Switch 2 and the potential of a port

TLDR: It's completely possible now as the Switch 2 has the power and the game works on less, but I'm curious if anyone is interested.


I play on an old LCD Steamdeck with zero issue on Laptop High settings, and my Switch 2 is technically more powerful. I started on a PS3 and have bounced around every possible way to log into FFXIV except on a Mac, so I saw the difference when HW swapped to SB and the quality in presentation had a nice little jump from no being saddled by the PS3 hardwa

My stance is more access for more players is only a good thing, most of the FF series is available on Switch, and the Switch doesn't have a huge scale MMO in all regions.

But, IS it worth it? Is it a bad time to push that for 8.0? I'd play it, but I've played FFXIV everywhere so I don't know if I can gauge it.

No. We don't need "Switch limitations" as another excuse for not developing content.

I'm aware that it would suck for console players, but the game would be infinitely better if it was PC exclusive.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

No. We don't need "Switch limitations" as another excuse for not developing content.

I'm aware that it would suck for console players, but the game would be infinitely better if it was PC exclusive.

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I'm not entirely sure that's an issue since the Switch 2 is pretty equal to the Series S.

I think a Switch 2 port would be great. BUT: At first the game itself has to become better again. At the moment it's so boring and down the hill that I am not sure if another port would make sense.

So I would say yes. But I also say no. Because the game is in a very bad state for years now, imo.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

No. We don't need "Switch limitations" as another excuse for not developing content.

I'm aware that it would suck for console players, but the game would be infinitely better if it was PC exclusive.

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I am afraid you see it the wrong way. Final Fantasy was always more of a 'console first'. And I think also FF14 was made for console in mind, in the first place. It's just that they 'also' made a pc version because of money. If one system version had to die, it would be PC, not the console versions.

Of course PC gives much more freedom. I also play FF14 on PC. But PC is not the major platform this game is made for.

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Originally Posted by Heavenchild

I think a Switch 2 port would be great. BUT: At first the game itself has to become better again. At the moment it's so boring and down the hill that I am not sure if another port would make sense.

So I would say yes. But I also say no. Because the game is in a very bad state for years now, imo.

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I agree with this. It would only slow down the quality and timely development of the game overall. In my opinion, it doesn’t need compromises or limitations caused by aligning with consoles that are below the PS5 or Xbox in performance but, I wouldn't be closed to the idea if this game was in way better shape.

Ah yes. Have them go through hoops to design and test the game on yet another console. Next patch cycle. 8 months. Please look forward to it

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Originally Posted by Heavenchild

I am afraid you see it the wrong way. Final Fantasy was always more of a 'console first'. And I think also FF14 was made for console in mind, in the first place. It's just that they 'also' made a pc version because of money. If one system version had to die, it would be PC, not the console versions.

Of course PC gives much more freedom. I also play FF14 on PC. But PC is not the major platform this game is made for.

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All I saw with this post: I think, I think and your wrong - Main Character much? - PC is superior - Game takes up resources every time a port is developed for consoles, resources that should be used to fix the game...

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Originally Posted by Bladesinger

All I saw with this post: I think, I think and your wrong - Main Character much? - PC is superior - Game takes up resources every time a port is developed for consoles, resources that should be used to fix the game...

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14 was made console first in mind and still is but ps5 power and PC is second l. the switch power is Xbox one and PS4 power you know the thing they will stop supporting in 8.0 but like you said they should fix the game before porting it again and that cannot be denied

Just for the ability to hit random S ranks, gather, craft and grind accursed hoards, I would buy a switch 2

I want it, would be nice with a proper handheld way of playing

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Originally Posted by Heavenchild

I am afraid you see it the wrong way. Final Fantasy was always more of a 'console first'. And I think also FF14 was made for console in mind, in the first place. It's just that they 'also' made a pc version because of money. If one system version had to die, it would be PC, not the console versions.

Of course PC gives much more freedom. I also play FF14 on PC. But PC is not the major platform this game is made for.

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To be fair to BigCheez, the PS3 really did a number on what the devs could actually do, but that existed solely because SE was *contractually obligated* to have a version of FFXIV for it. It was a big factor in why ARR was able to happen: 1.0 was so demanding on hardware it barely ran on high end PCs of the day!

Which brings up a question. Did the devs say they're dropping PS4 support next expac? If that's the case, then the game should absolutely stay away from the Switch 2, as much as I may want it.

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Originally Posted by LegendWait

Just for the ability to hit random S ranks, gather, craft and grind accursed hoards, I would buy a switch 2

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You can already do this on a Steam Deck or ASUS RoG Ally, the Ally Z1E is even more powerful then the Switch 2 and the Ally X more so with double the battery life over the Z1E. You can find used Ally Z1E's for $350 or less on Facebook Marketplace and such, they are really affordable and are maybe at worse 10 percent slower than the Ally X. If you have the PC version of FFXIV, you don't have to buy a new license since the Ally runs Windows 11 so both the Windows and Steam version would work natively like on any other Windows PC since the Ally uses the desktop version of Windows 11. Matter in fact, due to the cost of electricity where I live, my Ally Z1E docked to my 55 inch 4K tv is now my main gaming rig and uses no more than 35 watts total when gaming on a custom 22 watt profile. I have been using my Ally Z1E for over a year and a half now as my main gaming PC rig. The game will last up to 2 hours on battery power running at 15 watts. You can buy a larger aftermarket battery to double the battery like like the Ally X has.

I'm ok, Switch 2 can get the Mobile version which at this point is looking like the better version of the game.

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Originally Posted by RedLolly

I'm not entirely sure that's an issue since the Switch 2 is pretty equal to the Series S.

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There is an excuse with the PS4/5 currently. The game SHOULD be discontinued on PS4 Pro and switch 2 is allegedly comparable to it. This would be 2 more expansions of ps4 level "limitations"

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Originally Posted by Heavenchild

I am afraid you see it the wrong way. Final Fantasy was always more of a 'console first'. And I think also FF14 was made for console in mind, in the first place. It's just that they 'also' made a pc version because of money. If one system version had to die, it would be PC, not the console versions.

Of course PC gives much more freedom. I also play FF14 on PC. But PC is not the major platform this game is made for.

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Simply not true. The majority of the playerbase is on PC. If they dropped PC support, they would be dropping ~75% of their players.

The only reason that the devs place so much importance on the console version is because that's the norm in Japan. The overwhelming majority of players, however, are not in Japan.

When the game launched, it was being held back by PS3 limitations. They eventually dropped PS3 support and now we're being held back by PS4 limitations. In a few more years, they'll drop PS4 support. PC hardware will have pulled further ahead and we'll be held back by PS5 and Xbox Series X/S limitations.

By adding Switch support, you would just be adding another set of limitations to the list.

People may rage at this, but not only is this possible, knowing the Nintendo crowd, they'd grab a lot of players by doing this. As someone who started on PS3 because I genuinely had no other device to play the game, I do hope they bring the game to Switch. This will also force them to optimize the game further, and that's good for everyone.

That said, don't expect anything above 30fps with a DLSS 1080p upscaled picture. The Switch 2 is an insanely weak console, so while totally possible, keep your expectations in check.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

When the game launched, it was being held back by PS3 limitations. They eventually dropped PS3 support and now we're being held back by PS4 limitations. In a few more years, they'll drop PS4 support. PC hardware will have pulled further ahead and we'll be held back by PS5 and Xbox Series X/S limitations.

By adding Switch support, you would just be adding another set of limitations to the list.

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To be fair, I don't think we're being held back by the PS4 even if that thing is severely outdated, we're still being held back by the PS3.
Or rather we're being held back by the game being developed for the PS3, a console with less power than a smart fridge, on an incredibly short deadline.
And whatever they cobbled together back then has been biting them in the back for at least three expansions now.

All that said, I do agree that we do not need another console with worse hardware than what XIV will already have to account for.
Certainly not before the more pressing issues are solved. If you would buy a Switch 2 just to play this game on it then don't, there are better handheld alternatives out there that simply run the PC version.

It would be a downgrade to the game over time if so, in a figure of speech this is why PS3 is out of the game and PS4 soon to be as well.

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Originally Posted by Rinoa_353

You can already do this on a Steam Deck or ASUS RoG Ally, the Ally Z1E is even more powerful then the Switch 2 and the Ally X more so with double the battery life over the Z1E. You can find used Ally Z1E's for $350 or less on Facebook Marketplace and such, they are really affordable and are maybe at worse 10 percent slower than the Ally X. If you have the PC version of FFXIV, you don't have to buy a new license since the Ally runs Windows 11 so both the Windows and Steam version would work natively like on any other Windows PC since the Ally uses the desktop version of Windows 11. Matter in fact, due to the cost of electricity where I live, my Ally Z1E docked to my 55 inch 4K tv is now my main gaming rig and uses no more than 35 watts total when gaming on a custom 22 watt profile. I have been using my Ally Z1E for over a year and a half now as my main gaming PC rig. The game will last up to 2 hours on battery power running at 15 watts. You can buy a larger aftermarket battery to double the battery like like the Ally X has.

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Maybe the point is that he don't have to buy a Steam Deck or a Rog Ally just to do that.

Also, S-E doesn't support FFXIV running on Steam Deck. That's because Steam Deck is a Linux, an OS that is not officially supported. You even need to use emulator and some anti-TOS tools to be able to run it on Linux.

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Originally Posted by miraidensetsu

Maybe the point is that he don't have to buy a Steam Deck or a Rog Ally just to do that.

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But that's the only way to play this game on a handheld at present and don't you have to buy a Switch 2 anyways? You don't even need to buy the license again if you already own one for Windows or Steam while you would have to pay for the license and expansions if they ever come out for the Switch 2. The Ally trounces the Switch 2, so why play on an inferior device when you can already play on the Ally that has native support for the game without SE needing to touch anything? They would have to commit a lot of resources for the Switch 2 port since the CPU isn't even x86 (ARM) based like PC's and the XBOX/PS4/5 and would need to be emulated and that hurts performance over the already weak hardware vs the Ally.

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Also, S-E doesn't support FFXIV running on Steam Deck. That's because Steam Deck is a Linux, an OS that is not officially supported. You even need to use emulator and some anti-TOS tools to be able to run it on Linux.

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You can install Windows 11 on the Steam Deck and Steam even provides official drivers too, therefore making it legitimate.

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Originally Posted by Absurdity

To be fair, I don't think we're being held back by the PS4 even if that thing is severely outdated, we're still being held back by the PS3.
Or rather we're being held back by the game being developed for the PS3, a console with less power than a smart fridge, on an incredibly short deadline.
And whatever they cobbled together back then has been biting them in the back for at least three expansions now.

All that said, I do agree that we do not need another console with worse hardware than what XIV will already have to account for.
Certainly not before the more pressing issues are solved. If you would buy a Switch 2 just to play this game on it then don't, there are better handheld alternatives out there that simply run the PC version.

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Both are true.

The engine was originally designed for the PS3 and we're still feeling the effects of the limitations of those early design decisions. There are another set of limitations in place due to the fact that the game still needs to run on PS4.

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Originally Posted by miraidensetsu

Maybe the point is that he don't have to buy a Steam Deck or a Rog Ally just to do that.

Also, S-E doesn't support FFXIV running on Steam Deck. That's because Steam Deck is a Linux, an OS that is not officially supported. You even need to use emulator and some anti-TOS tools to be able to run it on Linux.

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You generally don't. It will usually run fine out of the box on Linux with Proton, with the caveat that some updates will break compatibility.

seems the CPU is the biggest bottleneck for FF14.., and Switch 2's CPU is its weakness component..
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still, if Cyberpunk could run it close enough to the Series S.., think FF14 should beable to run FF14 well after the PS4 gen gets dropped with 8.0.., maybe with some limitations or dips in Limsa (or Boja / Eureka -like content with over 24 players...)
...
would love to see FF14 on the Switch 2.., think it would attract more players than the Xbox release did..

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

The engine was originally designed for the PS3 and we're still feeling the effects of the limitations of those early design decisions. There are another set of limitations in place due to the fact that the game still needs to run on PS4.

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Fortunately a Switch 2 version wouldn't add another set of limitations, because the PS4 / Series S / Switch 2 versions would all operate on the same set of limitations.

Dont know why you would even buy it. Nintendurrr has a killswitch for it.

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Originally Posted by Shinku_Tachi

Fortunately a Switch 2 version wouldn't add another set of limitations, because the PS4 / Series S / Switch 2 versions would all operate on the same set of limitations.

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Yes it would, because every 4 years they upgrade the graphics. Switch 2 would hold back that progress.

No Switch 2 support. We don't need it.

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Originally Posted by Veritas-Ancora

Yes it would, because every 4 years they upgrade the graphics. Switch 2 would hold back that progress.

No Switch 2 support. We don't need it.

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No it wouldn't, the PS4 version is why game is just fine on the Series S and would be just fine on the Switch 2.

That's not creating new limitations, that's using the existing ones.

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Originally Posted by Shinku_Tachi

No it wouldn't, the PS4 version is why game is just fine on the Series S and would be just fine on the Switch 2.

That's not creating new limitations, that's using the existing ones.

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dam.tell.me you hate Xbox player without telling me

Can someone explain to me how this wouldn't increase the work load? Not for or against, just what does one more system in the mix mean for patch cycles?

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Originally Posted by miraidensetsu

Also, S-E doesn't support FFXIV running on Steam Deck. That's because Steam Deck is a Linux, an OS that is not officially supported. You even need to use emulator and some anti-TOS tools to be able to run it on Linux.

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The acronym WINE originally stood for "Wine Is Not an Emulator". It's a compatibility layer that allows users to run Windows applications on Unix-like operating systems like Linux and macOS. Instead of emulating the Windows environment, Wine translates Windows API calls into POSIX calls, enabling the applications to run directly on the host operating system

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And Proton is just a fork of WINE which does the same, but with extended support for much more calls.
You can even install XIV with the official launcher via Proton and play the game on Linux, like what ppl are doing with almost every other game that doesn't support Linux natively.

No anti-TOS stuff involved.

The only drawback here: If SE breaks their stuff, you have to wait until there is a fix for it (a new Proton version, an updated library, s.o.)

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Originally Posted by Moonlite

Can someone explain to me how this wouldn't increase the work load? Not for or against, just what does one more system in the mix mean for patch cycles?

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it's mostly the hardware in itself like the switch 2 isn't weak but it isn't that powerful either we probably will suffer on graphic update and well content in itself just look at how poorly OC framerate goes with today console. now imagine that but with a weaker console that is as strong as a PS4 that is being cut off really soon I think they mentioned that dawntrail was the last expension for ps4