Game developers likely weren’t surprised last week when Nintendo rolled out the Nintendo Switch 2 without any major trumpeting of its improved processing and graphical prowess. Though there were some notable advancements from the Nintendo Switch (like support for 4k output at 60fps and 1080p output at 120fps), the custom CPU/GPU chip provided by NVIDIA still doesn’t seem to match the raw power made available by Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X|S. Nintendo’s announcements focused, as they always do, on new interactive advancements like GameChat and the Joy-Con mouse functionality.But one new technology made possible by NVIDIA has been making waves since the announcement: support for DLSS. NVIDIA’s AI-driven frame generation technology has already allowed developers to deliver improved performance on lower-end PC games, which has been a particular boon for reaching players on handhelds like Valve’s Steam Deck, the ROG Ally, and beyond. Since the Switch’s debut in 2017, developers have made an array of compromises to bring their games to the platform, with high frame rates and graphical fidelity often being traded away to pass certification.With DLSS, that may no longer need be the case. In our time with the Switch 2 and speaking with Nintendo last week, we got a strong sense that the company not only wants developers to take advantage of the technology to make their games look better on the system, but that it intends to use it in its own games, starting with Donkey Kong Bananza.Related:Nintendo adopting DLSS signals renewed interest in supporting graphically-polished gamesDLSS support is likely to be a huge relief for developers that have expressed frustration over porting their games to the Nintendo Switch towards the end of its lifespan. Those teams are likely to feel unleashed with the Nintendo Switch 2, as developers like CD Projekt Red and FromSoftware are leading the way in porting games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring to the device. Neither port is likely to be as technically impressive as their PC and PS5/Xbox brethren, but the Switch 2's mobility and specs (which outpace Valve's Steam Deck in many respects) are impressive.So impressive that for the first time in years, it seems like Nintendo is interested in touting the visual quality of games on the console in a way it hasn’t in some time. Supergiant Games creative director Greg Kasavin was on hand at the Nintendo preview with Hades II, grinning from ear to ear as he watched players try his game out on the next-generation Switch. "We knew we'd be making this game for the Switch 2 before we even knew there was a Switch 2," he said, explaining that the Switch 2 doesn't offer any significant upgrades over other console versions, but it does deliver a better visual experience than the Switch version. "A lot of it is just kind of the raw satisfaction of a higher definition display," he said.Related:DLSS tech seems to be opening doors for Nintendo in the realm of first-party development, letting its developers allocate processor power to bigger gameplay environments and enhanced particle effects. Inverse's Shannon Liao quizzed the Switch 2's hardware leadership about its use of the frame generation technology and what possibilities it offered for first-and-third party developers. "We do use DLSS upscaling technology, and that's something we'll continue to use as we develop games," said Dohta, adding that its inclusion can help developers design games that output to resolutions as humble as 1920x1080 and as potent as 4K with HDR.Image via Nintendo.On the first-party side, Nintendo is touting Donkey Kong Bananza as an example of the "new kinds of gameplay" enabled by the Switch 2 hardware. "In Donkey Kong Bananza, you can experience the exhilaration of being able to destroy anything you want in the game without restrictions," said Kawamoto in Nintendo’s "Ask a Dev" series, also pointing to Mario Kart World's "open world" linking all the racetracks together as benefits of the console's improved processing power.Related:Dohta didn’t specify how either game was using DLSS technology, leaving developers to try and piece it out for themselves. It’s worth interrogating what “new kinds of gameplay” Kawamoto was referring to considering that after hands-on time with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, neither type of gameplay feels that “new.”Mario Kart World's open world lobby is fine, but it's more interesting for its social play implications than its technical novelty. It's the Knockout Tour mode that brings the technology to life. Knockout Tour is a battle royale-like experience as the massive 24-player lobbies can vote on several race circuits that they play through uninterrupted. Players start the race in one course, then are steadily eliminated, with the top racers making it all the way through five maps.Is that kind of gameplay possible on another platform? Maybe, but credit to Nintendo, many other kart racers have hit the market since the last Mario Kart game and none of them attempted this kind of feature.Donkey Kong Bananza is something of a head scratcher. It's a charming return for Nintendo's simian sidekick (yes I'm calling him a sidekick now they haven't made new Donkey Kong Country games in years), giving him a chance to occupy a role filled by Mario in Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch: the role of the family-friendly action game hero available with the console on day one. Developers curious about Bananza should look at it as a study in layered level design. Players are able to destroy most of the terrain in the large maps, and Nintendo has populated the world with cave systems and hidden treasures that reward players pounding at rocks like a toddler in a playground.But beyond the "Donkey Kong" charm of it all (and it is very charming, the voice going "ooooh ba-na-NA whenever you picked up a banana was an instant win), the chunky digging spaces didn't feel that remarkable considering the amazing destructible voxel worlds of games like Minecraft and Teardown, or the jaw-dropping verticality of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It’s possible that in both games DLSS is taking some of the load off of the console’s processing power so that Nintendo’s developers have more budget to build out the game worlds.AI-driven frame generation technology is a relatively new advancement, meaning Nintendo and third-party game developers may be learning what it enables on a similar timeline. Regardless, it’s hopefully a boon for any developer eager to free up processing power for either resource-intensive game mechanics or social opportunities for players hanging out on a GameChat video call.What makes the Nintendo Switch 2 unique?Though Nintendo’s embrace of DLSS is notable there’s still a warning sign in Nintendo’s more traditional showcasing of games based on graphical prowess. Again and again the company has said that chasing hardware horsepower is a losing game, and prioritizing unique mechanics will keep it competitive.So what unique possibilities does the Nintendo Switch 2 offer? Beyond the mouse functionality, DLSS support, and GameChat features, it’s hard to say at this time. For now it’ll be up to FromSoftware to show the game development community what the Switch 2 has to offer that other consoles can't. It was the only studio to show up with a bona fide Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive: a gothic PvPvE game called The Duskbloods. Frustratingly, the company didn't reveal more than a highlight reel of in-engine footage that showed off some stunning art direction and tantalizing gameplay, but failed to detail which of the Switch 2's new features it would lean heavily on.Developers hoping for clearer signs from Nintendo about how best to innovate with DLSS might have to wait for its next wave of premiere first-party games to debut—a wait that could go even longer if the Trump administration’s planned tariffs continue to affect the console’s debut.