As much as Star Wars Outlaws was panned for its formulaic nature, and some gameplay mechanics and design decisions were mocked, the title still garnered a fanbase and enough sales to warrant a Switch 2 release.
The Switch 2 has mastered much more graphically intense titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, which is a miracle in optimization, to say the least, but according to early impressions, the Star Wars Outlaws Switch 2 port seems to leave a lot to be desired.
After the initial release on other consoles disappointed with Ubisoft’s CEO admitting they missed their sales target, reports now suggest Switch 2 port struggles with typical performance dips, texture downgrades and many compromises to even get it to run on the console
This is incredibly disappointing, considering Ubisoft has put in a lot of effort to minimize the negative talking points in the game, such as losing your weapon when climbing ladders.
The Switch 2’s more powerful hardware might have been 50% of the bill, but optimization would’ve gone a long way to make this Star Wars adventure playable at release.
Star Wars Outlaws Switch Problems
The most egregious issue players and reviewers are facing seems to be the frame rate. Not that it’s too low, but it appears to be incredibly unstable for most.
In less populated areas the game appears to hold its own, but abundant blaster fire, lots of enemies to contend and explosions en masse is taking its toll.
There the performance – or lack thereof – becomes more noticeable, and that despite the fact, that textures, lighting and effects have been scaled down significantly.
Outlaws isn’t necessarily the immersion-monster most players wanted it to be, but even then, these compromises only to work on a less powerful handheld console are hard to ignore.
The bustling cantinas, neon-lit cities and rugged outposts in the desert weren’t meant to be enjoyed as a dia-show. While the Switch 2 is much more capable than its predecessor, Outlaws shows the limits of the hardware quite clearly.
What The Community Had To Say About The Switch 2 Port
As much as the critical reception of a game matters, even if sales aren’t up to snuff, the community and player base are still the most important factor when it comes to determining the merit of a game.
In this case, it seems there’s an even 50/50 split in the Star Wars gaming community. Some are amazed the game runs at all and are excited at the prospect of thieving and shooting their way through another classic Star Wars adventure from the comfort of their bed or couch, while others feel the usual Ubisoft fatigue and disappointment at the technical state of the port.
In this case Star Wars Outlaws is yet another stark reminder of not only the gaming industry as a whole, but on Nintendo’s reluctance to update their hardware and therefore even begin to compete in the graphical space of 2025.
We’re not ruling out post-launch Star Wars Outlaws patches, and if the studio behind the game has shown anything, it’s resilience – and the will to improve the game, where it matters most.
