• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Digital Foundry Analysis: Minecraft on Nintendo Switch with PS4 comparison

M

manueldelalas

Time Traveler
Screw it, I'm making the thread.

Minecraft PS4 vs Switch DF analysis available.

EDIT: chandoog made a much better summary than me, so props to him, you are awesome sir.
chandoog said:
if you'd like to edit these in OP:


- Full fat experience complete with all visual effects, ambient occlusion and cloud rendering also present.
- Always outputs native 720p in both docked and portable.
- 60 FPS the top priority.
- No anti aliasing in the game at all.
- 4J games is still working on the game's performance/resolution so 1080p in the future is possible.
- Portable mode reduces rendering distance to maintain 60 FPS.
- Draw distance goes down from '11 to 12 chunks' in docked to '7 chunks' in portable (compared to 5 chunks in the Vita mode and 18 chunks in PS4/XB1. Win 10 Beta version draws 22 chunks)
- Max world size offered is "Medium" preset, 3072x3072 blocks for the entire world.
- WiiU offered 864x864 and PS3/360 offered 1024x1024 blocks
- PS4/XB1 offered 5120x5120 blocks.
- Switch eliminates the 'amplified terrain' feature in PS4/XB1 which generates huge mountains. Apparently a RAM intensive feature.
- Tutorial mode offers better frame rate than OG PS4 in some rare areas where PS4 has small drops to 50's.
- PS4 Pro w/ Boost mode makes the above a locked 60 FPS matching the Switch.
- Switch in split screen more reduces rendering distance even further and frame rates vary from 40~60 however it's still better than OG PS4's split screen mode.
- Portable mode runs in a double buffered mode so it's prone to drop to 30 FPS (noted in Tutorial mode) with split screen mode suffering even more drops.
Click to expand...

Also, Switch version includes a Mario pack, with textures and music from everyone's favorite plumber.
4 player split screen in docked and portable mode.
Nintendo online shenanigans (no voice chat, inviting friends is a mess, etc).
Framerate in split screen drops frequently to the 40s, still better than PS4 in same mode. (40 to 60fps on Switch vs 30 to 50 fps on PS4)
 
adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
If you'd like to edit these in OP:

- Full fat experience complete with all visual effects, ambient occlusion and cloud rendering also present.

Visuals / World:
- Always outputs native 720p in both docked and portable.
- No anti aliasing in the game at all.
- 4J games is still working on the game's performance/resolution so 1080p in the future is possible.
- Draw distance goes down from '11 to 12 chunks' in docked to '7 chunks' in portable (compared to 5 chunks in the Vita mode and 18 chunks in PS4/XB1. Win 10 Beta version draws 22 chunks)
- Max world size offered is "Medium" preset, 3072x3072 blocks for the entire world.
- WiiU offered 864x864 and PS3/360 offered 1024x1024 blocks
- PS4/XB1 offered 5120x5120 blocks.
- Switch eliminates the 'amplified terrain' feature in PS4/XB1 which generates huge mountains. Apparently a RAM intensive feature.


Performance:
- 60 FPS the top priority.
- Portable mode reduces rendering distance to maintain 60 FPS.
- Tutorial mode offers better frame rate than OG PS4 in some rare areas where PS4 has small drops to 50's.
- PS4 Pro w/ Boost mode makes the above a locked 60 FPS matching the Switch.
- Switch in split screen more reduces rendering distance even further and frame rates vary from 40~60 however it's still better than OG PS4's split screen mode.
- Portable mode runs in a double buffered mode so it's prone to drop to 30 FPS (noted in Tutorial mode) with split screen mode suffering even more drops.
 
M

manueldelalas

Time Traveler
chandoog said:
if you'd like to edit these in OP:


- Full fat experience complete with all visual effects, ambient occlusion and cloud rendering also present.
- Always outputs native 720p in both docked and portable.
- 60 FPS the top priority.
- No anti aliasing in the game at all.
- 4J games is still working on the game's performance/resolution so 1080p in the future is possible.
- Portable mode reduces rendering distance to maintain 60 FPS.
- Draw distance goes down from '11 to 12 chunks' in docked to '7 chunks' in portable (compared to 5 chunks in the Vita mode and 18 chunks in PS4/XB1. Win 10 Beta version draws 22 chunks)
- Max world size offered is "Medium" preset, 3072x3072 blocks for the entire world.
- WiiU offered 864x864 and PS3/360 offered 1024x1024 blocks
- PS4/XB1 offered 5120x5120 blocks.
- Switch eliminates the 'amplified terrain' feature in PS4/XB1 which generates huge mountains. Apparently a RAM intensive feature.
- Tutorial mode offers better frame rate than OG PS4 in some rare areas where PS4 has small drops to 50's.
- PS4 Pro w/ Boost mode makes the above a locked 60 FPS matching the Switch.
- Switch in split screen more reduces rendering distance even further and frame rates vary from 40~60 however it's still better than OG PS4's split screen mode.
- Portable mode runs in a double buffered mode so it's prone to drop to 30 FPS (noted in Tutorial mode) with split screen mode suffering even more drops.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
I

Irminsul

Member
That reason given for 720p in docked mode is straight up bizarre when there's not a single other Switch game having that problem.

Or, well, maybe Blaster Master Zero does, just in the opposite direction (i.e., it's always 1080p). At least that would explain the broken pixel scaling.

Might buy it if this gets fixed, because I know a few people who would gladly jump in for a mobile Minecraft session. I still don't want 720p in docked mode though.
 
M

manueldelalas

Time Traveler
Irminsul said:
That reason given for 720p in docked mode is straight up bizarre when there's not a single other Switch game having that problem.

Or, well, maybe Blaster Master Zero does, just in the opposite direction (i.e., it's always 1080p). At least that would explain the broken pixel scaling.

Might buy it if this gets fixed, because I know a few people who would gladly jump in for a mobile Minecraft session. I still don't want 720p in docked mode though.
Click to expand...
They apparently had some issues with the randomized nature of the Minecraft engine; also docked mode's draw distance is significantly better than portable mode.

I'm not sure they can improve resolution without affecting framerate or draw distance.
 
A

AndrewDean84xX

Banned
The first world I created had some noticeable drops in framerate. I lost all my diamonds and gear in an accident, so I decided to start over using the Mario texture pack. No drops now.
 
M

mattwhite924

Member
DF is the only place I ever hear the phrase "full fat", and for some reason that phrase bugs the crap out of me. :/

Disappointed in the resolution while docked. I expected higher than that. At least portable mode sounds like a clear step up from the Vita version.
 
E

EvB

Member
mattwhite924 said:
DF is the only place I ever hear the phrase "full fat", and for some reason that phrase bugs the crap out of me. :/

Disappointed in the resolution while docked. I expected higher than that. At least portable mode sounds like a clear step up from the Vita version.
Click to expand...

It's a British web site written by a grey haired man. That'll be why.
 
J

jariw

Member
Irminsul said:
Which is why I thought the statement by MS was bizarre, because they claimed it had nothing to do with system power.
Click to expand...

What' s bizzare with that? The unified code for Minecraft doesn't seem to support resolution changes mid-game. Which is what Switch can do during the "Switch".
 
N

nynt9

Member
Yeah I notice a lot of drops in portable, especially when there's a lot of grass or when it rains. Shame, this was advertised as a 60fps locked experience and impressions prior to release really hyped that aspect up.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
I generally prioritize framerate over everything else, but Minecraft doesn't strike me as a game that needs or even really benefits from 60fps. Kind of wonder what they could have done had they been targeting 30.
 
O

Oregano

Member
Irminsul said:
That reason given for 720p in docked mode is straight up bizarre when there's not a single other Switch game having that problem.

Or, well, maybe Blaster Master Zero does, just in the opposite direction (i.e., it's always 1080p). At least that would explain the broken pixel scaling.

Might buy it if this gets fixed, because I know a few people who would gladly jump in for a mobile Minecraft session. I still don't want 720p in docked mode though.
Click to expand...

Disgaea 5 is identical docked and undocked too.
 
C

commish

Jason Kidd murdered my dog in cold blood!
Pretty sad performance. Being portable is great and all, but I can just play on my phone for much cheaper. Docked version is... uh... Oh well. Maybe they'll optimize it or something.
 
D

devonodev

Member
Wowfunhappy said:
I generally prioritize framerate over everything else, but Minecraft doesn't strike me as a game that needs or even really benefits from 60fps. Kind of wonder what they could have done had they been targeting 30.
Click to expand...
It's a first person game, with lots of looking around and jumping in all directions, it's the perfect game to have 60fps for me.
 
K

KratosEnergyDrink

Member
Irminsul said:
That reason given for 720p in docked mode is straight up bizarre when there's not a single other Switch game having that problem.
Click to expand...

Based on the developers comments to this its not a performance problem but a problem of the MineCrafts code itself and how it renders textures at start. At the moment this would probably mean MineCraft would need a full restart when docked/undocked.

The code for all Minecraft versions seems to be the same and it seems profound changes are necessary for the MinceCraft code to enable a fast resolution switch.
 
T

Tobor

Member
PdotMichael said:
I guess a huge step for all who want to enjoy Minecraft on a mobile platform.
Click to expand...

Is it? I could be wrong, but I think the mobile version on an iPhone 7 runs better than this. Draw distance for sure is better.

And yes, it has controller support.
 
F

FreedomFighter

Member
commish said:
Pretty sad performance. Being portable is great and all, but I can just play on my phone for much cheaper. Docked version is... uh... Oh well. Maybe they'll optimize it or something.
Click to expand...
The game runs at a solid framerate though... even outperforming base PS4 fps in some area.
KratosEnergyDrink said:
Based on the developers comments to this its not a performance problem but a problem of the MineCrafts code itself and how it renders textures at start. At the moment this would probably mean MineCraft would need a full restart when docked/undocked.

The code for all Minecraft versions seems to be the same and it seems profound changes are necessary for the MinceCraft code to enable a fast resolution switch.
Click to expand...
Ok, that makes sense. I was initially confused on the reason for resolution parity docked and undocked as well.
 
P

phanphare

Banned
Tobor said:
Is it? I could be wrong, but I think the mobile version on an iPhone 7 runs better than this. Draw distance for sure is better.

And yes, it has controller support.
Click to expand...

that's the mobile version though, right? Switch is, as stated in the OP, the full fat version of Minecraft
 
S

seady

Member
All of that comparison doesn't matter. Because the Switch version has one feature that kills them all: portability.
 
O

OmegaFax

Member
The sell for this version, at least for me, is the Mario Mash-Up Pack. It's probably the best console version exclusive pack. The PS platforms LittleBigPlanet Mash-Up is good runner-up.

It'll be interesting to see what they push in the game's first major update since the initial release is about one or two releases behind the other console versions. There are a lot of licensed packs missing in the Switch version. Doctor Who, Star Wars, Fall-Out, Oblivion, Simpsons, etc.

The other feature I hope comes sooner vs. later is the ability to transfer Wii U worlds to Switch.
 
Castef

Castef

Banned
Not properly a good result, considering the quality of the other versions.

Yet, it is most probably the best portable experience for Minecraft, if this counts.
 
P

Peltz

Member
commish said:
Pretty sad performance. Being portable is great and all, but I can just play on my phone for much cheaper. Docked version is... uh... Oh well. Maybe they'll optimize it or something.
Click to expand...

What?! How is it sad? The only compromise is in resolution which may still see a bump. The game runs smoother on Switch than PS4.
 
S

sirap

Member
I really hope they get 1080p working. Minecraft isn't a pretty game but 720p with no AA looks suuuper rough especially when played on a 4K tv.
 
T

th3sicknness

Member
People need to relax the developer said it isnt because the switch wasnt capable of doing 1080 .. They insinuated it was the resolution changing mechanism between going docked and undocked that was an issue and the reason they stayed 720.
 
B

Behlel

Member
Peltz said:
What?! How is it sad? The only compromise is in resolution which may still see a bump. The game runs smoother on Switch than PS4.
Click to expand...
What? Read the OP for the other compromise. It's a lot simplified over the ps4 and xbox one version with a rediced view distance, less block etc.
 
V

Vitet

Member
Behlel said:
What? Read the OP for the other compromise. It's a lot simplified over the ps4 and xbox one version with a rediced view distance, less block etc.
Click to expand...

Performance means smoothness, and the game runs at 60fps without split screen.
Of course it has graphical compromises, it's on far less capable hardware.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Kibbles said:
Mario Kart 8 is 1080/60 and they can't even get this at 1080? The hell?
Click to expand...

I would imagine that Mario Kart 8 would not be 1080/60 if it had the same level of graphics while also having huge seamless worlds with fully destructible terrain to explore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Digital Foundry: Grounded Tech Review - Problems on PS5 and Switch - All Consoles Tested
Analysis Review 2 3
115
8K
onQ123 replied
[Digital Foundry] Final Fantasy 14 Arrives on Xbox Series X/S + PS5 Update
Analysis Review
19
1K
Celcius replied
[Digital Foundry] Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 - DF Tech Review - The Next Level in Real-Time Visuals
Analysis Review Platform 4 5 6 7 8
365
22K
Kataploom replied
Digital Foundry: PS5 and Xbox Series X run Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty at 900p resolution sometimes
Analysis Review 2 3 4
186
27K
cinnamonandgravy replied
[VG Tech] Tormented Souls | PS4, Pro, One, One X, Switch | Analysis
8
1K
solidus12 replied
Top Bottom