---
title: 'Final Fantasy 14 Switch 2 Tech Review vs PS4/PS5/Xbox Series X'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=KwmM4_ryL80'
video_id: 'KwmM4_ryL80'
date: 2026-09-19
duration_sec: 1529
channel: 'Digital Foundry'
---

# Final Fantasy 14 Switch 2 Tech Review vs PS4/PS5/Xbox Series X

> Source: [Final Fantasy 14 Switch 2 Tech Review vs PS4/PS5/Xbox Series X](https://youtube.com/watch?v=KwmM4_ryL80)

## Summary

This video provides a detailed technical analysis of Final Fantasy XIV on the Nintendo Switch 2, covering image quality, performance, and visual differences between handheld and docked modes. It compares the Switch 2 version to other platforms, discusses the 30fps cap, and addresses the controversial subscription model.

### Key Points

- **Resolution and Upscaling** [01:06] — Handheld mode renders 3D visuals at 720p with a 1080p HUD, while docked mode targets 1080p for both. FSR1 upscaling can cause speckling in high-detail areas.
- **Anti-Aliasing Comparison** [03:40] — Switch 2 uses FXAA, which handles static objects well but shows pixel crawl during camera movement. PS5 and Series X have a different, temporal-based AA that is worse for static objects.
- **Handheld vs Docked Visuals** [06:31] — Handheld mode disables parallax occlusion maps and ambient occlusion, resulting in a flatter image. Docked mode uses a basic AO technique.
- **Shadow and Foliage Details** [07:54] — Switch 2 matches Series S in shadow draw distance and foliage density, but has lower resolution shadows and anisotropic filtering.
- **Load Times and Display Limits** [09:30] — Maxing out display limits can significantly extend load times in crowded zones. Setting them to automatic or normal is recommended for faster loads.
- **Performance and 30fps Cap** [11:11] — 60fps is not achievable; the game runs between 30 and 60fps, often in the lower half. The 30fps cap is recommended for a more stable experience.
- **Optimizing Battle Effects** [14:20] — Setting battle effects to 'none' for other players helps stabilize frame times during large battles.
- **Handheld Experience and VRR** [15:30] — Handheld mode enforces a 30fps lock, with drops visible in strenuous situations. VRR is not supported, and low frame rate compensation is absent.
- **Subscription Model Controversy** [23:12] — The Switch 2 version requires a separate FFXIV service plan, costing half the base subscription fee if you already have one. This may deter many players.

### Conclusion

FFXIV on Switch 2 is a solid, enjoyable handheld port with clear compromises in resolution and performance, but the 30fps experience and the extra subscription fee may deter some players.

## Transcript

Final Fantasy XIV for Nintendo Switch 2 always seemed like an inevitability, but is an MMO
engine of a 2013 vintage really all that suitable for the handheld console hybrid? It might be easy to assume that the Switch 2 should just be able to power on through a game this old.
But moments of sustained 60fps in the PlayStation 4 version have always been fleeting, and the 2024 graphics update also made the game a bit heavier for lower-end hardware, despite
optimizations in the lead-up to version 7.0. FFXIV on Switch 2 absolutely can be a satisfying experience, but overall expectations should
be kept modest. Let's start with the Switch 2 version's image quality and graphics parameters. In handheld mode, the 3D visuals are generally rendered at 720p, while the HUD matches the
screen resolution with a crisp native 1080p. Interestingly, this 1080p render also applies to 3D elements within the menu, such as when viewing your character's status or trying on equipment, giving us an idea of how much
more clean the rest of the game might have looked if the screen's native resolution. I don't find the sub-native resolution to be overly problematic on the small screen, but due in part to a sharpened upscale, which is almost certainly FSR1 due to its use in
other versions, it can result in somewhat distracting speckling and edge crawl, especially in areas of high frequency detail, such as in grass and foliage.
Docked Play, meanwhile, appears to render both 3D and 2D elements at 1080p a majority of the time, with no resolution settings available. The final upscale of 1080p to 2160p is handled by the Switch 2 system software, which tends
to be over sharpened for my taste, so it could be worth checking if setting the console to output 1080p gets you a better result on your TV compared to the Switch 2's own naive sharpened
upscale. FSR1 upscaling from resolutions a bit below 1080p can kick in when the GPU is under extreme duress, which does cause image quality to take a nosedive. The oversharpened
speckly image is immediately recognizable because the game usually doesn't look nearly so bad, But thus far, I've only noticed this occurring during newer Alliance Raid content and in extremely overcrowded cities when the framerate risks falling below 30 FPS.
Luckily, Switch 2 is not in nearly as dire of a situation as far as image quality is concerned as is the PS4 version, which on the base console began to run at, I believe, around 900p with FSL 1 upscaling when the graphics update launched.
And, in case you haven't heard, service on PS4 only has about a year remaining. Switch 2 versus the Xbox Series S makes for the closest match on the image quality front.
When setting the Series F version to render at 1080p, which you should do because it performs a ton better at 1080p than it does when using its other option of 1440p, then we can see that Switch 2 and Series S have essentially equal edge clarity and are both still using
the game's classic anti-aliasing method of FXAA, which is the most 2013 anti-aliasing technique ever. FXAA performs a fair job on objects at rest, but doesn't help much when the camera is moving,
resulting in a lot of visible pixel crawl and stair-stepping along edges of contrast. What makes this interesting is that the anti-aliasing situation on the higher-end consoles, PS5 and Series X, has remained in a somewhat bizarre state ever since the graphics update
hit in July 2024. These consoles traded FXAA for something that doesn't quite match any of the PC version's available methods. Aliasing in motion is handled decently by a temporal component,
but objects at rest may as well have no anti-aliasing at all. So when there's not much going on is actually worse than the FXAA that these versions used to have. Granted, it's hard to argue that this results in much of a win for Switch 2, when the PS5
and Series X both look clearer and run excellently when set to render at 1440p, but I'm overall glad that the Switch 2 didn't inherit the high-end consoles, one step forward and one
step back in anti-aliasing. I find it hard to believe that Square Enix would have done nothing about this in over two years if it were actually a bug, but it's such a head-scratcher that I'm still not entirely convinced
that these systems don't just have a broken version of the PC version's PSC-MAA. But let's be clear, no version of this game is winning any awards for achievements in anti-aliasing.
Now, while I do maintain that the PC version's primitive and bare-bones DLSS implementation still generally results in better image quality, or at least the least alias image quality
compared to any existing console version or any other anti-aliasing method available on PC, I do want to apologize that my console-centric lifestyle caused me to overlook in previous coverage
that the DLSS implementation for Final Fantasy XIV 7.0 updates fell far short of seasoned NVIDIA players' expectations. So, with that in mind, perhaps it's for the best that Square Enix did not opt for DLSS
on Switch 2, though I'd have certainly been curious to see the result. Evolution aside there are several visual elements that separate docked and handheld play The two most obvious and impactful are that handheld mode completely outfits Parallax
occlusion maps and ambient occlusion, resulting in a flatter image. Docked mode uses a version of this game's oldest and simplest ambient occlusion technique,
which doesn't add much as it is. The way this game implements parallax occlusion maps is almost a bit retro, perhaps, but I think the perspective-dependent jets that they provide is a fun, distinctive, and impactful
part of the game's aesthetic, and it's one that I always miss when it's not there. In addition, many surfaces have reduced reflectivity in handheld mode. The handheld experience is still very much recognizably Final Fantasy XIV, but I was
surprised to see so many differences between the two modes. Otherwise, most major settings appear to be the same or similar, with texture resolution, draw distances, and other parameters not appearing
obviously different between docked and handheld play, as far as I've been able to tell. Certain effects, such as bloom lighting, have always had an altered appearance in this engine as the
resolution scales, with docked play having a tighter bloom effect, and handheld mode sporting a more diffuse bloom. The Switch 2 docked experience is pretty comparable to Series S in terms of
visual features, but there are differences. Both have the same reduced shadow draw distance compared to the higher-end consoles, and both lack the soft shadows feature. Both also have reduced
complexity in shadows, but Switch 2's shadows are lower resolution, though this is usually hard to notice, except on the more distant cascaded shadows. The maximum density and
draw distance for foliage that players can enjoy on PC, PS5, and Series X is dialed back to the same reduced setting on Switch 2 and Series S, which is usually okay enough, I
Series S has higher quality anisotropic filtering compared to Switch 2, which can be pretty noticeable at times with quite blurry ground textures at a distance. Series S is also a match for Series X and PS5 in ambient occlusion, while the Switch
2, as I mentioned, gets much less robust shading of this kind and only in docked mode. I have noticed in very rare instances like right here where the Switch 2 gets a downgrade in texture quality, but for the most part, Switch 2 gets the exact same highest quality textures available on all platforms for almost everything, from terrain to characters and clothing.
Looting times can be variable, and I can't be certain of the causes because it's difficult to reproduce results. One thing that seems to have an effect are the display limits in the game's system settings,
which I've never been shy about cranking up to the max on PC, PS5, and the like. After playing around with these a bit, the best conclusion that I could come to was that maxing these out on Switch 2 may significantly extend load times when entering the most crowded
zones. While Lumpso Lomento seems so uncharacteristically empty at first that it feels eerie, players do eventually load in. Meanwhile, by the time I teleport in when the display limits are set to
maximum, most players are already visible, but I think I prefer the quicker jaunt, so for Switch 2, I'll keep these set to automatic and normal. As you can see, though, load times on Switch 2 can
indeed be very quick. Xbox Series S tends to only be a hair slower than Series X or PS5 on the loading front, and Switch 2, perhaps several tufts of hair slower than that, but still so exceedingly
tolerable that I've never thought I should be bothered by it. We've moved well beyond the realm of the PS4 version's load times. Players getting stuck for extended periods on black screens during
instance content was apparently a problem on Switch 2 right after release, but a fix was soon release, so I never encountered this myself. As you can see on my archived Xbox review footage here,
this sounds a lot like the problems I had on Series S when the Xbox versions first released. As far as performance goes, the story ends like this. You banish all thoughts of 60 FPS on Switch
2 and embrace the optional 30 FPS cap. By default, no advisably I might add, the game runs uncapped at 60Hz, but actually hitting 60fps is off the table, except for fleeting moments
in extreme edge case scenarios. Version 2.0 inlays are always one of the things that I check to see if my desired framerate and resolution combo could at least be hit under very lightweight circumstances, and
nope, it's just not gonna happen. If you're not up against the GPU limit, then the Switch 2 is probably running up against the CPU limit. And if you're in a low CPU usage scenario, then you're probably hitting a GPU ceiling.
It doesn't really matter if it's a simpler field from A Realm Reborn where even 50fps is difficult to achieve, or a heavier location from the latest expansion that is often on
the knife's edge of 30fps. Settings to reduce player counts, physics effects, and such are available, but given that they don't radically steer our fortunes toward a viable 60fps,
I just don't think the sacrifices are worth it. We are very much in the no man's land between 30 and 60 typically in the lower half of that which means inconsistent frame times are of the order of the day 24 player content from the earlier years of the game is actually often quite light on your hardware but even here 60 just ain gonna happen
A 120hz 40fps mode would certainly have been interesting to see, but would have honestly only really been partially viable in some earlier content, and pretty worthless in later content.
Luckily, Square Enix implemented a 30fps cap option to all console versions in 2024, and Switch players get to reap its benefits. Xbox Series S does tend to also be smoother when using the 30fps cap.
However, Series S tends to not have terribly many frame pacing perturbations when capped at 30fps, while Switch 2 is much more susceptible to some frame time sniffles.
On the whole, it's a pretty okay frame rate cap, and it's hard to recommend playing without it, though hopefully some optimizations could come in the future to help iron out the hitches.
And keeping out of the 20s is certainly no guarantee. This game's dynamic resolution scaler has always been rather slow to react on all platforms, so it's always seemed not worth using.
But on Switch 2, like with PS4, you cannot manually enable or disable dynamic resolution. One way that you can help keep things a bit more playable is navigate to the character
configuration, control section, and then the character tab, where you can set battle effects to none for other players. On other platforms, I usually set these to limited just to reduce visual clutter during
chaotic gameplay moments, but for Switch 2, I've found that setting none for at least everyone aside from myself really helps keep the frame times a bit more stable during big
battles. To be honest, I think the game still plays very well at 30fps, and I've adapted quite well to playing FFXIV on Switch 2 in recent weeks.
But let's be honest, unless the Switch 2 is your only current-gen platform, then you likely have other systems that can run Final Fantasy XIV at a smoother framerate and in higher
fidelity for play on a TV or monitor. And while I personally don't subscribe to the notion that the Switch systems are handhelds first and consoles second, the handheld experience absolutely is the key novelty here.
When playing handheld, a 30 FPS lock is enforced. Drops below 30 can be seen easily enough under the most strenuous circumstances, which is unavoidable with an MMO, really, and unfortunately,
those hitches can present as judder. Sadly, it's not surprising that low frame rate compensation isn't implemented for VRR here. Not to make excuses for Square Enix, but I've personally
found FS14 to not be the best showcase for VRR on any platform anyway, since it is so often CPU limited and CPU spikes tend to result in more noticeable frame time variance.
And not to make excuses for the Switch 2 screen's slow pixel response either, but my glass half full perspective is that a little sneering isn't the worst thing to pair with 30fps.
I do hope to experience the game on a theoretical Switch 2 OLED someday, but by and large, handheld FFXIV on Switch 2 presents by eye as a cromulent enough 30 FPS experience with some hiccups.
Now, while I don't have one myself, owners of Steam Deck or other PC gaming handhelds should probably look into whether the PC version could also be their handheld version, especially
since you'd have access to more tools at your disposal to tweak performance and refresh rate to your liking compared to the relatively fixed situation on Switch 2. SF14 is not considered to be officially supported in SteamOS, but the third-party launcher called
14 Launcher makes the game extremely easy to install, and it functions mostly very well on Linux, as seen here on my home theater PC running on Bazite.
Now, of course, 14 Launcher isn't officially sanctioned, but if Redditors and forum hearsay are to be believed, Square Enix doesn't punish people for playing on Linux, and there's no kernel-level anti-cheat function to stop it,
but, you know, play at your own risk or whatever, I guess. For what it's worth, I did create a fresh character in handheld mode just to get a sense of what someone starting the game on Switch 2 might run into.
And honestly, the handheld experience has grabbed me more than I expected. I could be spending my time winding down the evening making progress in other games or working on my primary character,
but you know, something about that early game experience on a handheld has resulted in an addictive mixture of novelty, nostalgia, and coziness. I wasn't convinced from the initial showings, and the experience most certainly isn't perfect,
but all told, Square Enix has made a very enjoyable handheld version of their colossal MMO on Switch 2.
So, that's pretty much the size of it, though, but I've got several final notes that lie in the periphery of the Switch 2 release. The Switch 2's touchscreen functionality can be used, though, as the sizes I tend to
prefer for my HUD elements, hitting the right spot can be tricky, and it'll leave a phantom mouse cursor until you click on something else using buttons As you hope the Switch 2 Joy mouse mode works here if you less keen on the controller scheme than I am and as a nice bonus USB mice work as well if you prefer
to choose your own. You can do this on the other consoles too, by the way. And naturally, USB keyboards can also be used, which is critical since the game doesn't support voice chat, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
It's hard to imagine being very social in the game if you're primarily playing in handheld mode, where you'd need to either handle your keyboard awkwardly or use the software keyboard, which does at least support touch typing, though without swipe typing,
so I can't type as fast as I can on my phone. Luckily, the chat filters work as normal on the Switch 2 version, which means that you can read anything if you disable the profanity filter, as far as I can tell.
The Xbox version is still stricter than the other platforms, regardless of whether you've disabled the profanity filter or not, though not in as hilariously and mind-numbingly broken of a fashion as it was at release, as seen here from my Xbox version review.
I was a bit annoyed with the DualSense feedback implemented into the PS5 version of the game back in 2021, which has you very subtly feel every footstep through the controller.
That can be cute in some PS5 games, but it's a bit much for an MMO in my opinion. You either get used to it, or you disable all rumbles. I got used to it, but the Switch 2 version of the same effect felt immediately jarring to me.
It feels like it swings more wildly in strength and consistency compared to PS5, like a worryingly irregular heartbeat. Perhaps listening here might give you an idea of the different feel between PS5 and Switch 2.
Maybe it's just me, but it feels wrong.
Unnerving. And it feels much the same with Joy-Cons as well. The vibration that alerts you to an instance duty being ready to begin is also a bit like dragging a slab of concrete over a chalkboard compared to PS5.
Is my Switch 2 controller being torn apart by a demon portal opening inside? Did they even try to tailor this effect to suit Switch 2 at all?
Now, by no means do I wish to throw cold water on this amazing announcement, but I do need to talk about subscriptions. And lastly, there's a bit of an elephant regarding the arguably exploitative subscription structure for the Switch 2 edition.
Every platform holder has a different agreement with Square Enix on what they require, so it's confusing to begin with. PlayStation does not require PlayStation Plus to play FFXIV,
while Xbox does require Game Pass Essential, or whatever they call it now. Both versions require Square Enix's subscription to play the game beyond the limitations of the extraordinarily expensive free trial,
same as with PC. But if you happen to have some combination of these versions, like I do, then that one subscription allows you to access any and all of them provide you purchase digital copies for each platform.
Now, Nintendo is not requiring a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play Final Fantasy XIV. Instead, the compromise they reached with Square Enix is that you have to pay for a
separate FFXIV service plan to play the Switch 2 version. If it's your only version, well, no big deal, you pay the same fees as everyone else. But if you already have a regular subscription to FFXIV, then adding Switch 2 service is
an additional fee that's half the price of the base fee. That's quite a hefty extra expense if you see the Switch 2 version as not your primary version of the game, but rather a value-added handheld experience.
Either way, I don't see myself paying on the regular for Switch 2 access going forward. and I strongly suspect that this scheme will ward off an extremely significant number of potential purchases of the Switch 2 version.
I don't know if those lost purchases would have made Nintendo and or Square Enix more money than the additional fee in the long run, but it certainly is a shame for the players and the community.
At any rate, FFXIV has never really been a game that impresses based on its technical prowess, or exceeds expectations when ported to new platforms.
Instead, it grabs you through art direction, world design, music, and story. It does for me, at least. And if you're a newcomer, give the free trial a go.
You'll get up to four solid JRPGs worth of enjoyment up through the Shadowbringers expansion, all while experiencing what I'd argue is Square's best storytelling since the PS1 days.
I do hope that the Switch 2 version can thrive, perhaps improve a bit over time, and that all newcomers can find something to love in the world of the Ferris. And with that, if you found this video at all useful, do all the usual liking, subscribing,
and bell ringing on YouTube, and do consider the Digital Foundry supporter program over on Patreon as well. That's what makes collaborations like this with my channel, My Life in Gaming, and other things that I participate in, like the DF Retro Super Show, possible.
So please check all that out. Anyway, I'll see you next time.