Digital Foundry: Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 & IO's Bond Game

The Switch 2 Technical Breakthrough

This week’s episode focuses heavily on the technical spectacle of Star Wars Outlaws running on the nintendo Switch 2. The team is, in their own words, "shocked" by the quality of the port.

Key Highlights

• Hardware Accelerated Ray Tracing: A massive achievement for the platform, utilizing DLSS 2 in conjunction with the Snowdrop engine to trade blows with Series S.
• Performance and Scaling: While the game features geometry and density reductions, it maintains impressive visual parity with current-gen consoles, avoiding the pitfalls of "impossible ports" where image quality or frame pacing were traditionally compromised.
• The Storage Bottleneck: Discussion reveals why Outlaws required a digital key card rather than a full cartridge. Snowdrop's heavy reliance on high-speed disc streaming makes Switch 2 game cards (using eMMC) too slow for the desired performance targets compared to onboard storage.

Future Outlook: PlayStation 5 and Bond

Chassis E & Hardware Trends

• Recent leaks suggest a new PlayStation 5 (Chassis E) may revert to an 825GB SSD, raising concerns about cost-cutting despite rising console prices.
• Discussion on Monster Hunter Wilds and its performance issues, with the team noting that relying on older install bases (like PS4) is becoming increasingly difficult for modern engines like RE Engine.

007: First Light

• Excitement is high regarding IO Interactive’s foray into a Bond title. The team praises the seamless blend of Hitman-style infiltration and cinematic, Uncharted-like physics.
• There is notable concern regarding performance stability, as physics-heavy sequences currently tax the PS5 hardware.

"This feels like them trying to take on create a Naughty Dog class experience while also bringing to the table the types of things that they're known for."

Developer Insight & Community Concerns

• Perfect Dark Cancellation: The team laments the cancellation of their project, noting it was reportedly near completion and a "gosh darn shame" that the investment will simply disappear.
• HDR and Engine Optimization: A deep dive into why HDR often fails in modern titles—partly due to middleware documentation, partly to lack of developer awareness, and partly to poor-quality display certification.