Warner Bros. has released a Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch 2 gameplay comparison trailer, as well as confirming that an upgrade path from Switch to Switch 2 will be available.
Hogwarts Legacy for Nintendo Switch 2 will bring some huge improvements over the original Switch release. Newly ported to the platform, instead of reusing the heavily modified Switch version as its base, Hogwarts Legacy will have graphics much closer to the PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game. This includes improved lighting, shadows, animation quality, anti-aliasing and the use of DLSS upscaling. There will be up to 1440p in docked and up to 1080p in handheld mode.
Further to this, travelling through the open world and into Hogsmeade will no longer have loading screens, while flying around the Hogwarts grounds on broomstick will have better frame rates, faster loading and increased flight speed.
Oh, and there’s Joy-Con 2 mouse mode support.
While this is a ground-up port of the game, Warner Bros. is offering a discount on the Switch 2 version of the game for those who own the game on original Nintendo Switch – these isn’t a “Switch 2 Edition”, but is still a premium upgrade path. This will sell the digital edition of Hogwarts Legacy for Nintendo Switch 2 for $10 (per early reports) to owners of either the digital or physical version of the game on Nintendo Switch.
For details on how this works, please visit the FAQ. You will also be able to transfer your save game between generations.
Regardless of how Switch 2 owners buy Hogwarts Legacy, the game will require installation to the console’s storage. The physical release of Hogwarts Legacy for Nintendo Switch 2 will use a Game Key Card, which has no game data included on the cartridge and requires that the full game is downloaded. Warner Bros. say just how much storage will be required:
“Customers using a game-key card or digital download from the Nintendo eShop should plan for an installation of 24 GB. If you decide to get an extra language pack, you should plan for an additional 1.5 GB download per language.”
Thankfully the Switch 2 comes with 256GB of storage built in, so you won’t have to immediately grab one of the new MicroSD Express cards to install all your games to.
We awarded Hogwarts Legacy 7/10 when it first released in 2023, saying “The sights and sounds alone make Hogwarts Legacy the dream Harry Potter game fans have been longing for. There’s an intriguing mystery to unravel, though you’re bound to spend most of your time exploring a wealth of side content, visiting virtual landmarks and roleplaying as a Hogwarts student. That said, it’s more successful in being a sandbox teeming with nostalgia rather than a stand-out action RPG in its own right, let down by gameplay foibles and spellcasting combat that quickly slides into repetition.”
Source: Warner Bros.Â
