It’s been over seven years. Honestly, if you told a Metroid fan back in 2017 that they’d still be waiting for Samus Aran’s next 3D outing in 2026, they probably would have thrown their Joy-Cons at you. But here we are. The saga of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is basically the history of the Nintendo Switch itself, a long, winding road of logo reveals, complete development restarts, and more silence than a derelict space station. Now that the Switch 2 is the worst-kept secret in the industry, everyone is asking the same thing: is this game actually for the old console, or is it the flagship for the new one?
The short answer? It’s both. But the nuance matters.
Nintendo finally broke the silence recently with gameplay footage that looked, frankly, too good for a console powered by a chip from 2015. We saw Samus stepping out of her ship on a Galactic Federation research facility, the visor reflections crisp, the lighting moody, and the frame rate surprisingly stable. It looked like Metroid. It felt like Retro Studios. But it also felt like a "cross-gen" title in the most literal sense.
The Power Gap and Why Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Matters
Let’s be real for a second. The original Switch is struggling. While Tears of the Kingdom was a technical miracle, the hardware is showing its age with aggressive resolution scaling and occasional stutters. When we look at Metroid Prime 4 Beyond on the Switch 2, we aren't just talking about a slightly prettier picture. We are talking about the leap from "functional" to "transformative."
Industry insiders and supply chain analysts like those at Digital Foundry have been dissecting what the Switch 2 (or whatever Nintendo ends up naming it) actually brings to the table. We’re looking at Nvidia’s DLSS—Deep Learning Super Sampling. For a game like Metroid, where atmosphere is everything, DLSS is a game-changer. Imagine Samus exploring a bioluminescent jungle where every leaf reacts to her beam shots, rendered at a crisp 4K on your TV while the hardware actually runs at a much lower, cooler temperature. That’s the dream.
Retro Studios restarted this project from scratch in 2019. They took over from Bandai Namco because Nintendo wasn't happy with the quality. You don't restart a multi-million dollar project unless you intend for it to be a masterpiece, a "system seller." If Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is the swan song for the original Switch, it is simultaneously the opening act for the Switch 2.
What we actually saw in the trailer
The "Beyond" subtitle isn't just flavor text. The trailer showed Samus facing off against Sylux—a bounty hunter who’s been stalking the franchise since Metroid Prime Hunters on the DS. This isn't some side story. It's the culmination of a narrative thread teased decades ago.
You’ve got the classic scanning mechanic, the lock-on combat, and that sense of isolation. But look closer at the textures. The way the rock surfaces reflect the glow of Samus’s arm cannon suggests a lighting engine that is far more sophisticated than anything we saw in Metroid Prime Remastered. While that remaster was a visual powerhouse, Beyond seems to be pushing polygons in a way that makes me think the Switch 2 was the target hardware all along.
The "Cross-Gen" Strategy is Nothing New
Nintendo has done this before. They are masters of the double-dip.
Think back to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It launched on the GameCube for the loyalists and the Wii for the early adopters. Then they did it again with Breath of the Wild on the Wii U and the Switch. It’s a brilliant business move. You don't alienate the 140 million people who already own a Switch, but you give people a damn good reason to drop $400 or $500 on the new hardware.
If you play Metroid Prime 4 Beyond on the old Switch, expect 720p or 900p, probably locked at 30 or 60 frames per second with some noticeable blur. Play it on the Switch 2, and you’re likely getting a "Pro" experience: faster loading times (thanks to that rumored NVMe storage), better textures, and HDR.
Honestly, playing a Metroid game without HDR feels like a crime at this point. The series is defined by high-contrast environments—dark corridors lit only by the hum of an energy door. The Switch 2 hardware is basically the only way to see this game the way Retro Studios intended.
✨ Don't miss: World Eaters Space Marine 2: Why Everyone Is Obsessed With These Chaos Heretics
Why Sylux is the key
For the lore nerds, Sylux is a big deal. This character hates the Galactic Federation. In a world where Samus is basically the Federation’s go-to mercenary, that creates a personal rivalry we haven't seen since Ridley.
- Sylux’s ship, the Delano 7, was seen in the 100% ending of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
- Producer Kensuke Tanabe has been talking about this showdown for nearly 20 years.
- The gameplay shows Sylux commanding a troop of Space Pirates, which is weird because Sylux usually works alone.
This suggests a scale of conflict much larger than previous Prime games. We aren't just wandering a dead planet; we’re in the middle of a galactic power struggle. That kind of scale requires horsepower.
The Technical Reality of the Switch 2
We need to talk about the T239 chip. That’s the rumored heart of the new console. It’s based on Nvidia’s Ampere architecture.
For the non-techies, that basically means the Switch 2 is roughly as powerful as a portable PlayStation 4 Pro, but with modern features like Ray Tracing and DLSS that make it look even better. When you apply that to Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, the "Beyond" starts to make sense. It’s beyond the limitations of the current hardware.
I’ve spoken to developers who have worked on Switch ports, and the consensus is always the same: "We are out of room." There is no more RAM to squeeze, no more clock speed to overclock. Metroid Prime 4 had to be a Switch 2 title because Retro Studios simply couldn't realize their vision on a handheld that has less RAM than a modern toaster.
The Release Window Headache
Nintendo says 2025.
That’s a broad window. Usually, when Nintendo says "2025," they mean the fiscal year, which could take us all the way to March 2026. However, the rumors of the Switch 2 launching in the first half of 2025 are getting louder. It makes almost too much sense for Metroid Prime 4 Beyond to be the "Holiday 2025" heavy hitter, or perhaps even a launch-day title if the console slips.
Is it worth waiting for the new console?
This is the big question. If you already have a Switch, do you just buy the game and play it?
If you care about the "Metroid Experience"—the immersion, the atmosphere, the feeling of being there—you wait for the Switch 2. The original hardware will likely use "checkerboard" rendering or heavy temporal anti-aliasing to keep the game running. It’ll look okay. But on the new hardware? It’ll be a showcase.
Think about the difference between Cyberpunk 2077 on a PS4 versus a PS5. It’s the same game, but it’s not really the same experience. Nintendo is much better at optimization than CD Projekt Red was at that launch, but the laws of physics still apply. Better hardware equals a better game.
What most people get wrong about development
There’s this weird myth that "cross-gen" games are held back by the weaker console. That’s sort of a half-truth.
In the case of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, the game was likely designed with the Switch 2 in mind for the last three years. They build the high-quality assets first—the 4K textures, the complex lighting models—and then they "scale down" for the base Switch. You aren't getting a gimped version on the new console; you’re getting the "master" version, while the old Switch gets the "compressed" version.
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you're trying to figure out how to handle this transition, here is the most logical way to prepare for the Samus-filled year ahead.
- Don't buy a current Switch OLED right now. Unless you absolutely don't have one and need to play Wonder or Zelda today, hold off. The Switch 2 is coming, and it will almost certainly be backwards compatible, meaning it will play your current library better than the old hardware.
- Finish the Prime Trilogy. If you haven't played Metroid Prime Remastered, do it. It is arguably the best-looking game on the system and sets the stage perfectly for Beyond. It also gives you a baseline to understand just how much of a leap the new game will be.
- Watch the "Beyond" trailer on a 4K screen. Don't watch it on your phone. Go to YouTube on your TV, set it to the highest resolution, and look at the particle effects when the Federation soldiers get blasted. That's the level of detail Retro is aiming for.
- Keep your save files in the cloud. If you have Nintendo Switch Online, make sure your cloud saves are active. When you eventually get a Switch 2 and pop in your copy of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, you’ll want that transition to be seamless.
The wait for Samus has been long. Almost too long. But seeing the footage and understanding the hardware shift makes it clear why it took this much time. Nintendo isn't just releasing a game; they are trying to prove that their new hardware is a generational leap. Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is the vessel for that proof. It's going to be a wild 2025.
Make sure your energy tanks are full. We’re finally going back to the stars, and this time, the hardware might actually be able to keep up with the vision. Stay tuned to official Nintendo Directs—usually in February or June—as those are the prime windows for the final release date reveal and the first look at the Switch 2 hardware in action. Once the pre-orders go live, you’ll need to move fast; if history is any indication, both the console and the Metroid Special Edition (you know there will be one) will vanish in seconds.