Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@Pizzamorg Are the brightness issues also present in handheld mode? I read a few complaints about the brightness levels (there isn't an in game slider) in docked mode when the digital edition came out. Check your Switch is in the correct RGB mode because it looks fine (really good, even) on my OLED.

Oooo haven't tried it in handheld mode yet. I tend to find the gyro on the pro controller is way better than in the actual system itself, so I like to play stuff docked like this. Might have to test it though just to see if its my TV or not. I didn't know there was a known issue for this though to be fair. I sorta forgot all about this until it was on my doorstep waiting for me.

The new Mario Kart tracks are an absolute treat. My favourite is easily the new Yoshi's Island one, which is fitting considering I just bought a bunch of Yoshi's Island games. The music is great, the track is lovely and there are tons of nods to the games, such as hitting the question mark cloud and creating a new platform. Good stuff.

I also like most of the Tour tracks. My favourite is Amsterdam, which is really lovely. Reminds me of Daisy Circuit from 3DS. Singapore is pretty cool as well, but Bangkok is rather generic.

It's also nice to be racing on DK's Snowboard Cross and Waluigi Stadium again. So nostalgic!

@LtSarge Have to agree, and that I'm continually pleasantly surprised by the DLC. I'm particularly happy that GBA tracks are getting some love, as these have felt rather neglected prior to MK7, and have now been spruced up massively.

I will say that I find the Tour tracks to be the weakest, however. The real-world theming is kinda cool, but in terms of track design I just find them to be the most forgettable of the bunch. They can also be kinda confusing with all the course changing - I'm sure some people like this feature, but it's not for me tbh.

Oooh, didn’t realise the new Mario Kart tracks were out. If my Switch wasn’t across the room and I wasn’t so lazy I’d try them out now!

I have really fond memories of Breath of the Wild. It was my first Zelda game and while I wouldn't say I think it is the game of the generation like others seem to claim, I do think it is a solid example of the kind of open world title it is trying to be with that extra bit of Nintendo 1st party shine which elevates it just that little bit above other similar games that just don't have the same kinds of polish.

I played BOTW pretty much entirely start to finish in handheld, and with the sequel almost here, I thought I'd throw it up on my TV and give it a replay. Playing through the game docked for the first time.

But man, this game is... kinda rough when docked. Outside of really egregious spots like the forest where you get the Master Sword, in handheld BOTW is either fine performancewise or the screen is just so small, the lower framerate or occasional stutters and dips are just less noticeable. And it still remains true that BOTW is far grander than your usual handheld title, and better than even some of the open world titles that would come out years later on the Switch.

Docked, however, destroys all illusion. At least for me. The framerate is mostly stable (outside of combat), but stable in the sense that it seems low all the time. It dips somehow even further in combat and like all the damn time. I don't really remember this at all from my handheld experience, but man this absolutely chugs when docked.

I also dunno if it is some kind of filter used, or the AA, but everything also has this kind of fuzzy, blurriness to it when docked. The game kinda looks like how it would look if I was playing with my glasses off, just always just that bit out of focus, only I have my glasses on. Between the choppiness of the framerate, and the smudginess of the visuals, I started to feel really sick within about half an hour of playing.

It is a shame too, as the game is still so insanely polished in other areas, all the little details they add, the physics and animations. It is that Nintendo First Party gleam you just don't really see anywhere else. Combat also still feels really good, even somehow despite the low framerate, too.

But I dunno, as soon as I have to start exploring it is chunder city for me. I guess I could carry on my replay in handheld like I did the first time, or maybe I'll just wait and see how this new one lands. If it turns out to be another Pokemon SV, then I guess I save some money.

@Pizzamorg If you think the resolution is bad on your TV when docked you should try the Wii U version, that's lower at 720p.

That being said, Mario Odyssey runs at the same dynamic resolution has BOTW on Switch but at a higher frame rate. Granted I can see when the resolution scales down quite easily, and sure the world's are designed differently with different art assets, but I think it shows the difference between what is a Wii U game ported over in six months (by the admission of Aonuma) and being an upscaled Wii U game, versus a game that was clearly made for the console.

@Pizzamorg Generally the frame rate docked/undocked seemed the same to me, at least I never noticed it one way or the other. It does struggle in some areas either way. I didn't have any issues with the quality, really, on my 4K 55 inch TV either. I mean, it's not a PS5 game that's for sure, but I was happy enough with it.. same with games like Xenoblade Chronicles.

I guess it's just a case of keeping your expectations suitably low in the technical department as far as any Switch game goes! The hardware is certainly creaking, though!

@Buizel I'm not that huge on the GBA tracks in all honesty. I appreciate the upgrades but due to how simplistic the track design is, the tracks are still overall rather forgettable.

I'm definitely fed up with the Tour tracks though. Everyone feels the same, there are only a handful that really stand out, such as Amsterdam. But at this point, I've come to the realisation that these tracks are basically padding for these DLC packs. They're easier to add to the game compared to older tracks that have to be remade. So Nintendo is just adding them in order to make it look like we're getting tons of additional content but in reality, most of it is just bland and uninteresting tracks.

I liked what we saw of Zelda. I have always wished I could get into games like Minecraft but I don’t really have the time, patience and creativity - but the features included in this game look set to allow even someone like me to get a taste. I know I’ll appreciate them as I played BOTW and had fun with the physics, and this game is really leaning into that aspect.

Of course, the video was just focused on Links new abilities and didn’t touch on what I expect is so much more.

I can’t argue with the fact that it looks and sounds like a 7 year old game on old hardware, but I’m staying optimistic overall.

I'll want to see how it runs in person, but it looks like the mad lads did it. I think we were all convinced that there had to be some kind of trickery with the sky islands, and maybe there is some sort of caching happening off screen or something, but he was able to move seamlessly between sky island and the surface in that trailer, I am impressed.

Otherwise, it looks like more of the same, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing when that same is a game like Breath of the Wild. Things like the Fuse ability are a great meets in the middle solution for people who didn't like the weapon degradation system, and the other abilities suggest there are probably going to be some bonkers community creations over the years post release.

@Pizzamorg People weren’t happy with the weapon degradation, they could have buffed weapons in response, or got rid of it all together - instead they go with this crazy crafting system. Its creative and gives the gamer the chance to get creative too, instead of scavenging a list of disconnected raw materials and building something through menus at a crafting bench. It’s the sort of feature you’ll see other developers pinch in the years to come.

Agreed @kyleforrester87, would have been easy to go for the cheap pop and just take it out. Instead they built a whole new gameplay system to address the complaints instead, really impressive stuff.

@Pizzamorg It might be your TV, if you're playing on a 4K set. I've heard some people claim that 30fps titles feel choppy almost to the point of unplayability on their sets, but they have no issue when playing elsewhere, or undocked in the case of the Switch. Some TVs don't play nicely with games running at or near 30fps, seemingly.

Unless we're talking about Korok Forest, which was, yes, judder city.

Being designed for the Switch exclusively, I'm hoping they've ironed out those little problem areas. The game is visually pretty similar to BotW, which was probably a good approach, considering you literally seem to be able to travel seamlessly between anywhere in the sky to anywhere on the ground with visible loading. There's not a massive power boost going from Wii U to Switch, so they have limited system resources to exploit.

@kyleforrester87 At times, BotW felt like Minecraft by way of Skyrim. I feel like the countless videos out there of the insane ways players manipulated the in-game physics must have had a deep impact on the development team, which clearly went the extra mile to make this world as interactive as possible.

And, probably even more than the old game, I expect the game to be designed in such a way as to facilitate player creativity whenever possible. There were so many parts of BotW where there was an obvious, ordinary solution, but also, conspicuously, the elements needed to attempt something more ambitious for a reasonably creative person. The game didn't explicitly direct the player toward these possibilities, but instead allowed them to find the answer for themselves.

It's a vibe you don't really get with any other open world adventure game to date.

Oooo interesting point @Ralizah I have one of those Sony TVs with VRR I use with my PS5 and I just leave the TV in that mode. I wonder if that is causing problems here because BOTW is in such a low framerate? I might try and work out how to turn that off and then see if the game feels better. Not much time now as I'm about to go to work, I'll try when I finish and see if it runs better and check back in.

@LtSarge, the city tracks from Tour don't require any less dev time than the other retro tracks, as the vast majority of them (like Coconut Mall, *Maple Treeway, Waluigi Pinball, etc.) were already remade in Tour. They're all just fancy upscales from that game, no matter what their original origin was (not that I'm complaining).

Even the few tracks that have premiered in the DLC first, arrive in Tour within a month or two after the fact, so even with those they're probably still using the Tour version as a base & upscaling (and just giving MK8D first dibs so their core fanbase can have something "new").

@Pizzamorg I feel like a lot of expensive TVs ruin stuff with post-processing nonsense. We experienced that recently when we went to a rich relative's house and tried to watch the finale of The Last of Us. To our dismay, some sort of motion smoothing effect was on, and it made the show look bizarre, so we had to dig through menus trying to find a way to turn the effect off. It helped, but other stuff was clearly happening in the background, as other programs felt... off as well.

We have a 4K OLED, but it's very much on the cheap end, and we've never had an issue with it.

Kodaka's spiritual successor to the Danganronpa series is looking pretty awesome.

Raincode is looking very pretty @Ralizah and like Rog there's some great lighting there too. I hope it delivers when it releases!

.... And comes to other platforms eventually so not only I can play it but there's no doubt some bells and whistles (or even just a higher resolution) to make it look even better!

The VRR mode is needed to access the 120 fps modes on things like God of War Ragnarok, it isn't the same as stuff like motion smoothing (which I agree belongs in the bin). Although weirdly switching off the VRR mode did seem to fix the problem in this case. I guess because BOTW is generally in a low framerate all the time, VRR just makes it all the more obvious how juddery it looks. The problem hasn't gone away, it is just better hidden like when you play in handheld mode.