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GameXplain: Is Zelda: BotW on Switch Smoother in Handheld Mode? Direct Comparison,
- Thread starter Dusk Golem
- Start date
Smash had a day 1 patch that included performance improvements iirc.
WordsintheWater
Member
Well this is disappointing, don't really have any intention of playing this in handheld mode, hope there's an update before it releases.
We have a product for thosr who still play 720p in 2017 and its called Wii ... wait a second
SinCityAssassin
Member
It's entirely possible those problem areas still exist in the final version but the previews have stated that overall it runs a lot better than demo version.
Wowfunhappy
Member
Well yeah, if this was a Bethesda game it would be expected.
But one of the things Nintendo is known for are rock solid frame-rates, so it's kind of disappointing.
ShadowFox08
Member
The switch settings on docked mode can change tv resolutions between 480p, 720p, and
1080p. Not sure if changing the system settings to 720p would help though.
Yes, but it's hard to tell since people can't record non-embargo'd stuff. There have been videos of people in grassy areas before without much dip though.
Oh man. Well the guy does say at the end of the video that it doesn't chug all the time but I sure hope Zelda is able to really come through for people who are buying day one.
OverturePT
Member
Am I remembering it wrong (at work so not really looking for it) but wasn't the footage that DF analyzed a bit smoother? Sure, it had a couple of drops, but overrall it seemed smoother. I might be remembering it wrong.
Wrong.it is exact same aside from resolution
GodParticle
Member
Think I'll just take my chances with the wii-u version, though I'm not confident it's going to perform very well. I just can't justify paying for a switch now when it'll be a paperweight until the next nintendo game comes out
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Wow, the game runs like shit in TV mode. Very disappointing. I don't even understand how this happens. Here we have this docked mode which theoretically has the GPU power to run everything at 1080p instead of the handheld 720p, but it somehow can't even run this properly at 900p? What's going on? I can only guess there is some ridiculous memory speed bottleneck, otherwise I don't see how this could be happening.
Being forced to play this in handheld mode to get a smooth experience sucks. And it would be hilarious if the game actually runs better on Wii U than on Switch in TV mode. HILARIOUS.
Being forced to play this in handheld mode to get a smooth experience sucks. And it would be hilarious if the game actually runs better on Wii U than on Switch in TV mode. HILARIOUS.
How do we know this?
Didn't watch the comparison vid, but I've seen conflicting info on this front. Any definitive source?
It shouldn't be needed because it shouldn't be remotely an issue. Hopefully Zelda is an exception
If the rumours are correct then docked mode has the GPU running 2.5x faster than in handheld mode. 900p is only 50% more pixels than 720p. So the math suggests switch should handle Zelda at 900p with ease.
Seems like if Nintendo have docked mode set up for larger draw distance, more detailed textures etc, then they're inefficiently using the extra power and need to consider addressing that in a patch. It doesn't mean they need to start offering 720p options when docked.
The Futurist
Member
You're comparing a game that looks like Ryse (made in 2013) running at 900p to a game that looks like BOTW (made in 2017).
Really?
Well, here's one thing you can count on. The Switch will never be able to run a game that looks like Ryse at 900p or even 720p.
SinCityAssassin
Member
I mean it'd also be wrong, but you can dream I guess. I guess the only thing to reiterate is that these seem to be the areas with the most dips that GameXplain wanted to focus on, as they have said by heir own words it is infrequent.
This wouldn't make sense because the CPU clocks don't change between handheld mode and tv mode, and the game seems to perform just fine in handheld mode. Also, a change in resolution leading to lower performance means the issue is on the GPU side (assuming all other details remain the same).
It doesn't make sense from a hardware perspective. Assuming DF has the clocks right, there should be more than enough power to render the game at a full 1080p, considering there is a 2.5x boost to the GPU clock (720p vs 1080p is a 2.25x increase).
Either there is something wonky and hopefully gets patched, or there are details aside from the resolution that are bumped up in docked mode. If it is the latter, one would question Nintendo's choices because the company is generally pretty nitpicky about framerate.
If I had to simply guess, I'd say that the GPU is not being clocked to the 768MHz we see here, and is instead staying at 307.2MHz, leading to performance dips at 900p. The way it is shown here suggests that developers can choose between the two clocks in tv mode.
OrbitalBeard
Member
First time for everything.
What have we learned about rumors?
The real logic is that the dock has no power so a resolution bump will negatively affect framerate.
I don't think it correct, I pretty sure they run the same...everything may run better after the the first down hill place
On beginning(that place have most frame rate problem in switch version dock mode it seen). Also I don't think the wii u version will running very smooth(there many framerate problem too at demo version), I still think switch version on 900p still run better than wii u version base on the preview 1.0.0 version..let's see it later
I think Nintendo can fix the framerate problem of switch in dock mode if they want(or have extra time put on it), they just can adjust something to make it smoother
Game director himself said aonomuto(not sure of this is correct name)
Not when it comes to Zelda.
I think some improvements were needed more in dock mode than in handheld mode (as the small screen can hide many things and PPI is much better). The game already doesn't look very well on the big screen (aliasing, low res textures, pop-ins etc.), imagine if it was even worse.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Aonuma hasn't really compared Handheld to docked, just that Switch runs better than the Wii U, and that despite that, the same general experience can be had regardless of graphical differences.
ultrazilla
Member
Man that is bizarre and NOT GOOD if the handheld version is running better than
tv mode. I don't care if the game gets "upscaled to 900p". I want it to run smooth.
I don't plan on doing much portable gaming with it and plan on using it almost exclusively as a home console.
I hope Nintendo releases a patch for this stat.
tv mode. I don't care if the game gets "upscaled to 900p". I want it to run smooth.
I don't plan on doing much portable gaming with it and plan on using it almost exclusively as a home console.
I hope Nintendo releases a patch for this stat.
OrbitalBeard
Member
In terms of performance, he says they're both the same. The only real technical difference is resolution (and sound, apparently).
My guess is that the Wii U version runs the same, or slightly worse, than the Switch version when docked. But in 720p instead of 900p. It probably won't be much of a difference in terms of framerate performance.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
Nevermind.
Fair enough. I do remember Skyward Sword being a rock-solid 30fps. I may be wrong, however, since it has been more than 5 years (holy shit) since I've finished the game.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Also hourly reminder that GameXplain clarifies that these sort of drops are infrequent. They wouldn't be praising the game as much as they are in heir previews of it were that much of a problem.
A patch would be nice though.
A patch would be nice though.
I feel like rumors got people thinkin the dock had some hidden power in it, why would you expect better performance for an increased resolution? Makes no sense.
The Futurist
Member
I have a nice 65 inch tv and great headphones that I run through a DAC and Amp.
That's how I want to experience a huge new Zelda game.
Not on a handheld screen.
I'm really hoping for a performance patch before launch, but I don't see it happening.
That's how I want to experience a huge new Zelda game.
Not on a handheld screen.
I'm really hoping for a performance patch before launch, but I don't see it happening.
SinCityAssassin
Member
And the textures, and the draw distance, and the environmental sounds that are somehow better than sound on the Wii U. (Which I guess mean more directional sound)
SoRuffShoNuff
Member
Now I'm worried about how janky the Wii U version will be. This doesn't bode well at all.
Wasn't the texture and the draw distance just from the comparison between two different demos? Was it confirmed from Nintendo?
I can confirm this, with direct experience limited to the 2 areas nearby the plateau
Just like same game on PS4 pro running at high res but worse framerate when launch and get patch later with much better performance..hope Nintendo will following
I think that place is one the worst(framerate) in game
Okami Haundo
Member
You can make that choice! But... Gamexplain tested it and found that it doesn't improve performance for the docked mode.
I think the idea was to have the game rendered at 720p, not just the output (which means rendered at 900p and downscaled at 720p).
LordOfChaos
Member
Available bandwidth doesn't increase in docked mode. Since the drops appear when there's alpha effects or DoF it strongly hints at that being the issue, while lowering the resolution is enough to not make bandwidth the bottleneck, despite half the GPU clock.
The Omega Man
Member
If I had to simply guess, I'd say that the GPU is not being clocked to the 768MHz we see here, and is instead staying at 307.2MHz, leading to performance dips at 900p. The way it is shown here suggests that developers can choose between the two clocks in tv mode.
This is new to me, I didn't know the Switch can double its GPU clock speed in TV mode, that sounds like good speed bump big enough to iron out this framerate behavior with Zelda.
O well, I also think people are overreacting with the frame rate dips as it doesn't seem to negatively affect gameplay in my eyes.
This might be the case. Although I would expect bottlenecks to happen at 1080p not 900p.
Mattakuevan
Member
Ah, well.
A new handheld console it is.
A new handheld console it is.