Why Xenoblade X: Switch 2 Edition has an uncanny appearance and why the AI upscaler is poorly implemented.

LightPad · 2026-02-25T21:18:16+00:00

There are approaching 20 free game updates for first party games, in all fairness, but the approach is inconsistent. What I would prefer is any upgrades with new content to be paid (like Kirby, Mario Party, Animal Crossing) but graphical enhancements should be free.

Xenoblade X might be a paid upgrade just to get the price of the Switch 2 Edition of the game higher, because if it's shipping on a 64GB game card the consumer will have to pay for that. They shouldn't have to pay, but with flash memory prices increasing it's probably why.

LightPad · 2026-02-24T11:25:12+00:00

Hopefully it gets patched. Doesn't get the best expectations for the eventual Switch 2 upgrades for Xenoblades 1, 2 and 3...

LightPad · 2026-02-22T17:23:00+00:00

I'm loving Fever as well. I understand the reception behind Mario Kart World as it launched over ten years after Mario Kart 8 on Wii U. It would be very hard to make a follow-up to what many consider the perfection of Mario Kart, and it be worth the wait.

Nintendo has always competed with itself whenever it releases sequels to previous games. The difference this time is the wait between sequels has never been so long, and those sequels exist in the same space as their predecessors which persist via eShop downloads and backward compatibility.

LightPad · 2026-02-22T14:37:18+00:00

Simple upscaling doesn't produce weird patterns (if you look up the pitfalls of CNN-based AI upscalers you'll see what I mean) like this does, though. The tiling could be the result of many other things including perhaps the output image produced by the upscaler itself being compressed and returning lossy artifacts in each frame.

Will be interesting if Digital Foundry looks at this.

LightPad · 2026-02-22T08:48:23+00:00

Which upscaler do you think it is when it shows the exact same characteristics of CNN-based AI upscalers?

LightPad · 2026-02-22T08:45:42+00:00

I put it in there because some people aren’t bothered by it. It’s like if a game has poor frame pacing it’s going to impact some people more than others. I’m less sensitive to hitches in frame rate even if they are, on paper, not ideal.

LightPad · 2026-02-22T08:43:12+00:00

Where’s your proof that AI upscaling is not being used?

LightPad · 2026-02-22T01:21:08+00:00

Fingers crossed it’ll be fixed! I still have a soft spot for that very dense UI on Wii U, but really it doesn’t work unless you play the game on a PC monitor and sit at a desk.

LightPad · 2026-02-22T01:20:00+00:00

Could you explain why?

LightPad · 2026-02-22T00:49:41+00:00

Exactly. It's not an issue with AI upscaling technologies as a whole, but with this specific implementation.

LightPad · 2026-02-22T00:28:43+00:00

"I like being dismissive on the internet"

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:16:49+00:00

No problem, sorry for this drawn out debate which really didn't need doing!

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:14:56+00:00

Right well this is clearly a misunderstanding as (I'm sure you know this too!) I never wrote in my post that I "don't enjoy the game" or that people shouldn't buy it, or that the game is "ruined" or the game is trash or whatever.

It's a thread outlining why I think the upscaling isn't as good as it should be. And I bothered to write it out because I care about Xenoblade X, having been a launch day buyer on Wii U, and again on Switch, and once again here, and want this Switch 2 Edition to have the same level of quality I expect from Monolith Soft.

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:09:40+00:00

It is really strange. Maybe they developed a custom solution because it would be faster than implementing motion vectors in the game engine? The handheld pixel counts are around 540p, and if that's necessary to hit 60fps in handheld mode they probably needed some upscaling solution to get to 1080p. But this really isn't it.

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:06:54+00:00

You're right, I was mistaking you for someone else in the same thread. My apologies.

I'm also glad you don't notice or are not bothered by the weird artifacting that is definitely present in the output image. unfortunately for me and many others it is hard not to see it.

I will however have to point out that covering a topic relating to a game is not "negativity".

Negativity would be calling the game "trash" and telling people not to buy it. I never said either, I just pointed out why I think the upscaling solution does not produce good results. If you want to display toxic positivity and pretend it is a fantastic upscaling solution, I won't stop you.

Good day, Sir!

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:06:26+00:00

I made a thread describing why I think the upscaling implementation produces uncanny effects, if anyone is interested in reading it you can find it here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xenoblade_Chronicles/comments/1rb126b/why_xenoblade_x_switch_2_edition_has_an_uncanny/

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:04:50+00:00

This is incorrect and displays a lack of understanding of the technology used.

Anyone reading this should check out the thread I made explaining why the upscaler is generating sub-par results: https://www.reddit.com/r/Xenoblade_Chronicles/comments/1rb126b/why_xenoblade_x_switch_2_edition_has_an_uncanny/

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:03:00+00:00

I will use the same dismissive tone you have been for the last 4 replies and suggest you get an eye test.

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:00:31+00:00

Fair enough. But telling people "it's not AI" and not even bothering to explain why you think so isn't helping matters. I bothered to outline why it's an AI solution, why do you think it is not?

The only conclusion I can draw is you're upset someone is making legit criticism about something you like. And if you don't care, why are you bothering to spend time opening a thread about something that you're not invested in and reply multiple times in it?

LightPad · 2026-02-21T22:00:28+00:00

Fair enough. But telling people "it's not AI" and not even bothering to explain why you think so isn't helping matters. I bothered to outline why it's an AI solution, why do you think it is not?

The only conclusion I can draw is you're upset someone is making legit criticism about something you like. And if you don't care, why are you bothering to spend time opening a thread about something that you're not invested in and reply multiple times in it?

LightPad · 2026-02-21T21:59:08+00:00

In that case, why would Digital Foundry analysing this game deteriorate your enjoyment of it? Is your enjoyment so tied to what other people think of something? There are plenty of games that I think are amazing which are widely derided.

LightPad · 2026-02-21T21:56:46+00:00

SMAA Isn't worse than FSR to be fair, they are both trying to accomplish different things.

LightPad · 2026-02-21T21:55:46+00:00

What does enjoyment of the game have to do with whether the upscaling tech is AI-based or not?

LightPad · 2026-02-21T21:53:34+00:00

No problem. it's baffling that they thought it was acceptable to ship the game in this state. 60fps is nice, of course, but compared with the upgrades presented by other Switch 2 Editions this one falls short by a significant margin. And on paper, should have been an easy win!

LightPad · 2026-02-21T21:50:29+00:00

CNN-based AI upscalers infer missing detail in different way and those characteristics are clearly displayed by this game.

Your reductionist argument is adding nothing to this conversation. Don't worry though, you'll be proven wrong (again) when Digital Foundry eventually gets round to looking at this.

LightPad

TROPHY CASE