Metroid Prime 4's Motorcycle Sections Could Cause Performance Issues On Switch

I’m generally in favor of the gaming industry moving on from a console generation when new hardware comes out. I would rather have games able to innovate as much as possible, and it’s frustrating to see a console’s first couple of years bottle-necked by games also releasing on its obsolete predecessor. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was an exception, though, at least until new footage at the recent Nintendo Direct.

Metroid games aren’t particularly ambitious. They generally take place in confined spaces, and Nintendo always puts gameplay over visual flair anyway. Plus, Metroid Prime 4 was announced for the original Switch all the way back in 2017, the year that console came out. Metroid Prime 4 was a game that made a lot of sense as a cross-generation title, but now I’m worried its Switch version won’t handle its motorcycle sections very well.

Metroid Prime 4’s Motorcycle Is A Tall Order For The Original Switch

I Predict Plummeting Frame Rates

Samus driving the Vi-O-La motorcycle in Metroid Prime 4.

Aside from finally setting its December 4 release date, the big Metroid Prime 4 reveal at the Direct was Samus’ new motorcycle, named Vi-O-La. Samus appears to drive it around open expanses on Viewros in lieu of the series’ traditional elevator rides between distinct regions. The clips show vehicular combat, with Samus shooting while driving, but also ramming enemies to destroy them.

The trailer clearly labels this as gameplay footage from the Switch 2 version, but I have a hard time believing these sections on the original Switch will look as smooth. Vi-O-La moves pretty fast, and the area appears large – add the chaos of multiple enemies on screen, and I’m not convinced the Switch can keep up. The Switch doesn’t have a great track record with open worlds; the most infamous is the console chugging in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s Korok Forest, which was only fixed by the Switch 2 edition.

Metroid Prime 4 Should Have Become A Switch 2 Exclusive

A Missed Opportunity

A Metroid soars across the sky of Viewros in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Metroid Prime 4‘s fate as a cross-gen title was sealed in March 2025, when it was reiterated that it would be a Switch game. On the one hand, I applaud Nintendo. It would have been a bit irritating for those looking forward to Prime 4, but not yet interested in a Switch 2, to have their hand forced. On the other hand, Metroid Prime 4 could have been a major showcase of the Switch 2’s potential, but it’s instead being held back by an eight-year-old console.

If any part of Metroid Prime 4 is going to prove the original Switch is well and truly obsolete, I think it will be the Vi-O-La sections. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the game couldn’t have benefited from being a Switch 2 exclusive. Metroid Prime 4 isn’t slacking visually, but it’s not stunning either. Especially since a lot of the game will be in tight quarters, it could have really bumped up the visual flair if it was developed exclusively for the Switch 2.

Here’s hoping the Switch version is passable, but I’m predicting a rocky 30 frames per second, with significant dips in the Vi-O-La segments and potentially during boss fights. Nintendo is clearly showing Switch 2 footage for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond because it looks the best at a high frame rate and in 4K, but it’s a worrying sign that we haven’t seen much Switch gameplay footage in recent months.