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The Nintendo Switch 2 arrived earlier this summer, bringing new processing power to the line of handheld consoles. While the original Nintendo Switch certainly had plenty of hits like Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the gap in processing power between the original Switch and other consoles like the PlayStation 5 (and later the Steam Deck) became more and more pronounced as time went on.

Now, since the Switch 2 can handle significantly more than its predecessor ever could, game developers are living in a world where impressive AAA games like Final Fantasy VII Remake can be ported onto a handheld console - a world that has challenges of its own. As anyone who has ever played Baldur's Gate 3 on a Steam Deck can tell you, running a beefy game like that in handheld mode can be a one-way ticket to zapping your console's battery life in minutes. 

We spoke to Final Fantasy VII Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi about this conundrum that he faced while working on porting Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, an enhanced version of the Remake game that was originally released on PlayStation 4, to the Nintendo Switch 2. Intergrade had been brought to Windows in 2021, and it will be available on Xbox Series X/S alongside the Switch 2 in 2026. In bringing Intergrade to other consoles, Hamaguchi-san called out the Switch 2 as being uniquely challenging. 

“So in terms of [consoles] that were the most challenging… I would say the Switch 2,” Hamaguchi-san began. “We had to be quite mindful of, sort of, the power consumption of the console. And so, you know, especially in terms of handheld mode, as opposed to when you’re in TV mode. You have to be kind of wary of the different specs and how much power you can consume in handheld mode. In order to ensure the 30 FPS stability while also not compromising on the graphics during the gameplay, we really focused on optimizing the graphic pipeline. And so I think this was something that had the most work involved on the Switch 2.” 

I can only imagine the amount of wizardry that would go into optimizing a game like Intergrade for the Switch 2's handheld mode. You'll be able to see it for yourself when Intergrade releases on Switch 2 on January 22, 2026. 

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

• All upcoming games in 2025 and beyond
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And be sure to check Popverse regularly for the latest gaming news.