While Monster Hunter Wilds has become notorious since launch for its poor performance on just about every platform, new details have emerged through datamining that indicate a potential port for Nintendo Switch 2. According to these datamines of the recent Title Update 4, numerous references to the Switch 2 have been found.
One of these references exists in a function dubbed “via.store.Native.nsw2UpgradeEdition”, where the “nsw2” is likely a reference to the Nintendo Switch 2. Along with this, a variety of other strings have been found with various references to the platform. These include local multiplayer – a major feature of Nintendo’s consoles since the DS.
To bring Monster Hunter Wilds to the Nintendo Switch 2—a console well known for being not quite as powerful as the current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X—Capcom is seemingly implementing several performance-oriented features in the game. These apparently include a new NPC culling method, with the distance at which NPCs are culled from the rendering and the processing pipeline getting cut in half.
In a further bid to improve performance on Nintendo’s hybrid console, the spawn rate for endemic life—the smaller creatures that live in the world and contribute to its ecology—might also be getting a downgrade on the Switch 2. The datamine indicates that they will only spawn in the world at a fifth of the rate as in other versions. The datamine also noted that this isn’t necessarily a Switch 2-related feature, and could instead be meant for the upcoming January update for the PC version of the game. The title will also apparently feature new DLSS presets that will offer players more options in how the title performs.
The most recent major update for the game—Title Update 4—brought with it a host of optimisations that, while benefiting some, has still done little to fix the core performance issues for many PC players, especially for those playing the title on a system that might belong to the lower end of the recommended hardware spectrum.
Along with Wilds coming to the Switch 2, dataminers have also spotted references to a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade for 2021’s Monster Hunter Rise. The title, originally released on the Nintendo Switch before PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, will likely receive bumps in resolution and frame rates. Capcom itself is yet to confirm any of these details, however.
Monster Hunter Wilds is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review.
