Hyrule Warriors Switch Improves Over Wii U - But It's Still Not Good Enough

[@TheMarkusBoy]

Docked 900p and Handheld 720p would be enough to mantain 60fps maybe? They should prioritize smoothness over graphics quality here in my opinion

[@seacliff217]

I'd say maybe. However, considering it can drop to 40 at points at 1080, I don't think it will always be capped at 60fps if at 900p. I'd say 720p 60fps docked while 720p 30fps docked is still the best bet.

[@TheMarkusBoy]

Seacliff Mmm my point is mantaining a solid 60fps sacrificing some resolution or even graphics quality. Rock-solid 30fps could be good though

[@joeygreathouse3029]

Why choose? We should be able to choose ALL OF THESE OPTIONS IN A MENU. PC gamers are scratching their heads. ALL console games should have high res/high frame switch in options at the V E R Y M I N I M U M

[@dylan.dog1]

i think is cpu problem also at 720p you ll have same situations

[@indiomoustafa2047]

They should release a console that is actually up to date with those released six years ago. Its honestly a little stupid that original PS4s and Xbox Ones are still more powerful.

[@Astaticembrace]

It's the shadows. Does EVERY unit REALLY need to produce a high res shadow Koei?

[@helloguy8934]

Are you able to disable them on a modded switch?

[@o-datsingh7296]

​@@helloguy8934 nope

[@helloguy8934]

@@o-datsingh7296 rip

[@o-datsingh7296]

@@helloguy8934 modded switches just let you download games for free

[@helloguy8934]

@@o-datsingh7296 bro no

[@HarithBK]

i would like to confirm that enemy count has been boosted close range aswell on the switch over Wiiu as many kill X number of enemies challanges has been increased inorder to balance out the change.

[@TheGameCreator13]

And then you'd play multiplayer and have the visual quality turn to crap with only small groups of 5-25 enemies on screen for each player, getting high KO counts was impossible in co-op which was disappointing but the Switch seems like it will be much better

[@hermy3522]

TheGameCreator13 It is. You get a framerate between 35 and 45 fps, resolution seems to stay the same and there are as many enemies per player as they for Singleplayers on Wii U.

[@SteelSkin667]

If that 1080p down scaled resolution in portable mode isn't a bug, then they are needlessly crippling performance :/ What an odd choice.

[@bravebiird]

SteelSkin667 i swear its almost like they WANT their games to have slowdown, judging from their more recent history

[@hermy3522]

SteelSkin667 it would improve the framerate and the battery life to run it at 720p

[@ahums16]

Playing in portable? Performance is amazing. I honestly have no qualms and I put 196 hours into the Wii U version.

[@DiePoente]

@@ahums16 Stop lying, lmao. I bought the game a few days ago. The game has a lot of framedrops in handheld mode. The downscaling is so goddamn useless. It could run at locked 30 fps instead of 20-30 as it is.

[@ahums16]

@@DiePoente Yyyyeahh, I wrote that comment after playing the Wii U version for 206 hours and the Switch was still new to me. XD Which on Wii U was 720p @ 30 fps. The game for docked play is great, but it's absolutely abysmal that Koei Tecmo didn't make the game run at 720p in portable mode and still haven't patched it ~ so they will never at this point. If they did I'm sure that 60 fps would be much more doable.

[@danielevans7439]

There’s a definite change in the number of monsters loading. I noticed that my KO tally goes way higher in every level. I used to wait for monsters to load into the rooms after killing the first batch (especially on 2-player mode), but now they reload much faster. Huge quality of life improvement.

[@ViceCommando]

They patched Fire Emblem later. Might happen here too.

[@nickdude07]

I seem to recall Fire Emblem Warriors offering 1080p/30 or 720p/60 day one. But still it could be patched for Hyrule Warriors.

[@austinfondren2590]

If only

[@connorthurston7011]

Still hasn’t three years later

[@FettuciniPanini]

MASSIVE COPE LMAO

[@Michael18751]

Still not patched?

[@Mucrush]

Docked: 900p, could locked 60fps be possible?

[@alexanderchilton911]

Mucrush Probably with a few drops.

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

likely not as at 1080p the framerate is all over the place, 900p docked and 720p handheld would be logical

[@johneygd]

Who gives the shit about 180 pixels extra on screen,like 720p vs 900p? I don’t am fine with 720p. O and who gives the shit about 5fps EXTRA,like 55fps vs 60fps, i don’t don’t care am fine sith 55fps.

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

I'm not saying 720p or 900p. i'm saying both, also like you'd as long as we are hitting 55+ its good. I prefer FPS over resolution

[@thiamkiatsim3351]

johneygd pixel count doesn't work that way, the 180 pixels is just the single dimension pixel, when u count both dimension, it's (1920*1080) - (1600*900) which equals to 633.6k pixels. Still, I agree that the difference between the 2 wouldn't be big enough to notice at first glance

[@VSaccount]

oh c’mon koei, they should add that action mode thing in

[@therobotchickenMLP]

vertti Wait, this doesn't have that? I thought that was a given.

[@lpnp9477]

Nah ma, watch the video. It's 4-60 1080p docked and 30 or less at 1080p downsampled to 720p in handheld when 720p native would do wonders

[@isturbo1984]

Koei is actually the publisher. pretty sure they didnt handle this definitive edition. if anything, it would be Omega Force on their side, but again, not even sure if they handled this version.

[@VSaccount]

isturbo1984 i assumed omega force was a subsidiary of koei?

[@isturbo1984]

vertti yes. they are the developer. koei is the publisher. thats like saying Bethesda made Doom, Dishonored, The Evil Within and ESO... when in fact all different developers handheld each of those.

[@Sackboy612]

That explains it! Haha, it looked so crispy in docked (but more importantly superfluid) and almost too crispy handheld, that's interesting.

[@Sackboy612]

michael svensson It's a surprise that it goes from 720p/30 from the Wii U to 1080p/60~ on Switch, I only expected a resolution increase so the increase in fluidity was a nice surprise considering I didn't realise the games ran at an uncapped frame rate

[@Aces00]

...crispy?

[@Sackboy612]

Ace Crisp, clean Never heard that expression before? Same as saying sharp haha

[@Sackboy612]

michael svensson Yeah they act like 45-60 is super jarring but in gameplay it's really nice

[@bravebiird]

"not good enough" kind of made me laugh since this game has one of the largest performance boosts of any wii u port, but i do see the point. if they just set docked to 900p and handheld to 720p (maybe adaptive to be more stable) it would be wonderful. unfortunately, though they're good about patching games, it's rarely touched on the performance side

[@bellebuster5057]

BraveBird Lol comparing bad to bad doesn't mean it's good. The Switch is capable of more, we know. If you weren't such a butthurt fanboy you'd have realized they said they expected more numerous times. And that largest performance nonsense is just garbage you're feeding yourself since you have no evidence and don't work anywhere near the industry. Get a real home console/not a handheld.

[@bravebiird]

Cheshire Hat lol? you say i should've expected more and then say "get a real console". its fucking obvious itd run better on other platforms and i know that lmfao but its not like itll ever be ported to anything else. most wii u ports just got a bump from 720p to 1080p and nothing else, even less so with botw. this one doubles the framerate (yes obv it still sucks that its not consistent but ill gladly take it over a constant 25ish) and considerably ups the draw distance. what i'm saying is the raw performance boost was great, moreso than most first party ports (handheld performance is similar to wii u but rendering in 1080p still, meanwhile dkc ran at a lower resolution and other games just matched wii u fidelity) but their lack of optimization/effort is what created the flaws. i'm certain df feels the same way. thanks for blowing up at me tho, i guess we all gotta waste our time with toxic baby console wars every now and then

[@BasedRedemption]

"One of the largest performance boosts of any Wii U port" That's not saying much. Most WIi U ports were already running at 60 FPS on WIi U, so was there really any other performance boost they needed? All they did for this game was make the framerate unplayable to just barely playable. If the Switch can run Odyssey at 60 FPS then it can run this game at a stable 30 or 720p 60.

[@thechugg4372]

@@BasedRedemption I think Switch has a big problem with 1080p resolution, Odyssey doesn't have a fixed resolution so it can always keep the 60 FPS, other games on switch should do the same.

[@WestTownHD]

"Hyrule Warriors improves over switch, but is still not good" you guys must not have played the Wii u version multiplayer

[@SuperPlaytendo]

WestTownHD This sounds like something IGN would do.

[@nickdude07]

Multiplayer is much better now. Before on Wii U it was split content (1P on GamePad, 2P on TV). That framerate and resolution was pretty bad.

[@WestTownHD]

Nick Jones that was my problem. It even stays stable in terms of framerate. Really enjoy playing multiplayer on switch. Just for the love of God do not play multiplayer in hand held mode! Lol

[@julianand7750]

I honestly felt that the performance was generally pretty good despite the frame rate drops.I feel you guys are overstating the stuttering a bit. I do agree that portable mode should be rendered at 720p as that would improve performance on handheld mode.

[@SkyFellowship]

Julian Andrewartha agreed, this is the first version I’ve felt worked. I hated how it felt on WiiU and again on 3DS. 3rd time’s the charm IMO.

[@Scottoest]

Stuttering is a result of inconsistent frame times - when you're talking about a game that almost never seems to fit it's FPS target, it's kinda impossible to UNDERSTATE the amount of stutter it will cause. If you don't notice it, or don't care, that's fine - but it's a separate argument.

[@julianand7750]

I do notice when the frame rate drops, but it doesn't seem like as big of a deal breaker as Digital Foundry makes it out to be. Generally, the game feels pretty nice despite the frame rate performance.

[@claire6452]

It's a musou game, it's more about map movement than the combat itself. It's not like Mh4U n3ds where having unlock framerate going from 40 to 60 will ruin the game, I actually think it was the best choice. I don't want this mode to go in favour of a 30 fps lock, but if they add a 900p so it can reach 60fps then by all mean, just keep both in. Now portable mode is straight up garbage right now and needs a patch.

[@Xgen001]

It's just one of DF's biggest pet peeves, uneven frame rate. It is a preference thing. They always prefer stable 30fps over uneven uncapped. But I'm with you though, I feel like if a game can hit about 45 fps or above I'm good with that, and I prefer it to a stable 30 fps.

[@gagglegames]

I'm just gonna put it out there... Unstable 60fps is still leagues better than capped 30fps.

[@1ChomperChain]

I wonder if the frame rate would benefit from a dynamic resolution? Like it would hit 1080p but would also lower down too 720p or below depending on how much action on screen.

[@GuitarwolfZero]

There needs to be 3 options. 720p 60fps, 1080p 30fps and 1080p unlocked fps. Some people actually don't mind 40-60 fps. I could understand a 30fps lock if the framerate hovered around 35-40 all the time but HW is more often than not in the high 40s or 50s. I find the game plays pretty well and never experiences any severe sub 30fps slowdown in docked and there's no screen tearing which is nice.

[@ThistleBlue]

Having played through the Legend Mode and some of Adventure Mode, there's nothing wrong with it aiming for 60 and dropping to 40. The game is playable and nice to look at and play at the 1080p resolution. It is a huge improvement IMO, even with the unstable FPS.

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

there is a problem with it, promising 60fps and not hitting it most of the time is a problem.

[@Sackboy612]

NonsensicalVids 60 was never mentioned though in the marketing of the game and honestly it feels so good at 45+

[@lpnp9477]

Seriously I'll always take fluctuating frames above 30 over a locked 30 any day.

[@hermy3522]

Conor Porteous it was actually announced to be 1080p @ 30fps xD And now it's 1080p @45-60 fps

[@DesertRainReads]

Conor Porteous I just find it beyond sad that this is what we've come to. Bragging or bitching about FPS in a game rather than judging a game on it's own merits and whether or not it is actually fun to play.

[@Nuvendil]

Also, you missed a very, very clear increase of draw distance. The draw distance is *at least* doubled for enemies.

[@hermy3522]

Nuvendil and there are a lot more enemies rendered at once.

[@bishbish3103]

Hermy :3 You could get around 110 K.Os with Cia's special now :P

[@Nuvendil]

I love how 1920x1080 is "not bad for Switch." It's the highest possible supported res! I know that's probably not how you meant that but it made me chuckle :P Also, hope you cover Aces as well.

[@racerboyo]

Nuvendil it's considered "not bad" because most Switch games are 600p-900p and the other two enhanced consoles and most mid to high end graphics cards are usually 1440p-2160p.

[@Poever]

Ultra Smash?! You mean Mario Tennis?

[@Nuvendil]

Poever Yeah, I meant Aces

[@bishbish3103]

Racer boy And run around 30 fps :P

[@gagglegames]

The Switch better competes in the PS4/XBone space, not PSPro/XBonx space. For a console that can be taken outside, let alone simply away from the desk, it hits some high marks. To treat and compare it against stationary monstrosities of hot-running, higher priced machines is just unfair comparison. And when some of those higher res games you mention also have issues hitting a stable 30 in many cases, let alone a stable 60, I don't feel like the Switch is the console to be going after for fidelity and stability.

[@seekingsolutions7078]

It is a shame that all we focus on is frame rate and resolution. There is so much more that goes into what makes a game great. Who gives a hoot if it doesn't run perfectly. Now I read in the comments section, "Oh, if it's not a minimum 1080p and a stable 60fps I won't play it." It's freaking Link and Zelda killing a bunch of creatures! I don't know about you guys, but that sounds fine with me. (Edit) Don't get me wrong, I'm a geek and I find this content very interesting :)

[@BlazeHedgehog]

Between that "60fps isn't good enough anymore" comment on the Dark Souls Remastered PC vid and now this, you guys have been getting uncomfortably militant about this kind of stuff and I don't think I like it. At least John is trying to be the voice of reason here.

[@jjkb11]

It does have a good few areas of improvement, but overall I love this port. Especially since other than this I've only played on the old 3ds. One of my only real gripes/complaints is that cutscenes are no longer running in game like on Wii U. Be great to see alternate costumes in cutscenes which I had been kinda hoping for on switch. I understood pre recorded ones on 3ds because obviously it couldn't handle them, but on switch its just slightly disappointing. I still greatly enjoy it regardless.

[@ahums16]

As someone who put 196 hours into the Wii U version, I am sooooo happy I bought the Switch version. I really like how it performs. The framerates aren't that noticeable just playing, and enemy counts have skyrocketed. I've loved how it's performed in both docked and portable, I noticed portable had a little more pop in, but not really too much. Mostly in the Ganon's Fury mode and that's saying something. Milking a map before on the Wii U for as many KOs as possible was around 3,000 and here it's not uncommon to reach 4,000 KOs. I really hope they don't 'update' performance, I love the 1080p/60 range as it is and it's a major reason why I upgraded.

[@bishbish3103]

ahums16 I can sometimes reach 5k K.Os

[@ahums16]

BitchBitch 50 hours in, myself as well on occasional maps. :)

[@bishbish3103]

ahums16 Oof-

[@ahums16]

BitchBitch Hahaha! Though once I tried to max out at 9,999 KO's by milking the prisoner's spawn points in the Gerudo map when you don't save them, unfortunately only got up to 9,800 something as I ran out of time and had to complete the mission. :P If you are ever short on specific materials, Ganon's Fury mode can give you plenty of them, highly suggest frequenting that mode for specific enemies.

[@bishbish3103]

ahums16 Oh my-

[@logicalfundy]

Looks like a perfect game for dynamic resolution like we've seen in other games.

[@markvicferrer]

It plays much better than the WiiU version, but that really isn't saying much. All the options you mention would be good to add, but I get the feeling the developers aren't that good & Nintendo won't put any pressure on them to fix it.

[@julianand7750]

Also, I find it funny that you make such a big deal about 40-60fps but God of War's performance mode is exactly the same and you barely criticize it at all.

[@alexanderchilton911]

Julian Andrewartha True. But at least had a "locked" resolution mode (although the PS4pro version always will have a more unstable frame rate than the normal PS4 version, annoyingly enough).

[@madfinntech]

Julian Andrewartha It offers an option for steady 30fps mode.

[@88oscuro]

Guess that is because there was an option to play that game at a capped framerate as well. With Hyrule warriors you can't chose and thus have to endure the variable framerate.

[@alex_cookie33]

The 2 games are different, god of war was made for the ps4. While hyrule warriors is a port from previous gen.

[@psychopoison]

Julian Andrewartha LOL do you want to compare god of war graphics with this one? LoL are you serious?

[@joeygreathouse3029]

Dynasty Warriors was never able to hit 60 FPS consistently. Ever. That's NEVER happened. Ever. On ANY platform. In ANY title. Ever. Dynasty Warriors 2 was so laggy that it would hit single digits. I thought my PS2 was going to catch on fire trying to play that launch title. I honestly got worried, it was the only launch title that made me worried for my PS2. DW3 and DW4 were a bit better, but not much. Lag city. My friends and I would laugh at how laggy those games would get, especially in 2 player mode. This is an enormous improvement, no complaints about this port of Hyrule Warriors. Jesus, the Wii U version looked like a PS2 game in multiplayer and hovered between 10-20 FPS. It was horrendous.

[@Msf1011]

Having 40 FPS in-game I notice is sort of like 30 FPS on youtube videos (and 30 FPS youtube looks a lot smoother than in-game 30 FPS) and it only gets that low during heavy bosses and all. I hope I can get a switch this summer and pick this up! Portable for the win!

[@matwtf]

Why does fps have to be a choice of 30fps and 60? Back in the pal days 50fps was the peak and we didn't care about the US 60fps as we got higher resolution. Maybe 45 or 50fps could be new intermediate standard?

[@matwtf]

Walther Penne I know this. I was suggesting that 50fps should be considered as an acceptable alternative to 60fps especially in the case of the switch.

[@KatanaRikku]

Matthew Andrews It would cause screen tearing

[@ValensBellator]

I really didn't feel like playing it on the Wii U felt "bad", but then I've been playing dynasty warriors since DW 2 and have long been accustomed to their less than superb performances lol... regardless of console musuo mode generally damn near broke them in my experience. Given this appears to be a decent improvement over the Wii U one, I think I'd really like it. Does seem like portable should have received 720p for the 30fps cap as visuals usually look great on that smaller screen regardless.

[@TheKasikaasu]

Was this ever patched or improved in anyway or is it still in this same rough launch state? Was thinking of buying it used for cheap but not sure after this analysis 😅

[@ericbot924]

Bought it myself recently and it's still the same, the game was never patched, it's still on version 1.0.0

[@TheKasikaasu]

@@ericbot924 Dammit... That sucks. Sadly Nintendo is not the best when it comes to after release support. They rarely release anything unpolished but when they do, it can be a huge bummer

[@TheKasikaasu]

@@ericbot924 Does it feel as rough as it sounds in handheld mode based on DF's review? I have the OLED model and mainly now want to play handheld

[@ericbot924]

@@TheKasikaasu granted this is Koei Tecmo who are known for their pretty bad performance. Compared to the Wii U version this is a huge improvement and even at 1080p in handheld it still somehow runs better than AOC.

[@ericbot924]

@@TheKasikaasu It was fine, it depends if you have experience with other Warrior games on Switch and how you felt about them, I'd say it's better than AOC and even SW5 but it's worse than FEW, Three Hopes or DW8. Image quality is great at least

[@tombraider200571]

People keep forget the Switch isn't all that more powerful then the Wii-U. We are talking a 1.5x power boost due to wanting to focus on that Hybrid nature.

[@zorroknowsbetter]

The decision to Downsample 1080p to a 720p screen is so fucking weird when performance gets so impacted.

[@AnotherAnonymousFag]

Typical KOEI laziness.

[@Tank207]

Yeah, the framerate is awful in handheld mode.

[@bishbish3103]

Tank207 Its awful but still playable

[@skyriotAndKadeGaming]

40fps tp 60fps while not perfect, still rather that than locked 30fps.

[@skyriotAndKadeGaming]

Yeah but you also have to remember that there is Hyrule Warriors on the Wii U with framrate targeting 30fps at 720p but most of the times it runs at 25fps. 40fps to 60fps at 1080p is still a big improvement over 24 to 30fps

[@MadOrange644]

Cyber Dragon They can gives us the option to play at 720p so we can get a locked 60. Who the fuck cares about image quality in a an action game? You won’t notice a thing.

[@Zantagor]

Should actually go back and play DW2-5 again, they were NEVER stable 60FPS and had massive slowdowns

[@malbhet]

I'm just glad Nintendo is actually trying to make their newer games 6o fps across the board, can't say the same for Sony O_O

[@worldstarkeys8328]

sony does not charge full price for half assed ports unlike another company.

[@bishbish3103]

Worldstar keys Your right, it charges double for games that won't last 6 years. Do I have to mention that sony is the same dumb ass company that tried to destroy one of the most famous celebs of all time aka the King of pop?

[@Noxlion28]

The game runs a lot better docked than it did on Wii U. I'm happy. Not sure why DF is so disappointed.

[@hermy3522]

Komatose because the framerate is not a constant 60 like most other nintendo exclusives.

[@zacharystevens6193]

Engine optimization, as well as being heavily CPU bound is what's effecting the performance of the Switch. Just like the jaguar cores in Xbox One and PS4 the old Arm57 Quadcore CPU in the Switch that's not to mention under clocked is weak by today's standards. This is the big reason why Switch games that are triple A ports or heavily CPU bound run at 30fps on the Switch. The Switch has a problem running demanding games at higher resolution than 720p because its GPU is severely under clocked and has a really low memory bandwidth. People have to remember that Switch is using high end late 2015 tech that's under clocked since it's a mobile device in 2018 running demanding console games. Remember people there are more things to a game being demanding than just resolution and realistic graphics. Such as shadows, physics, shaders, textures, lighting, polygon count and AI. Not to mention the engine that the game runs on.

[@Nahtan123]

That's not ENTIRELY true but for the most part you're right. There's quite a few examples of games that run above 720p, every first party game runs at at least 900p with most games reaching 60fps, and personally I can barely tell the difference between 900p and 1080p. The Switch is weak but when games are properly optimised they can run extremely well, it's just a shame that not all developers choose to optimise their games.

[@zacharystevens6193]

Nathan I'm not saying that the Switch is weak man. I'm saying that demanding triple A third party games like Doom for example is what I'm trying to explain. First party Nintendo games obviously tend to run at a higher resolution because they were built from the ground up for the Switch. While other games made by third party developers are made for the PS4 and Xbox One in mind stronger systems that have X86 architecture and then ported to the Switch ARM architecture. I'm happy with what the Switch can do it is powerful but, I just listed its technical flaws.

[@AlvinEarthworm]

Even if they were using more modern tech, one thing that will hinder it is battery life. Games like this drain the power in only a few hours. So unless battery tech is improved considerably not long into the future, this is the best we'll get.

[@Nahtan123]

I see where you're coming from. When I said weaker I should have said in comparison with the PS4/XB1, so that's a mistake on my part.

[@zacharystevens6193]

Mark Haynes If Nintendo went with an ARM 70 series CPU they could have gotten more efficiency, higher clock speed and a lot more performance. The ARM57 CPU in the Switch is 3 years old and is power hungry so less performance and really low clock speed with more power consumption.

[@RockBandRS]

I think Nintendo made a mistake promoting the Switch as a home console first and portable second. My friends and I all use it as a portable console. Even data released by Nintendo themselves show that most people use it in portable mode. They should focus on 720p 60 fps in portable mode. Then, since the Switch has USB-C, they should release a dock with its own gpu for people who want 1080p 60 fps on their TV.

[@Momoka7]

Why they not reduce the Graphic Fidelity so Games can run at 60FPS, or at least give people the *Option* to do so. I am *Hugely* bothered by 30FPS games ... if i not get 50+ FPS my eyes hurt after a while.

[@88oscuro]

Is the performance better on wii u if you play on gamepad? Or does the wii u send a 720p signal that downsamples to the 480p screen of the gamepad?

[@jerrysmart9051]

Looking back at this video now I've been replaying the game, I am totally fine with the performance on Docked Mode. It's not stuttery and off-putting and significantly better than what it was like on Wii U. I think it looks more off-putting when you look at the graph on this video, but I have little to no issues with it honestly. Performance seems better in later levels so maybe that's why? First level is more closed up and more fuller whereas a lot of levels later on are open, but can have less going on? So likely hits closed to 60fps. Portable Mode is just weird though. That should be 720p. Not sure why they didn't because this isn't their first Warriors game on Switch so it's not like they're alien to the hardware either back then.

[@conorsulli]

I love the DF switch videos its interesting looking at what a hybrid console can do I watch them way more than the other current gen consoles even if its a PS4 sitting under my TV at the moment :)

[@646464mario]

I was wondering where this video was. Thanks again, Digital Foundry!

[@Syntherus]

As long as it's above 30 fps that's a win for me, the Wii U version was atrocious. Also, the thing I noticed almost immediately was the increase in enemies. I remember hitting some areas where the game would give me between 10 and 20 enemies at a time and I was waiting for more to spawn so I could kill them. Now I'm never waiting because there's such an abundance of them. Co-op was even worse on the Wii U. You'd get 5 enemies on screen and it would stay below 20fps.

[@MMoer]

Now lets hope Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity will have proper framerate with correct framepacing and at least give us the option to choose between performance and quality mode. Since the graphics are a 1to1 copy of BOTW I have a bit of hope that Nintendo fixed their age old engine a bit and made it run smoother than this.

[@Awsomander]

Unfortunatly this didn't age well. AoC is far worse performance wise than DE. Also no performance mode either...

[@ninjab952]

@@Awsomander I'm going to wait to play it until a better system comes out.

[@heroofthewild7082]

I'm glad the game is 1080p at 60fps even unstabe I want both of Resolution and FPS.

[@gametourny4ever627]

Wish you guys would have mentioned how Co Op ran on the TV and Portable mode.

[@xxnike0629xx]

The Switch just needs a powered up dock to help games run better while in docked mode.

[@AlvinEarthworm]

@xxnike629xx Games will still need to be able to run in handheld mode. Also, the Switch gets pretty hot even in the current dock and you want them to make a more powerful one? You might as well stick the thing into a toaster, since that will doubtlessly produce the same result.

[@KISSFan1977]

I may get it when they put it on a good sale but for the time being I will enjoy it on my Wii U just fine.

[@zachb4561]

Okay. I only had this game for my New 3DS XL and loved it (framerate never bothered me). I plan on playing this version docked only. Will it be a substantial/noticeable upgrade, enough so to warrant a purchase? I know this is opinion, but I'm curious what other people in my situation think.

[@AlvinEarthworm]

I've played both the 3DS and Switch versions for hundreds of hours, and I definitely think it's worth a purchase.

[@danonimob]

You can't say 720p would run at 60fps. This game has a lot of NPCs on screen at the same time. We could be looking at a CPU bottleneck here.

[@TheCasualSubculturist]

I knew you guys going to do video for this one!

[@isturbo1984]

Bouncing between 40 and 60 fps in my single-player Warriors game is the least of my worries. How about fixing that pop-in and better drawn distances?

[@ScrubCrusher69]

Thank you for doing this video, Digital Foundry!

[@KDBgames]

I don't get all the complaints. Sure, I would've prefered a stable framerate, but honestly, after 10 minutes I got used to it and the game looks and plays super smooth. I've spent more hours already on this version than the Wii U version and 3DS version combined. Though, the handheld supersampling is a huge suprise, the framerate is still good but I'd prefered a native 720p to be honest.

[@KDBgames]

Besides, Warriors games never really have a stable framerate. One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 on the PS4, a game I also enjoy, has the same (arguably worse) framerate than this game. Even then I prefere the PS4 version over the PC version. In the end both games play great and are a ton of fun.

[@kevin-bf4ww]

if you want 60 frames you actually dont want to play a warrior's game

[@KomradeDubbers]

Could you guys cover GTA San Andreas? It's gonna be backwards compatible on the 7th and I wonder if there's gonna be any improvements because the game had alot of bugs like missing audio from cutscenes but it was a port from mobile so it wasn't much of a remaster.

[@Michael18751]

Has this not been patched yet? How the fu- I heard that you can fix this issue by restarting the switch and never dock. Is this true? Or do you just need to not dock after starting the game and if you do, you would need to restart to go back to 720p...

[@ChiefMedicPururu]

Still not patched in 2023. Same for its memory leak.

[@ImJustBooch]

I wanted to figure out if any gameplay was added. Like I dont remember being able to switch characters on the battlefield on the wii u. Was that always a thing? Are there any other differences like that?

[@ImJustBooch]

@@aimeejohnston7910 Thank you so much for the information! I knew there was something different. Thanks again!

[@kamikazilucas]

yay you finally made a video on this

[@chaserobison6166]

This is why Switch games should not be rushed, and most titles releases will (and should) lag behind their PS4/Xbox1/PC counterparts.

[@Slytzel]

Please make a video about the new Hyrule Warriors game on Switch!

[@shadowhunterrx]

No wonder it looked so clean in handheld mode and how fast my battery is dead 2 hours and 20 min. I dont notice the bad framerate. But that's more because am used to Vita games 😂

[@Abpaco1]

There are ways to enhance the Switch battery, plus it uses a "C Charger", so it can be plugged anywhere and keep playing. Games like Botw, which is huge, can go up to 3 hours.

[@Abpaco1]

sushi otaku For other games it has a better battery. Maybe it's not for you but for a lot of people Switch is the ultimate portable console.

[@tek3576]

sushi otaku it's a handheld not a phone, that's like saying an android or apple tablet isn't "a good mobile" because it doesn't go in your pocket. Being a handheld means you can hold it in your hands and play, it doesn't mean it has to be pocketable

[@shadowhunterrx]

sushi otaku so are you butthurt about it ? Did I hurt your fanboy feelings ? The first Vita also had max 3 hours on some games. Atleast I own both and enjoy both systems.

[@bellebuster5057]

shadowhunterrx That's BS, I still play my Vita to this day. You don't own one to make such a stupid statement. Switch battery is trash, I bought it year of release due to hype. Stoping being a fanboy or a just a sad troll.

[@solidsnakegaming3756]

Digital Foundry did i will tell you The Definition of Insanity ? Where my Legendary Far Cry 3 Classic Tech Analysis ??? Cmon Guys!

[@JM_Traslo]

Finally, had been desperately awaiting the DF Hyrule Warriors Definitive video. I think what was surprising was that Hyrule Warriors came to Switch so fast, since Fire Emblem Warriors wasn't done with its DLC. I think it was definitely rushed out as they were working on the final push for Dynasty Warriors 9. I hope that Koei give it the post-launch love they gave the previous two versions, if that happens we might see a serious boost overall.

[@omarninopequeno]

They should change the resolution to 900p, that would give them more stable fps in both docked and portable modes, probably without having to worry that much about downscaling on portable mode.

[@extofer]

When you watch these videos remember that these guys are providing a mostly objective technical analysis - to most people, we won’t actually notice the frame rate issues. One thing I always recall is when the frame rate slipped once in Super Mario Odyssey it was called “lamentable” by digital foundry and I actually laughed out loud. This kind of language is a bit dramatic and no the average gamer is not going to care.

[@Dylan99781]

Really interesting stuff, I really appreciated this one.

[@zanychelly]

The image has better colors on Switch, at least on the presented video.

[@DesertRainReads]

As long as the game is totally playable and the framerate doesn't slow down to an absolute slog, who gives a shit? I have all three current gen systems mind you and a capable PC, so I do not say this as a fanboy of any company.

[@MerryBlind]

I'm surprised they didn't mention the lighting. It's obviously improved, or at least "tweaked".

[@danielletras4840]

You make it sound like the game is completely unplayable. Whilst I understand that picking apart these things is part of your day job, I think you're being a little on the harsh side. I personally so far in my experience haven't had a problem playing through the game and I don't believe the drop in frame rate is that noticeable that it takes you out of the game.

[@bluedragon9925]

Honestly, I think Platinum should have handled the Framerate vs. Resolution allocation in a similar way to many PS4 Pro games. Give players using the game on a docked Switch the choice between a high resolution mode that runs at 1080p with a 30fps cap and a high framerate mode that runs at the highest resolution it can run at while still maintaining a locked 60. Then just have the game downrender to 720p when running undocked so it can have a stable framerate. Everyone wins!

[@HAILtoSTARSCREAM]

Please make a comparison video for The Crew 2.

[@GameMasterpg]

DigitalFoundry moves slow with putting out video's. I don't see that coming until Monday since Sunday is used for John Retro video's.

[@подруга-л4л]

my two favorite DF members in 1 video

[@Archivist42]

IMO a simple 30 fps optional cap would be appreciated. I'm all about the consistency

[@MetaPlay23]

Okay I did not expect such disappointing results D: I hope they fix these frame issue with a patch of some sort? Or maybe add the two framerate modes?

[@JacobKinsley]

I honestly didn't notice the frame drops when I played it.

[@nintendonerdjoseph]

Oh my God, who cares? As long as it's above 30. Regardless, what's the appeal in this series of games? It looks like mindless hacking and slashing. Is there any challenge? What keeps people so in love with this Warriors franchise?

[@bishbish3103]

Joseph F You have to play it in order to understand it

[@nintendonerdjoseph]

BitchBitch I tried it. It was not fun for me.

[@bishbish3103]

Joseph F Huh well everyone has their own opinions :/

[@bravebiird]

it's been 5 years and i'm still PISSED ABOUT THIS GAME RENDERING TWICE AS MANY PIXELS AS IT NEEDS IN HANDHELD MODE WE COULD'VE HAD A PERFECT 60 FPS HANDHELD DYNASTY WARRIORS GAME?? A REALLY GOOD ONE AT THAT? I WANNA THROW A CHAIR AT KOEI TECMO

[@LoganE01]

Lol it is crazy but no need to throw chairs

[@AdamMckeithan]

coming from the new 3ds to the switch I am happy with the game and port.

[@arranmc182]

TBH Nintendo are pushing 1080p to much on the switch and a lot of 3rd party devs still have not started getting the full performance like nintendo can and should encourage resalution options in games than trying to aim for just 1080p all the time.

[@teddym2808]

possibly stupid question.. is a solid, never fluctuating 30 FPS better than something like this fluctuating between 40 and 60? On the video right here it does look smooth to me though.. what can I say...

[@LoganE01]

Might be a crazy request but I think you guys should take a relook at all the warrior/hero games for switch to take a look at them on a overclocked switch or with modded settings, and maybe take a look at the options for running them on modern PCs.

[@spectrumbots4268]

I remember playing this game, and it wasn't very good on Wii U.. But at least the game in general runs better than DW9 in general. It's really sad that many Warriors games after PS2 have serious framerate issues. The Switch should have handled this rather easily to be honest. I'll stick with BOTW on Switch for the time being.

[@alexisroberge900]

I play the game on portable mode and yes sometimes theres slow down but in general it does not get in the way of my enjoyment of the game ! :)

[@BritishTeaFGC]

Did they test how the game plays with two players? I played the game a lot with my friend and it caused issues on certain missions because there would be less enemies on the screen. Did that change for the Switch version?

[@cosbusta]

The word "definitive" is being thrown around so easily these days for straight ports. I mean not even bothering adjusting the resolution for handheld mode? That's a new level of lazy.

[@callinater6133]

cosbusta this is a definitive edition since it comes with all the dlc and legends content

[@SonicMaster211]

... Seriously? This isn't just a "Straight port".

[@Folutu]

Indeed, they've done some steps back for each step forward in this one.

[@SonicMaster211]

@Folutu There is no steps back...

[@Folutu]

Character banter occasionally doesn't show. Or never shows if they're summoning a giant boss. Bazaar can't be accessed from the Adventure Maps themselves anymore. You have to go into the character select screen to access it. Legends DLC stuff is integrated in a pretty lazy manner. Inconsistent frame rates. Some moves of the characters feels buggy and/or wonky compared to the previous Hyrule Warriors games.

[@Thesurge747]

Man, I played Legends plus its DLC to completion (not 100%. fuck that.) on a New 3DS. If I can get used to 240p 30 fps with downgraded animations and only 20 grunts on screen, you sure as hell can enjoy the occasional drops to 40 fps. I don't want to here ANY complaints.

[@AlvinEarthworm]

If you don't want to hear any complaints, you're in the wrong place. Digital Foundry do nothing but complain.

[@MuArt242]

A little disappointing but don't let a graphics comparison get in the way of your fun time. You can still purchase and have fun playing the game. Digital Foundry is primarily telling you what's in it, but not the experience that you as a player is going to get. Please tell the difference.

[@Phelaidar]

They should make the res a little lower and add a good temporal aa to fix that framerate.

[@TheShangryLlamas]

Games like this need to have three settings. 1080p Uncapped, 1080p 30fps, and 720p 60fps.

[@lomstertv366]

And now the most interesting thing: Performance in Splitscreen Mode!??

[@Guovssohas]

How does the framerate hold up with co-op splitscreen mode? That's what i'm curious about. Anyone?

[@teddym2808]

well, still better than wii u, new 3ds, and dynasty warriors 8/warriors orochi.. i think this is the warriors game I'll finally get.. been deciding for months.

[@rush1477]

switch version missing 5.1 audio, please fix it KT

[@musilva]

Did you test the multiplayer mode?

[@flixlion9109]

Wonder how it performed if they put it at 900p docked /600p mobile. Maybe a much more stable 60fps with a few dips below 60fps but not as many as right now.

[@alexandernewman4599]

I’ll take an average 45 fps unlocked game versus a locked 30: sure, maybe responsiveness is inconsistent, but the average responsiveness is higher. Portable mode performance is pretty disappointing and it needs to be addressed, but at least docked mode improves BOTH frame rate and image quality

[@SupaRush]

Is that General Sam doing commentary?

[@CodyCombat]

Just add the quality vs performance option like in Fire Emblem and it will be perfect.