Digital Foundry: Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2 has input lag issue as 31ms to 51ms slower than PS5 in multiplayer

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is finally on the Nintendo Switch 2 and I am sure many of you will be throughly enjoying what it has to offer. While Digital Foundry has some small gripes with the Nintendo Switch 2 version, they are impressed overall with the game’s optimisation. One of the things which the tech-focussed publication takes issue with is the Nintendo Switch 2 version’s poor input lag which is 31ms to 51ms slower to respond than PlayStation 5 in the all-important multiplayer mode. Hopefully this can eventually be fixed with a software update. You can read their full thoughts here.

“Once gameplay starts, performance remains solid, without stutters or slow-down during core campaign beats. Key visual features translate effectively to the system, including dynamic interactive smoke, fully destructible glass, wall-projected video elements and high NPC densities in busy city environments.”

“Image quality relies on two anti-aliasing choices: standard SMAA options or Nvidia’s customised DLSS upscaler. When docked, the game runs at a dynamic resolution targeting 900p with DLSS, occasionally dipping to 450p during heavy visual sequences like the Paris vehicle chase. Native SMAA modes match this range while scaling up to a 1080p target. Handheld mode scales down to a dynamic 720p baseline with dips to 360p under intense rendering loads, maintaining identical feature settings to docked play outside of output resolution.”

“In general, responsiveness here simply isn’t as good as on other consoles, and Switch 2 players face a competitive disadvantage as a result of the added input lag – especially in portable mode. We measured this in multiplayer at 81ms in docked mode and 100ms in portable mode, though the latter varied substantially and ranged from 83ms at best to 125ms at worst. PS5 input latency at 60Hz? Just 49ms. That means input latency on Switch 2 is 64 percent higher docked and doubled (!) in portable mode, moving from “not great but fine” to “actually deleterious to performance”. This testing was performed with the Switch 2 Pro Controller and Sony DualSense, both wireless as most players use them.”