By Azura, they did it. Bethesda shipped a Switch 2 update for Oblivion Remastered on October 13 that resolves the global visual degradation introduced in Patch 1.1. “Discovered” is the PR word there. “Accidentally rolled out” is more like it. Either way, the fix is here and it works.
What got fixed
After Patch 1.1, things looked like you needed eyeglasses. Textures were softer, the view distance had lost detail, and when you moved left to right, especially in handheld, you got noticeable ghosting. All of that is gone after the hotfix. I went back to the same spots, matched the time of day as closely as I could, and the difference is obvious.
- Texture detail: banners, rock walls and floors are crisper. Shadows look a bit better too.
- Ghosting: completely gone in handheld, which was the most distracting part of 1.1.
- View distance: the mountain reflections from Anvil Rock are clean again.
- Water reflections: the little houses reflected at the waterfront pop again. On 1.1, some of those reflections were missing entirely.
What didn’t change
This is a visual fix, not a performance fix. My frame analysis shows nothing has really changed in performance. You’ll still get the occasional stutter when animations and certain things kick in, and I don’t expect that to go away anytime soon.
The communication gap
I’m grateful they addressed it. I’d have loved a quick “we’re working on it, stay tuned” along the way. They were aware of the problem in a forum, and then, all of a sudden, a tweet announced the fix. Plenty of you drifted to other games while there was no clear end in sight, which is fair.
Time to jump back in
Oblivion is a staple on this channel, and playing a Bethesda RPG on the go is what the Switch 2 is for. With the blur and ghosting gone, it’s a good time to go back in.
Test notes: Nintendo Switch 2, handheld, Patch 1.1 versus the Oct 13 hotfix. Time of day matched as closely as possible; weather may differ slightly.