Switch 2 Call of Duty Input Lag Is Twice PS5's at 60fps
Digital Foundry found Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on Nintendo Switch 2 has input lag far higher than on PS5, a disadvantage for competitive multiplayer players.
Players running Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on Nintendo Switch 2 face a real disadvantage in competitive multiplayer, according to a technical analysis that found input lag on the console can be twice as long as on PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second. In a game where split-second reactions decide firefights, that gap matters.
Digital Foundry, which analyzed the Switch 2 version, reported that the console generally aims for 60fps in multiplayer and hits that target most of the time. Frame rate can still dip in certain situations, including when a player looks through the transparent visor of a riot shield. The Switch 2 version is the first Call of Duty released on a Nintendo console since Ghosts in 2013.
The responsiveness figures are where the gap becomes most concrete. Digital Foundry measured 81 milliseconds of input latency in docked mode and 100 milliseconds in portable mode. The PS5 recorded 49.1 milliseconds. In portable mode, multiplayer latency ranged from 83 milliseconds at best to 125 milliseconds at worst, which Digital Foundry described as « actually deleterious to performance ». Variable Refresh Rate support on compatible displays helps smooth out frame rate drops, but that benefit is limited in portable play.
Digital Foundry was generally positive about the Switch 2 port overall. The version was handled by the port specialist Digital Legends with support from Infinity Ward, the studio behind the series. The campaign runs at 30fps, a trade-off that IGN's Simon Cardy found acceptable. He said textures are far less detailed than on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X, with flat surfaces and smoothed faces, but that the gameplay was smooth, running at 30fps at 4K while docked. He added that a Nintendo owner who had been without Call of Duty for more than a decade would get a version that feels as responsive as the series usually does.
The release follows Microsoft's roughly $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. During the regulatory review, Microsoft committed to bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles for ten years after the merger. Then Xbox chief Phil Spencer said in December 2022 that the company was committed to bringing more games to more people however they chose to play. Four years later, the game is on Switch 2, though the input lag findings show that multiplayer parity across platforms remains an open question for players who care most about competitive fairness.
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