The Nintendo Switch 2 could save the Street Fighter 6 community. Event after event, it's clear that having the PlayStation 5 as the main console used in major tournaments has proven to be a complete nuisance for players, with the hybrid console looking like a potential, suitable replacement as SF6 is set to come out on Switch 2 this June.
If you're out of the loop, let me provide some context. For years, Sony's systems have been the de facto console used by major and even local fighting game events. While Microsoft's Xbox was the go-to during the 360 days, the PlayStation 4 became what Street Fighter players had to run with due to SFV's exclusivity. Due to being one of the largest fighting game communities and the poor reception of the Xbox One, which resulted in low sales and a smaller install base, the entire FGC essentially migrated.
The console was easy to transport and controller manufacturers focused their efforts on creating fightpads and sticks designed for PS4, making the whole ecosystem blend in seamlessly. As time passed and PC gaming gained popularity, certain issues became more well-known, particularly with the PS5, which proved to be a subpar console for tournaments.
Why Is The PS5 Bad For Tournaments?
For starters, Sony's latest hardware has constant overheating issues. As a result, game performance is severely impacted with players having to deal with continuous controller disconnects.
Just in May alone, two major FGC tournaments were marred by the dreadful PS5 performance: Evo Japan and Combo Breaker. At both events, players complained that the consoles were constantly overheating and causing controller issues. The Guilty Gear Strive grand finals at Evo Japan were rendered unplayable as the console got so hot it started melting one of the players' USB adapters he used to plug in his controller.
At Combo Breaker, similar issues arose, severely impacting match integrity.
Now that the Switch 2 is just mere days away from being released, a certain section of the FGC is wondering if the Street Fighter 6 port is good enough to be tournament standard.
Can The Switch 2 Be Used In Fighting Game Tournaments?
The answer, at the moment, is a no. At least until we see a proper performance review of Street Fighter 6 on the Switch 2.
We do know that the Switch 2 is a beefy console, especially for Nintendo standards. In a recent Nintendo Treehouse event, some keen-eyed players noticed that the Switch 2 version of the game has improved textures over the Xbox Series S version. In fact, some reports even suggest the Switch 2 edition of SF6 has better performance than the PS5.
Street Fighter 6 already has some options to improve performance, especially when it comes to latency. You can toggle the Input Delay Reduction option at the cost of having some screen tearing.
If the stars align, SF6 on Switch 2 could be a blessing for both players and organizers. Having a console that doesn't constantly overheat, especially deep into an event where the big high-stakes matches get played, is already a net positive. From a tournament organizer's perspective, having a much more compact console to carry around will also make their lives easier during major FGC events.
Can Evo Use The Switch 2 For SF6 Tournaments
With Sony now owner of Evo, it'll be hard to have the Switch 2 version become tournament standard even if it manages to surpass the PS5's performance. Moving an entire community to a whole new platform would take some time. But if one can pull it off, it's the fighting game community.
In any case, it's a sad truth that Sony's console will continue to cause issues at fighting game tournaments and organizers will most definitely give the Switch 2 a shot. Will we live in a world where a Nintendo console is good enough to become the tournament standard for events outside Smash? Only time will tell.
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