It looks like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World might not take advantage of DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. According to a recent report by Digital Foundry (published Saturday, August 2), the main reason could be tied to the game engines used during development.
For DLSS to function properly, the game’s engine must support motion vectors—essential data used for image reconstruction and upscaling. If the engines powering these titles lack that feature, implementing DLSS becomes a time-consuming and complex task. That may explain why Nintendo’s latest first-party games don’t appear to support Nvidia’s advanced upscaling tech.
That said, it’s important to note this is still speculative. Nintendo hasn’t officially addressed whether DLSS is included or why it might be missing from specific titles.
Interestingly, Donkey Kong Bananza reportedly does use an upscaling method—but not DLSS. Instead, it relies on AMD’s FSR 1 (FidelityFX Super Resolution). Since this game was originally developed for the first-generation Switch, it’s possible that porting it to fully support newer features on Switch 2 wasn’t feasible within development timelines.
So, while the Switch 2 may have DLSS capabilities under the hood, not all games—especially early ones or ports—will necessarily take full advantage of it.
Nintendo Switch 2 First-Party Games Might Not Need DLSS Right Away
While Nvidia’s DLSS technology is a great addition to the Switch 2’s toolkit, many of Nintendo’s first-party titles may not rely on it — at least not initially. That’s largely due to Nintendo’s distinct approach to game design and visual style.
Unlike more graphically intense, realism-focused games, most Nintendo exclusives lean toward stylized, colorful art directions. With the exception of a few titles like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond or Bayonetta 3, the bulk of Nintendo’s lineup — including games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza — embraces simpler, more cartoon-like aesthetics. These styles are not only less demanding on hardware but also reduce the urgency for advanced features like upscaling or anti-aliasing.
In short, because these games aren’t aiming for photorealism, they don’t necessarily need DLSS to look great. Their charm and clarity hold up even without pixel-perfect sharpness.
That doesn’t mean DLSS won’t play a role in the future. On the contrary, Nintendo has collaborated closely with Nvidia on the Switch 2’s hardware, so support for DLSS is very much part of the plan. But integrating it into game engines takes time, and developers will likely need until 2026 or even 2027 before it becomes common across first-party releases.
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