Highlights

  • Hi-Fi Rush potentially coming to Nintendo Switch would be a major power play for Xbox Game Pass.
  • Xbox players who wanted to try Hi-Fi Rush likely already have, so porting it to the Switch would reach a whole new audience.
  • Despite potential downgrades in graphics, the best way to play Hi-Fi Rush would still be on Xbox with Game Pass, increasing the service's sales numbers.

The first major gaming discourse of 2024 has taken place, and it only took a grand total of eight days to happen. At the start of this week, a rumor hit the internet that current Xbox-exclusive Hi-Fi Rush could be heading to Nintendo Switch consoles in the near future. Shadow-dropped out of nowhere at the start of 2023 during Xbox's Developer Direct, Hi-Fi Rush was unlike anything Tango Gameworks has ever done before, but it was this bundle of surprises - along with its excellent rhythm-based gameplay and eye-popping cel-shaded visuals - that made Hi-Fi Rush such a shockingly great time.

But, of course, as all discussions surrounding console exclusives tend to devolve, this simple rumor quickly became the first big gaming discourse of the year. On one side of the fence, many Xbox fans despised the idea of "losing" one of their few admittedly few exclusives to another console, but on the other side of the fence, many Xbox fans thought this made complete sense, with Hi-Fi Rush releasing almost a whole year ago now. But regardless of the discourse, Hi-Fi Rush coming to Nintendo Switch would be a pretty major power play for Xbox Game Pass.

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Hi-Fi Rush Coming to Switch Would Be a Win-Win for Xbox Game Pass

Hi-Fi Rush Could Reach a Whole New Audience on Nintendo Switch

Released on January 25, 2023, it's been almost a whole year since Hi-Fi Rush's Xbox Game Pass release. It seems pretty fair to say, then, that every Xbox player who wanted to give Hi-Fi Rush a go already has, especially with it being on Xbox Game Pass since day one. With this in mind, it seems to only make complete sense that Xbox would want to port Hi-Fi Rush to the Nintendo Switch, where the game would fit in undeniably well thanks to its upbeat tone, strikingly bright visuals, and intuitive pick-up-and-play gameplay.

As of September 2023, the Nintendo Switch family of consoles had sold over 132 million units worldwide. This is a major slice of the current gaming market, and it's a slice that Xbox has repeatedly and openly talked about desiring a little crumb of. While Nintendo might not be ready to put Xbox Game Pass on the Switch just yet, it seems like it would welcome Hi-Fi Rush with open arms, and even if only a small sliver of the console's 132 million users bought the game, that would still be much more money than Hi-Fi Rush is currently making on Xbox right now a year after release.

Xbox Game Pass Would Remain the Best Place to Play Hi-Fi Rush

But there's a potential second, more hidden benefit to Hi-Fi Rush coming to Nintendo Switch. Hi-Fi Rush isn't the most graphically intensive game, but its rhythm-based gameplay does require the best performance possible. And while the Nintendo Switch is definitely capable of delivering 60fps, that usually comes with a sizable downgrade in visuals. With its cel-shaded art style, Hi-Fi Rush would probably still look great on the Switch even with a major downgrade in graphics, but the inherent fact is that it wouldn't run as well on Switch as it would on a beefier Xbox Series X.

It's more than possible that Nintendo Switch users could give Hi-Fi Rush a go at launch, realize it's great, but want to play it in the best way possible. And the best way to play Hi-Fi Rush would be with an Xbox, with Xbox Game Pass, potentially increasing the service's sales numbers by a not insignificant amount. But regardless of whether Switch users hopped over to Xbox, at the very least, the more eyes that are on Hi-Fi Rush, the more credibility it adds to Xbox Game Pass, showing just what type of experiences the service can offer.