The new system version 22.0.0 has released for both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and for NS2 players, it is now possible to display original Switch games in Handheld Mode as if it was docked! This is possible via the ‘Handheld Mode Boost’ feature, which you can find in System Settings => System => Nintendo Switch Software Handling. It is not enabled by default.
This mode does not affect Nintendo Switch 2 versions of games, so the best way to experience Prime 4: Beyond on handheld mode would be through the NS2 version.
We have gathered screenshots from the Nintendo Switch 2 system in handheld mode, both with and without the ‘Handheld Mode Boost’ enabled.
Due to the nature of how we acquired these images, there may be some unavoidable compression, and the differences are likely more pronounced when you play for yourself. That being said, we believe that this news post will be helpful for you to decide if you should play on ‘Handheld Mode Boost’ or not!
Metroid Dread
Metroid Prime Remastered
On Switch 2, both Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered runs perfectly without any frame drops or adjustments to the resolution. Since that is the case, we will only judge the visual improvements!
This is a bit subjective. While we can say Dread looks nicer in most cases, the differences probably aren’t big enough to warrant the ‘Handheld Mode Boost’ feature.
The gist of it is that cutscenes and close-ups of Samus and the environment look better, while the main part of the game is more or less identical. Samus has gotten a blurrier look, however, which could hurt her visibility. This mode might affect battery times negatively, so based on current observations, we’d say it’s generally not worth it for Metroid Dread sadly!
Metroid Prime Remastered on the other hand… It’s a bigger difference. The helmet and arm cannon looks sharper. The textures look clearer, particularly the UI and visor graphics. The Thermal Visor isn’t as blurry as it usually does in handheld mode.
If you are playing the games on docked mode, nothing has changed, but at least for Metroid Prime Remastered, we think this new ‘Handheld Mode Boost’ feature has improved the experience of playing Metroid on the go.
Source: Nintendo