Switch 2's Modern Warfare 4 Input Lag Is Twice PS5's, Tests Show

Digital Foundry testing cited by PlayGround.ru puts Switch 2's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 handheld input lag at 100ms versus 49.1ms on PS5, with frame rate stability failing to translate into responsiveness.

Here's a stat that might make Switch 2 owners wince: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on Nintendo's new hardware reportedly runs at more than double the input lag of the PS5 version. That's according to testing from Digital Foundry, as relayed by PlayGround.ru, and it's the kind of gap you feel before you can explain it.

In handheld mode, the Switch 2 version clocks in at 100 milliseconds of input lag. Docked on your TV, it drops to 81 milliseconds. The PS5, by comparison, sits at 49.1 milliseconds. Do the math and the Switch 2's response time comes out more than twice as long, which is a lot of dead air between your thumb and what happens on screen.

Worse, the handheld figure isn't even a clean, consistent number. Digital Foundry says it fluctuates somewhere between 83 and 125 milliseconds. That kind of wobble is exactly what makes a shooter feel unpredictable, and the outlet reckons it drags down the experience in a big way. In competitive matches where split-second reactions decide fights, this is the sort of difference that can straight-up cost you a gunfight.

Put simply, in the same online match, your inputs on Switch 2 are naturally going to land later than everyone else's on other platforms. The multiplayer mode does manage to hold 60 frames per second most of the time, but that's the twist the report keeps hammering on: a stable frame rate hasn't bought a matching level of control responsiveness.

It's not all bad news on the performance front. The report notes that VRR support can smooth out frame rate dips on compatible screens, docked mode supports 4K resolution, and the game runs fairly smoothly overall. The trade-off shows up in image quality, though, with reduced texture detail and simplified character faces. The single-player campaign, meanwhile, runs at 30 frames per second.

One important caveat: these numbers come from third-party testing as reported by media outlets, and Activision, Microsoft and Nintendo haven't responded to any of it yet. The exact build tested and the full settings used also haven't been disclosed, so take the figures as a snapshot rather than gospel.

Still, if you're planning to play Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2, it's worth knowing what you're walking into. Are you sticking with Nintendo's handheld for Call of Duty, or does a lag gap like this push you toward another platform? Let us know in the comments.