Ocarina of Time Switch 2: Resolution, FPS and Modes

Ocarina of Time ran at 20 frames per second on the Nintendo 64. The Switch 2 remake runs at 60, in both docked and handheld play, according to Digital Foundry's tech review. That is three times the original's frame rate, and Nintendo's own store page and spec sheet do not give the number.

That last part is the reason this post exists. Nintendo's store page for the remake lists HDR and VRR output and stops there: no resolution, no frame-rate target, no mode options. Our Switch 2 remake overview and remake vs original comparison both had to list frame rate as undocumented for that reason. Digital Foundry's review, published November 4, 2026 by William Judd with a companion video on Digital Foundry's YouTube channel, fills the gap. I have not measured anything myself; every number below is Digital Foundry's or Nintendo's, and the source is named on each one.

The numbers

The store page also lists tabletop mode alongside TV and handheld. Digital Foundry only reports docked and handheld figures, and since tabletop uses the console's own screen, I would expect it to behave like handheld, but nobody has published a measurement for it, so treat that as my assumption.

Frame rate: 20, then 30, now 60

Digital Foundry's wording is that the remake "targets and holds a fluid 60", and that frame delivery stays consistent in both docked and handheld modes. The review credits that with improving action sequences, platforming timing and general exploration.

The platforming point is worth dwelling on, because the remake adds a jump button: Zelda Wiki notes that Link can now jump on command and that automatic jumping has been removed. On N64, running off a ledge was the jump, and the game decided whether it happened. In the remake you press it, and pressing a button to time a jump is far more forgiving at 60 frames than at 20. I think the frame rate and the new controls are one change, not two. Our overview covers the control changes themselves.

Resolution and image quality

Digital Foundry puts the output resolution at 1080p to 1440p when docked and 720p to 1080p in handheld. Those are ranges, so the resolution moves with the scene. Digital Foundry does not say which areas sit at the top or bottom of each range.

The image is built with SMAA anti-aliasing and AMD's FSR 1 spatial upscaler. Digital Foundry calls SMAA Nintendo's "classic" choice and the result the "characteristic first-party Nintendo look". The cost, in Digital Foundry's words, is that some fine geometric edges still shimmer and look soft. Its verdict is that image quality is "sufficient" in both modes and that the rest of the visuals make up for it.

For context, Nintendo's Switch 2 spec sheet says the console can output up to 4K at 60fps in TV mode, and up to 1080p on its own 7.9-inch screen. So the remake's docked range stays well under the console's 4K ceiling, while its handheld range tops out at the screen's native 1080p.

Why no DLSS matters more in handheld

Digital Foundry's sharpest line is about upscaling: Nintendo used FSR 1 "when DLSS is like, right there". The Switch 2 has the hardware for DLSS. FSR 1 is a spatial upscaler, meaning it works from the current frame only and does not reuse detail from earlier frames the way a temporal upscaler does.

My read: that matters most at the bottom of the handheld range. A 720p image stretched to a 1080p screen leaves the upscaler doing the most work, and a spatial upscaler has the least to work with. Docked at 1440p, there is far less to recover. If shimmer on fences, grass and thin geometry bothers you, the TV is where you will see less of it. That is an inference from Digital Foundry's numbers, not something the review tests side by side.

Is there a performance or quality mode?

Not that anyone has documented. Nintendo's store page lists the three play modes (TV, tabletop, handheld) and the HDR, VRR and surround features, and no graphics options. Digital Foundry's review describes one target, a held 60fps, and does not mention a mode toggle. The only display-related setting Digital Foundry mentions is a dynamic HUD that hides contextual icons until you need them.

Given that the game already holds 60 in both modes, a performance mode would have little to add. A quality mode trading frame rate for resolution is the thing that does not appear to exist. I have not seen the game's settings menu myself, so if you find one, that would be news.

HDR, VRR, surround and accessibility tags

Nintendo's store page lists these, with the first two "available on compatible TVs":

The Switch 2's own screen also supports HDR10 and VRR according to Nintendo's spec sheet, but the game's store page only lists both features for TVs. Whether the remake uses either on the built-in screen is not stated.

With a held 60fps, VRR is a safety net rather than the main event. It smooths out drops, and Digital Foundry describes frame delivery as consistent in both modes.

The same store page carries these Accessible Games Initiative tags:

Nintendo's store page does not say what the Color Alternatives option changes in this game.

What the hardware is spending it on

The resolution figures look modest next to the 4K ceiling until you see the list of what each frame is doing. Digital Foundry describes:

• Physically based materials on stonework, foliage, metal and cloth, which it calls "a rarity for a first-party Nintendo game".
• Dynamic atmospheric scattering, global illumination and ambient shadowing in interiors.
• Foliage that reacts to wind, water and Link's sword.
• Pots that break into physics-driven shards.
• A fluid simulation driving a reactive low fog.
• Navi as a dynamic light source.
• Castle Town and its buildings rendered fully in real-time 3D, where the original used static pre-rendered backgrounds.

Zelda Wiki adds that the remake uses the same engine as Tears of the Kingdom, inheriting its physics and lighting systems, and that the draw distance is greatly expanded, so landmarks like the castle and Death Mountain can be seen from places they could not before. Digital Foundry's version is more cautious: the engine "appears to build upon" the one made for Breath of the Wild and revised for Tears of the Kingdom.

Nintendo's developers explain part of the trade in Ask the Developer Vol. 24, Part 2. The team chose separate maps for different areas rather than one seamless world, to keep the original's structure. For Hyrule Field, they gave reachable areas a high level of detail and used less detail in areas you cannot reach, and they enlarged landmarks such as the castle and windmill.

Updates: only Version 1.1.1 so far

Nintendo Support's update page for the game lists one version: Ver. 1.1.1, released November 4, 2026, the day before launch. Its notes, in full:

Nothing in those notes mentions performance, resolution or frame rate. As of November 13, 2026, there is no post-launch patch listed, so there is no "performance update" to wait for or to install. Digital Foundry's review is dated November 4, the same day as Ver. 1.1.1; it does not say which version it tested.

Still not documented

• Exact resolution per area. Digital Foundry gives ranges, not a per-location breakdown.
• Whether the TV signal is upscaled to 4K. Digital Foundry reports the game's resolution range, not what the console sends to a 4K TV.
• Tabletop mode figures. Listed by Nintendo, not measured by Digital Foundry.
• Load times. No published timings.
• 120Hz or unlocked frame rate. The Switch 2 supports 120fps at 1080p and 1440p, but no source says the remake uses it, and Digital Foundry describes a 60fps target.
• HDR and VRR on the built-in screen. The game's store page only lists them for TVs.

Docked or handheld?

Both hold 60, so the choice comes down to image quality and convenience. If you have a TV and care about sharpness, dock it: you get the higher 1080p-1440p range, HDR, VRR and linear PCM surround over HDMI. If you are playing in bed, handheld loses none of the frame rate, which is the part of this remake that changes how it plays. What you give up is resolution and, by my reading of the FSR 1 point above, some clarity on fine detail.

For players coming from the N64 version on Nintendo Switch Online, the gap is bigger than any of these numbers suggest. Our 3D vs N64 breakdown covers what the last jump from 20 to 30fps changed.

Quick Action Checklist

• Expect 60fps in both TV and handheld mode, per Digital Foundry.
• Docked resolution is 1080p to 1440p; handheld is 720p to 1080p.
• Upscaling is FSR 1 with SMAA, not DLSS; expect some shimmer on fine edges.
• Do not look for a performance or quality mode; none is documented.
• Turn on HDR and VRR on a compatible TV; the store lists both for TV play.
• Use HDMI to an AV receiver for linear PCM surround.
• Install Ver. 1.1.1; it is the only update Nintendo lists, and it is needed for ZELDA NOTES.
• Keep 24.9 GB free for the digital version.