Over the last couple of days I’ve seen some people using the Switch 2 as a cudgel with which to knock down the new ROG Xbox Ally X. And admittedly, comparisons of games like Cyberpunk 2077 running on both certainly don’t look nearly as stark as the price difference between the two handhelds. However, I don’t see that as a loss for the new premium PC gaming handheld so much as a win for Nintendo’s latest console.
I’ve been going back and replaying a fair bit of CD Projekt Red’s 2020 open-world RPG on both machines and frequently find myself straining to feel a significant difference. I run through the streets of the Phantom Liberty expansion’s Dog Town on the Xbox Ally X using AMD’s recommended settings and the in-game graphics on high while in the performance power mode. I get 40-50fps, the lighting looks decent, and the textures are just detailed and clean enough to not draw my eye, letting me stay immersed in the world and action.
Then I move over to Switch 2 thanks to the (occasionally finnicky) cloudsave syncing feature. While Cyberpunk 2077 will run around 40fps in performance mode on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld, I don’t find the extra smoothness that worth it. Instead, I prefer the extra layer of clarity and visual vibrancy from the quality graphics mode. The action is still smooth. The world feels much the same. Pretty soon I can barely remember what looked different with the game running on the Xbox Ally X, let alone worry about going back to the more powerful hardware.
I’ve spent more than a few minutes scrutinizing a handful of screenshots of the game running on both devices and man, it takes some effort to start spotting the differences.
Can you tell which is which? Stare long enough and you’ll start to see some bits of the second image that look a little less distinct, especially the farther you go into the background. The shadows and lighting aren’t as smoothly mixed in the second one either. After a few moments of intently searching it for imperfection, you might, like me, come away thinking it just looks a bit more brittle overall. The second image is indeed from the Switch 2 running the game in handheld mode. Does it look $550 worse? Not even close.
The Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws also seems to hold up pretty well in certain comparisons. There’s less detail. The framerate is worse. But it’s not necessarily that much less detail, or that much worse of a framerate.
More comparisons of ROG Ally X vs Switch 2,for Star Wars Outlaws and Hogwarts legacy. Switch 2 again for the most part obliterating the ROG in image fidelity.
Switch 2 is also rumored to be getting an upgrade for its DLSS tech soon,so it’ll get even betterhttps://t.co/cL3iRC5hOb https://t.co/PXIfyeidOb pic.twitter.com/mnGEstkn5A— Sonicpulsar (@sonicpulsar) October 16, 2025
It’s weird to see Nintendo hardware holding its own rather than fighting for its life against more powerful alternatives. For now, at least, the Switch 2 feels more than just “good enough.”
Now comparing the Switch 2 to the Xbox Ally X isn’t completely apples-to-apples. The Asus-made, Xbox-branded handheld has a slightly smaller screen, it runs Windows, and it plays tons more games that weren’t painstakingly optimized for it like Cyberpunk 2077 was for the Switch 2. The fact that a five-year-old game doesn’t look lightyears better on the one doesn’t completely disqualify it.
The new Ally X also affords a prospective user all sorts of options and perks that the Switch 2 doesn’t, not least of all a pair of ergonomic grips and thumbsticks that actually feel great to hold and use right out of the box. There are also plenty of moments when it does look distinctly superior, in addition to having access to a vast library of PC games that might never come to Nintendo’s platform.
But the match-up does suggest a promising future for the Switch 2. We’ll have to see how the the finished port of Final Fantasy VII Remake runs on it when it arrives early next year, but what I tested back in August felt similarly impressive. Borderlands 4 and Elden Ring might also shape up nicely. And given its success with Star Wars Outlaws, I’m expecting the recently leaked port of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Switch 2 to be impressive as well.
Look, this is only the first year of the Switch 2’s life. We could be in a situation come 2027 where most new blockbusters still have to skip Nintendo’s platform, or rely on ports that are so compromised they can’t be confidently recommended to anyone but the most desperate Switch 2 owner with nowhere else to play.
That’s certainly how it felt with games like The Witcher 3 and The Outer Worlds on the original Switch. Those were fascinating experiments that reminded you how limited and dated the Switch hardware ultimately still was, at least for anyone working with it who wasn’t Nintendo. I hope we get a few good years on the Switch 2 before it arrives at a similar fate.
