Cyberpunk 2077has been something of a barometer for hardware performance since its disastrous release and subsequent redemption. Soon theNintendo Switch 2will be the latest platform to host the CD Projekt Red RPG, and while itsperformance has been questioned, developers are touting new control scheme options made possible by the new console’s revamped Joy-Con controllers.
In a new Creator’s Voice video from theNintendo of AmericaYouTube channel, developers at CD Projekt Red discuss theCyberpunkSwitch 2 port. It’s not much of an overview of the port’s features, and the developers, game director Adam Badowski and VP of technology Charles Tremblay, lean into the sentimentality of gaming technology advancing.“Playing the game on Nintendo Switch 2 is the most cyberpunk way to play Cyberpunk,“says Tremblay at the very end of the video, referencing the console’s versatility in control schemes and its portability.
Badowski touches briefly on the alternate control schemes available forCyberpunkon Switch 2, saying,“You can use one of your Joy-Cons to fight with your katana.“Tremblay adds, “We do have a lot of ways to experience the game using the controllers.” He seems to allude to using the Joy-Cons for locomotion – “using them to go” – but without elaboration or more context, it’s difficult to infer what this means.
Cyberpunk 2077 Will Have New Control Options With The Switch 2’s Joy-Cons
Motion Controls Sound Likely, Mouse Controls Possible
Cyberpunk 2077has become one of the greatest gaming redemption stories, not only rebounding from the litany of bugs and crashes it experienced upon launch, but also reinventing itself with the celebrated2.0 update’s sweeping changes. It now has the chance to push the envelope even further with the Nintendo Switch 2 version.Cyberpunk 2077Ultimate Editionis aSwitch 2 launch-day release, and will bring not only a new way to play the game portably, but also new control schemes.
Badowski’s comments about using the Joy-Cons to fight with a katana allude to the motion controls mentioned onNintendo’s website: “Hack and slash your foes with Joy-Con 2 motion controls.” ButCyberpunk 2077also uses the full suite of Switch 2 capabilities, including gyro aiming, its touch screen, and the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls; the listing continues, “take down enemies thanks to intuitive gyroscope aiming, touch, tap, and swipe your way through menus, or use your Joy-Con™ 2 (R) as a mouse and experience pin-point accuracy in and out of combat.”
Cyberpunk 2077 On Switch 2 Is “The Best Way To Experience The Game On The Go”
Take That, Steam Deck
Tremblay specifically notes in the Creator’s Voice video thathe believes the Switch 2 version ofCyberpunk 2077is “the best way to experience the game on the go.“Although likely unintentional – and clearly a marketing ploy by Nintendo, who published the video – this is a pretty large stab at the Steam Deck, though it’s not necessarily an unsurprising claim. The Steam Deck simply runs the PC version ofCyberpunk 2077; it’s not outrageous to believe a port tailor-made for a system like the Switch 2 could be superior.
Cyberpunk 2077on Switch 2 uses DLSSand VRR – Deep Learning Super Sampling and Variable Refresh Rate, respectively – which could both help smooth out any performance wrinkles it encounters.Cyberpunk 2077has been on the cutting edge of visual fidelity for the last few years, with the PC version implementing advanced forms of ray tracing, but itsNintendo Switch 2port is also innovating with the console’s unique features.
