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Nintendo Switch 2 'Handheld Mode Boost' Brings 1080p Upscaling to OG Switch Games

Your OG Switch games will no longer be stretched.
$1.4M Nintendo Switch 2 Theft Uncovered at Colorado Truck Stop

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a new feature called "Handheld Mode Boost," and it helps upscale games in low quality to 1080p resolution, particularly original Switch titles.

Nintendo Switch 2 'Handheld Mode Boost' Now Available

The latest update from Nintendo (as spotted by Nintendo Life) for the Switch 2 delivered a solution to an infamous problem on the console.

In the latest Version 22.0.0 of the Switch software, an optional feature called Handheld Mode Boost now helps to upscale games in 720p to 1080p resolution, so they perfectly fit the native screen resolution of the Switch 2 console.

According to ArsTechnica's report, this new feature is only a "partial solution" to the Switch 2 problem. This is because the feature will trick the console into thinking that it is docked, as the original Switch games only upscale to 1080p when the OG device is docked, even in handheld mode.

Upscale Switch Games to 1080p

As said earlier, the Switch 2 will trick the original Switch games into thinking that it is docked and therefore upscale to 1080p while in handheld mode, leading to higher power usage as it uses higher settings to run the game. Handheld Mode Boost also prevents the use of touchscreen features.

Nintendo said that games that are not yet patched by their developers and would normally run at the original Switch's 720p resolution may take advantage of the feature and play them without any resolution differences on the Switch 2.

The Handheld Mode Boost can be turned on or off in the Switch 2's System Settings, specifically under Nintendo Switch Software Handling. The feature is turned off by default in version 22.0.0.

Originally published on Player One

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