Switch 2 Developers Raise Concerns Over Performance Issues — Donkey Kong Bananza Director Shares Challenges

Alright, so here’s the thing about the Nintendo Switch 2 and all the hype around it. So, imagine this: game developers are like, kinda butting heads with what this new console can do. Weird, right? There’s this interview I stumbled upon, La Vanguardia or something, where Kazuya Takahashi, who’s the big deal on Donkey Kong Bananza, casually drops that “performance may drop.” Yep, he said it – because they’re playing around with this flashy 3D voxel technology in the game’s destructible chaos. Like, seriously, who admits that right out of the gate? But here we are. Prioritize fun over everything, they say.

But hang on, let me backtrack. So, this Donkey Kong game didn’t start for the Switch 2. Nope, it was meant for the good ol’ Switch but then, surprise! It dives deep into destructible environments, something that folks haven’t seen since way back Donkey Kong 64 days. Imagine DK just tearing through walls, making tunnels, smashing random things to smithereens for kicks. Sounds like a blast, right? Except the voxel engine is a bit of a drama queen, demanding way too much. So they decided, why not save it for the fancier Switch 2?

Now, someone from La Vanguardia gives Takahashi the grilling, talking about some frame drops – ever noticed those during games? It’s like, the game stutters like when you’re trying to sprint through syrup. Takahashi goes, “Yeah, there’s stuff like hit stop or slow motion – we did that on purpose.” Or maybe he didn’t say ‘on purpose,’ but you catch the drift. Anyway, he admits the tech is a bit of a beast sometimes. But hey, at least the fun’s prioritized or something.

Nintendo knows this might happen, and I’m sitting here hoping they give that DLSS thing a tweak to keep things smooth. But, whatever, maybe some updates will fix those hiccups. Anyway, if you’re curious about how the Switch 2’s holding up overall (it’s new year jitters, I guess), I’d say check out reviews from back in June.

Oh, and here’s a fun throwback. Remember 1992’s Comanche: Maximum Overkill? Me neither. But it used this voxel stuff first, coded all fancy-pants in assembly language. Just a fun tidbit there.

And so… Donkey Kong Bananza is crashing the scene this Thursday, July 17 – mark that. If you’re into keeping tabs on tech stuff, maybe browse Tom’s Hardware’s updates. Just hit the ‘Follow’ button – or not. Up to you.