Pragmata Might Be the Best Looking Title on Switch 2

Pragmata has been a long time coming. Originally shown off in the PS5 reveal event way back in 2020, this new sci-fi IP from Capcom looked truly next-gen to those of us desperate to get our hands on the latest console generation. Years passed, delays came, and Pragmata seemed like it was at risk of falling casualty to the cruel passage of time.

Thankfully, none of that happened, and Pragmata is now slated to hit the market on April 24th of this year after the extended wait. In a way, this delay ended up benefiting Nintendo Switch 2 owners, since Pragmata is now a same-day release on Switch 2 alongside other platforms.

Last week, I got to attend a Nintendo Switch 2 preview event in Manhattan. At the show, Capcom had several test stations set up for media to go hands-on with Pragmata on the Switch 2. I'm now here to tell you, Pragmata is the best-looking game I've seen on the console yet.

We've already got a full preview of the game live on DualShockers that covered the same section that I experienced in the Sketchbook demo, which you can also play for yourself (though not yet on Switch 2) or watch on YouTube. As such, I won't get into the nitty-gritty details of the demo itself, as much as I personally loved it. Instead, let's talk about how it all functions on Switch 2.

Fidelity that Goes Beyond "Good Enough"

Let's get this out of the way early. Yes, there are already videos you can find that put images side by side of screenshots from Pragmata on PS5/PC in comparison to the Switch 2. For those of you that love obsessing over tiny details and crave absolutely maximizing the power output of your rig, there are slight differences you can spot between the consoles.

I'm also here to tell you that you really don't need to stress over this. At all. If you're someone that's on the fence about where to buy Pragmata, might prefer it on Switch 2 for the portability of Handheld Mode, but are concerned about taking a hit in graphical fidelity, I really think it's negligible.

No, Switch 2 will not be the absolute prettiest way to experience Pragmata, but it feels so close that you really don't need to be concerned. If you want the game on Switch 2 but have options, based on what I've played, just get it on Switch 2.

I'm not a framerate savant, but I can absolutely still tell when something is dropping frames or running at something that just doesn't look good. I'm a huge FromSoftware fan, and I still will never replay Bloodborne until it's finally, hopefully patched/remastered someday to run at something better than 30FPS.

Pragmata on Switch 2 felt and looked smooth as butter from a performance perspective, and also looked simply beautiful the entire time I was in the game. In fact, in terms of sheer graphical fidelity and overall polish/beauty, I really don't have any issue claiming that Pragmata is the best-looking game I've seen on the Switch 2 yet.

This was great to see in-person, as for so long as an OG Switch owner, I often felt like I was making a sacrifice by playing a high-quality third-party game on Switch instead of PlayStation. Yes, once again, it won't be quite as high fidelity as it can be elsewhere, but the Switch 2 is getting so close at this point, that it's really now down to just console preference overall.

You can wait for Digital Foundry-type breakdowns if you'd like, but from playing the entirety of Pragmata's Sketchbook demo on Switch 2, I feel comfortable signing off on this version. Between this and Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom seems to be proving that third-party support on the system is more than warranted, and they just might be the current masters in this regard.

An Extremely Hopeful Upcoming Launch

If you've yet to check out Pragmata's demo on a platform where it's available or are waiting for it to come to Switch 2, Capcom did let me know that the Switch 2 demo will be available soon. There's no concrete release date yet, but with the full game dropping on April 24th, they told me we should expect the Switch 2 demo in the near future.

After trying out the demo myself on Switch 2, I'm sold on the game. Our previews were already positive, but I hadn't gotten to try it out myself. Pragmata seems absolutely awesome, and I had an amazing time controlling Diana and Hugh. The gunplay combined with Diana's hacking mini-games makes for a third-person shooter experience I've never had before, and it's currently working extremely well for me personally.

While at the event, I also got an up-close look at the soon-to-be-released Diana Amiibo. Both look very slick and detailed in person. These are slated to release the same day as the game, April 24th, for $29.99. While I wasn't able to learn the actual in-game functionality of the figures, you can likely assume both will serve some sort of beneficial use within Pragmata itself.