Final Fantasy 7 Remake looks better on Xbox Series S than Nintendo Switch 2 despite having less RAM — here’s the Digital Foundry analysis

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade became available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and via Xbox Cloud Gaming last week. It also supports Xbox Play Anywhere, letting players save their progress across devices. After being exclusive to PlayStation consoles and Steam, this is a major addition to the Xbox gaming lineup.

The remake of what many consider the greatest Final Fantasy game also launched on the new Nintendo Switch 2 on the same day. This led a lot of fans and experts to compare how the game runs on the Xbox and Switch 2, and how those versions stack up against the PS5 and PS4 versions.

Digital Foundry, a well-known team of performance experts, thoroughly tests games to determine which platforms offer the best visuals and performance, and what settings players should use. They recently compared the Xbox and Switch 2 versions of a game at the request of fans, and their findings are quite revealing.

Digital Foundry’s testing revealed an interesting result: even though the Xbox Series S has a little less high-speed memory for games than the new Nintendo Switch 2 (eight GB versus nine GB), it still manages to display Final Fantasy 7 Remake with clearer textures and at a higher resolution.

In short, the game appears visually superior on the Series S compared to the Switch 2, boasting noticeably sharper and more detailed graphics. The comparison video demonstrates this across many in-game environments, even highlighting details like the low-polygon door. You can view the video using the link provided above or by watching the embedded player below.

Digital Foundry points out that Final Fantasy 7 Remake appears to prioritize efficiently loading textures rather than simply having a lot of memory available for them. Although the Switch 2 is a considerable upgrade over the original Switch, it’s still not as powerful as the Xbox Series S, even when connected to a TV.

The graphics in both versions of the game are better than the original PS4 version, but not quite as detailed as the PS5’s Intergrade. Surprisingly, the graphics on the Series S are very close to the PS5 version, while the Switch 2 version falls somewhere in between. The Series S can display characters at the same distance as the Xbox Series X and PS5, though the shadows aren’t quite as sharp.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake offers different visual settings depending on the console. On the Xbox Series S, you can choose between a smoother experience at 1080p and 60 frames per second, or a sharper image at 1440p and 30 frames per second. On the Nintendo Switch 2, the game runs at 1080p with 30 frames per second when played on a TV. In handheld mode, it dynamically adjusts the resolution to maintain 1080p output, using DLSS technology, also at 30 frames per second.

The Xbox Series X version of the game is just as good as the PlayStation 5 version. It loads quickly and lets you choose between playing in 4K at 30 frames per second, or at a smoother 60 frames per second with a slightly lower resolution (1512p).

I believe both versions of the game are fantastic. It’s particularly impressive how well the Switch 2 version looks and performs, given that the Switch 2 has less powerful hardware.

These performance results demonstrate why the more affordable Xbox Series S offers great value – it delivers impressive graphics at a reasonable price. This is encouraging news for the upcoming port of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which many anticipate will be released around 2026.

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2026-01-29 01:40