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- This is the Stellar Blade demo on Switch 2, captured on Sep 20, 2026 in handheld and docked (4K output).
- Docked, the frame-rate overlay reads 60 FPS most of the time, with dips into the mid to upper 50s in busy moments and a low of 48 in the darker ruins area.
- That 60 is with frame generation, which is always on in the demo. Shift Up says the game runs from a 30 FPS base and interpolates up to 60.
- Handheld: I can't measure resolution or FPS in handheld mode. Shift Up's official target is native 720p at 60 FPS (with frame interpolation) handheld.
Shift Up's Stellar Blade got a demo on Switch 2, and I captured it the day it came out, Sep 20, in handheld and then docked with a 4K output, using a lossless capture with a frame-rate and frame-time overlay. There's no commentary in this one, just gameplay, so this is a short look at how the demo looks and plays on Switch 2.
What's in the video
- Handheld mode (0:15): filmed off the Switch 2's screen, so there's no overlay. It covers the desert beach area, combat and a cutscene.
- Docked, 4K output (3:48): lossless 4K capture with an FPS and frame-time overlay, through the same desert stretch and then a darker ruins area.
- The demo's campaign, as of Sep 20, 2026.
How Stellar Blade hits 60 on Switch 2
This matters for reading the numbers. In an interview with Nintendo Everything, Shift Up CTO DongKi Lee said the team targets 60 FPS in both handheld and docked. The game uses Nvidia's DLSS for upscaling, then AMD's FSR 3.1 frame interpolation on top of a 30 FPS base to reach 60. Nintendo Everything also confirmed an upscaled 1080p image docked and an unscaled 720p image handheld.
In the demo, frame generation is mandatory. Digital Foundry noted the HUD and on-screen text still update at 30 FPS, and that the demo drops frames often, including cutscenes dipping into the 30s and regular dips during gameplay, even in handheld mode. Shift Up has since said it will add a frame generation toggle at release.
Handheld
I don't have a way to measure resolution or frame rate in handheld mode, so the handheld section is the game running on the screen. It's the desert beach area: running along the beach, fighting groups of enemies and a cutscene. Going by Shift Up's numbers above, that's native 720p, targeting 60 FPS with frame interpolation.
Docked (4K output)
All the numbers here are what the on-screen frame-rate overlay read in my docked capture. Since frame generation is always on in the demo, they're the output frame rate, generated frames included, not the 30 FPS base.
Through the desert section, the overlay reads 60 FPS the large majority of the time. It dips to about 54 to 59 in some fights and explosions.
The darker ruins area is mostly at 60 as well, with a few readings of 58 and the lowest reading in the capture, 48.
This is the demo, so the full release, and that frame generation toggle, could change how it runs.
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