When Nintendo launched the Switch 2 in June 2025, it grandfathered in eight years’ worth of games published for its predecessor console, the Switch. It meant a lot of folks had grand libraries of classic Switch games in their collections. The Switch 2 would play them, but since some of them had come out as early as 2017, when the original Switch launched, they were looking kind of dated.Nintendo’s Switch 2 got an update in mid-March 2026 that included a new mode meant to boost the graphics of those old Switch games when played on the new console. It’s called Handheld Mode Boost. It kajiggers (technical term for ya) the console into playing the Switch games as if they were connected to a TV, but when you’re actually playing them on a Switch 2 in handheld mode.a boost with some caveatsPlaying a Switch (or Switch 2, for that matter) connected to a TV unlocks improved graphics, such as better resolution and refresh rates. Using a Switch console in handheld, portable mode on the tiny screen trades away some of those graphics.Handheld Mode Boost circumvents that. A classic Switch wouldn’t be able to play a Switch game on TV mode when it’s not docked to a TV, but the Switch 2 is powerful enough to handle it. The trade-off is that enabling Handheld Mode Boost saps your Switch 2’s battery more quickly.Credit goes to Nintendo Life for discovering the feature’s addition in the Switch 2’s version 22.0.0 patch notes. The update went live on March 16, 2026. It was just a short note that read, “Handheld Mode Boost will cause compatible Switch software to run as if in TV Mode, so certain functionality may be affected. Please see the on-device description for more details.” Beyond that, Nintendo made no official announcement or fuss about the new mode. To enable Handheld Mode Boost, head to System Settings on the Home menu. Scroll down to System, and select Nintendo Switch Software Handling. Then toggle Handheld Mode Boost to turn it on or off.Enabling Handheld Mode Boost on Switch 2 games has no effect, according to Nintendo. It’s solely for Switch games, as in the classic Switch that was the Switch 2’s predecessor.Not every game will seamlessly function when enabling the new feature. It may cause the touch screen to stop working for some games. The attached Joy-Con 2 Controllers are treated as a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller when enabled, too.Nintendo hasn’t provided an official list of Switch games that’ll play nicely with Handheld Mode Boost. All they say is “The effect of Handheld Mode Boost will vary based on the software. Some Nintendo Switch software will be unaffected…” So it’s up to you to play the guinea pig with your library of Switch games. At least if the feature doesn’t work or only works partially in a wonky way, you’re not losing any functionality you already have.where to buy one(opens in a new window)NintendoSwitch 2(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at WalmartBuy Now(opens in a new window)The post The Nintendo Switch 2’s New ‘Boost’ Mode Gives Classic Switch Games a Graphics a Makeover appeared first on VICE.