hamaguchi told Automaton.
He went on to note that if the lighting had been compromised for the Switch 2 port, it would have affected characters’ expressions and would have made the game feel “cheap” as a result, so the team insisted on rendering the lighting in the same way as in the PS5 version.
Optimisation was instead focused on reducing processing load in other areas of the game such as fog and other post-processing effects. The result was a game that runs at 30 frames per second on Switch 2 without looking drastically inferior to the PS5 version.
