Stellar Blade Switch 2 Targets 60FPS With DLSS and FSR

Shift Up explains how Stellar Blade combines NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR 3.1 to target 60 FPS on Nintendo’s hybrid console.

Stellar Blade’s Nintendo Switch 2 version is shaping up to be one of the more technically ambitious adaptations for the new hybrid platform, and developer Shift Up has shared more insights on how it’s getting the game to run at its intended performance level. The technology behind the port might be even more interesting than the game, which already looks amazing in gameplay footage.

According to Shift Up CTO and technical director Donki Lee, Stellar Blade is currently targeting 60 frames per second in both docked and handheld modes. When docked, the game will output an upscaled 1080p display, while portable players will get a native, unscaled 720p presentation. Given the hardware restrictions of a portable device, maintaining that performance target could be a remarkable achievement.

The developer also stated that the Switch 2 version uses Nvidia’s DLSS technology.

But because Switch 2 lacks DLSS frame creation, Shift Up has to find another way to enhance the perceived frame rate. This encouraged the developers to merge DLSS with AMD's FSR 3.1 frame interpolation technology.

The odd combo lets Stellar Blade use DLSS upscaling, then apply FSR 3.1’s frame interpolation to the final image. The base game runs at a little over 30FPS, with frame interpolation used to reach the 60FPS target, according to Shift Up. The team also cited latency as a key consideration for applying the strategy.

Instead of using a single upscaling or frame-generation technique, Shift Up has mixed elements from two rival graphics businesses. DLSS handles upscaling, while FSR 3.1 handles frame interpolation. This strategy could be especially effective for Switch 2, where developers must strike a compromise between visuals and performance on a small portable device. The console can’t just rely on the same power and cooling offered to larger gaming PCs or home consoles.

The early footage suggests the results are promising. Stellar Blade doesn't seem to lock at 60FPS at all times, especially in more chaotic battles where a lot is happening on screen and could reduce performance. Still, a good achievement would be 60FPS for most of the experience.

The methodology could also raise questions about whether other developers could use similar techniques to boost demanding Switch 2 ports.

As DLSS and FSR evolve, developers may find more effective ways to deliver better visual quality and smoother performance without demanding considerably more hardware power. This could matter more for Switch 2 owners as more technically demanding titles come to the console. Ports like Elden Ring highlight the advantages of big games in portable form, yet frame-rate disparities compared to the PS5 version can still be obvious.

But portability remains one of the key advantages of Switch 2, even if performance is lower. Stellar Blade’s approach hints developers may have additional software-level tools in their arsenal to close the performance gap, which may make demanding games seem markedly smoother on Nintendo’s hardware.