Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Run AMAZING with an Overclocked Switch

[@Emmett_Peterson]

The pause in the beginning got me good 😂

[@1acym460]

I was so confused ,I probably replayed it like 5 times to make sure I'm not going crazy

[@Emmett_Peterson]

@@1acym460 🤣 me too I even checked my Wi-Fi

[@Zer0_2199]

Same I burst out laughing 😂

[@Emmett_Peterson]

@@Zer0_2199 🤣

[@PrimeSky98]

I knew it was coming and I knew when it happened, it was a joke. Yet a part of me still believed it was buffering lol

[@Guardian_Arias]

it's not just the underpowered cpu and gpu, this game is constantly loading new textures from STORAGE, there are too many textures in this game to dump all the data needed into memory to run smoothly. Even on PC on yuzu where it behaves closer to a switch i see frame stuttering hard when running the game off an HDD then better on an SSD and best if i make a virtual drive on my RAM. Then on Ryujinx where it preloads the entire shader cache into memory at every start there is significant performance boosts but pokemon sv uses up 10gigs of ram thats more than the game itself uses up on my drive.

[@KingKevin108]

I keep seeing people talk about emulating the switch and how the performance of it is. It makes me really want to figure out how to do it, I've got a launch Switch after all 🤔

[@Guardian_Arias]

@@KingKevin108 having a launch switch is a unicorn because you can actually transfer back and forth save files and if you avoid pirating games you can actually keep your switch online still. Otherwise you don't need a switch, between github and general googling you can find all the files you need.

[@natayaway]

seeking that amount is fine. having files loaded from storage and stored in memory buffers and constantly flushed and reloaded is how a game is supposed to function efficiently. the issue is the texture streaming budget is being exceeded. the switch's hardware has a finite cap, and optimizations simply were not done enough to keep it under budget. this makes it an optimization issue, not a hardware issue.

[@itz_akuma]

Yeah I could tell by the side by side comparison after the update... that the issue was render distance and the layers . It's trying to be like botw with render distance but it's not optimized the same way . Layers seemed too heavy .

[@adur06]

@@KingKevin108 If you have bought the game and a Switch, you can pirate those games without being morally wrong and not offending any multimillionaire corporation, if that's what you care. Also downloading a game of the internet makes it much easier that dumping it from your switch, you'll find tutorials on yt. And as long as you have a decent PC, it'll run infinitely better

[@AustinJohnPlays]

Gotta go Fast(er)

[@Eni.Starfall]

*_sPEED!_*

[@aronp2309]

You after Nintendo's lawyers see this video: I'd fight it, but I don't think Nintendo is going to accept "gotta go fast" as a medical condition

[@MetaGamingDojo]

@@aronp2309 I thought Nintendo's motto was to have better performance over graphics?😅

[@Dork__]

I am Speed :]

[@AustinJohnPlays]

@@MetaGamingDojo it's Fun over graphics

[@vrrealo724]

I wouldn’t have even known that buffering in the beginning was fake if I wouldn’t have read the comments

[@simple_chaos]

yep same lmao

[@TimidSylveon]

Dev kits are usually significantly more powerful than release variants. It’s possible that the performance was much better in testing due to higher clock speeds and they didn’t expect retail consoles to be that bad.

[@IplayTeemoasaWard]

I think Gamefreak has some pretty incompetent employees, but NEVER testing on a retail switch sounds wayyyy to stupid

[@iamgoo]

@@IplayTeemoasaWard too*

[@theVisionairey]

@@iamgoo lmaooo

[@nykaloth9023]

But they must've been aware of how bad retail consoles would be since they implemented so much to help the game run better!

[@SuperCasino77]

I mean it's still completely inept to not even test on a retali console then

[@timdelaney95]

Given that BOTW was the first game to undergo development for the Switch, BOTW2 releasing with a reprised/new model Switch would not surprise me at all

[@Chris-Moore501]

BOTW's emptiness (while well maintained) is more obviously due to the limited specs of the system. Pokemon's populated, colorful world is too much to ask of the current Switch.

[@dragonskinner7109]

@@Chris-Moore501 💀

[@haltata]

That also runs on the Wii U so

[@AzureSwiper]

@@Chris-Moore501 All 3 Xenoblades with populated and detailed worlds say otherwise. Also, there are party members of +4 people that follow you throughout the game. Please, try a better argument and face up to the fact that GameFreak is either incompetent or rushed.

[@AzureSwiper]

@@Chris-Moore501 BOTW was also a Wii U game. 🤣 👏

[@Shellbulletkaz]

The one thing I truly appreciate with you as someone who covers a lot of Nintendo games, is the fact that you pull no punches when it comes to mistakes they make. You don’t simply attack anyone but professionally critique the issues that a lot of apologists ignore.

[@Power3studios]

Right? It's a breath of fresh air, because a lot of Nintendo fans defend them in areas that do not warrant defense, and a lot of non-Nintendo fans criticize or hate them in areas that do not warrant those responses, either. Like my friends call me a Nintendo fanboy because I call out their bad takes on Nintendo, but the thing is, I criticize A LOT of Nintendo, because there is a lot to criticize. Just not "lol smash servers bad so all game servers bad" or "console can't run".

[@Tygersbyte]

I do really hope the next switch model is significantly more powerful. I'd happily pay more.

[@DevastationTowardCompletion]

Clever intro! Had me rewind a couple times just to admire the editing of it. 👍🏻

[@JoshArtisto]

For me, Area Zero had a very low framerate when I first entered. It wasn't until the recent firmware update that Area Zero started working normally. If they have DLC for these games I really hope they learn from this.

[@Vereid]

Yeah my Area Zero, which I only reached last night, runs terribly. At least it did last night.

[@Nobody-su9km]

c'mon pal, it's gamefreak, they obviously didn't.

[@JoshArtisto]

@@Nobody-su9km True

[@SyIynt]

(They didn’t)

[@Mikuroko69]

Came from the future to say no. They didn't learn/change anything to help with frame rates

[@jmikemc446]

I have Switch Lites, so this answers why I have had fewer issues with the games than what others have complained about. Thanks, Austin!

[@brian_Austin27]

Yeah me too

[@fenrirfenris4608]

Same here

[@baronsionis6855]

Ah, was wondering why my frames were actually pretty solid most of the time.

[@Smoothiko]

I have the second version switch and I play docked all the time and oddly enough I still hardly have issues with the game as well

[@blazephoenix5849]

@shadowtheking1956 I have a 1st day version 1 switch and the only places my game struggled was in the 2 forest areas

[@brenda0006]

I like to think that there is a nintendo game dev out there that will watch this and shed a tear at their struggles finally being understood.

[@reversal]

I saw that intro and I appreciate what you’ve done with it.

[@SirMopy]

love your daily shiny reaction videos!! also great and chill streams on twitch!

[@definitelynotchadfish]

I think the most likely scenario is that Executives are constantly overpromising on release dates and game developers are working on a timeline that is not feasible to meet, therefore sacrifices have to be made in order to meet the deadline. Hopefully they continue to optimize the game and it keeps getting better.

[@mcihay246]

Unfortunately, I don't think this is going to stop anytime soon. Because of things like the Anime, Merchandising, etc, there's a tight schedule to be met that was formed many years in advance.

[@definitelynotchadfish]

Yeah and it’s not just this game or franchise. It is loads that come out.

[@zerro7473]

​@@definitelynotchadfish if they could just get more help with the game but they dont want to work with to many people they said.

[@The13thPaladin]

I have a V1 switch and my game drops to 10 fps when I go through the tagtree thicket. I definitely do not think that they tested this game on older switches to check performance, because I refuse to believe they experienced the same lag I did and said "yup, this is acceptable". I would hope that it's the latter and that they're working on developing a newer switch/switch pro that has a better chip. But here's to hoping I guess!

[@Zenshu1]

My theory is a lot less kind, based on a few different things I think the Pokemon Company is just done with it all and is just throwing out whatever trash they have on hand for the rabid fans to eat up while they prepare to announce the end of their games.

[@AttacMage]

my day 1 switch ran about the same as my OLED has, but I've also fiddled with it in CFW. was playing on stock mode, though.

[@helchin93]

@@Zenshu1 It would be really cool if they did a send off game. I don't care if it takes 5 years, give us gen10. A national pokedex. and Pokemon home. Use every last bit of optimization and output it on the newest hardware. Its nintendo so its extremely unrealistic, but idk. I think there are enough pokemon games for them to just focus on pokemon adjacent projects like pokken, or mystery dungeon, or snap, or something more story driven. We have plenty of pokemon now. I just wish they would give us something as well executed as BOTW but for Pokemon.

[@brehella770]

@The Real Zenshu The fact of the matter is that they do care and Game Freak doesn’t want to shovel out games just for the money. If they wanted to do that they’d just make indie games in the same style as D/P and call it a day. They’re definitely trying to improve, they’re trying to stick with the times, but they’d need a larger team and more time.

[@ivangg378]

The v1 switch runs the same as the OLED

[@pathos7527]

I really hope that more powerful sequel to the Switch discussed in this video is coming that runs SV the way it’s intended to play, because I feel like most people playing agree, this is one of if not the best Gen in every other aspect of the games, it is just held back by the performance. Having it go at full speed and getting to see the “true potential” of the games would be great to have a better sense of what quality they can have on the whole. I hope that if they do that, they’ll have an update that addresses the things that are there by design like the low poly models for distant Mons, etc. Guess it’s a waiting game for now. Edit - Just to clarify, because I see some comments assuming I think otherwise: I don’t think SV are perfect games, and I do think GameFreak made their share of mistakes in how they were handled, especially on polishing them before they came out. I just also find that they are a lot of fun and have several great qualities in spite of those issues, a sentiment a lot of others seem to have as well. I also reckon the answer to why those issues exist is more nuanced than “nobody at GameFreak cares.” Perhaps some of them, especially on an executive level, rushed things and didn’t care about the impact that would have on the quality, but that isn’t a reflection on the work of the artists, writers, region designers and so on that clearly put a lot of effort in. Overgeneralizing to say “therefore, NOBODY at GameFreak cares because somebody there doesn’t about this one aspect” just doesn’t strike me as having an accurate bead on the reality of the situation. Nobody should have to upgrade if it was promised to run fine on the current hardware, I agree. I’m simply curious about the impression it does stand to make if it ran better, as issues with challenge or story are more subjective but the performance aspect is an objective problem that holds back how favorable I think we are able to look at the good aspects as a result.

[@bethgodley2930]

I think the switch 2 theory is giving game freak way too much credit. There are plenty of other open world games that already run well on the switch, and have been since the console launched. Hell, legends arceus runs far better than SV despite being from the same company. Its known that game freak runs a far smaller dev team than most studios, and that they are extremely reluctant to put back releases due to other merchandise. Lack of time to optimise everything seems a far more likely explanation for the performance issues.

[@grimgiant3378]

@@bethgodley2930 Yeah i agree i feel like pushing the agenda that a “switch 2” will fix everything is kinda dismissive of how bad the game was optimized by gamefreak and just shifting the blame to Nintendo themselves when they didn’t even make the game

[@cv6531]

@@bethgodley2930 it's entirely poor optimization. Buuut people would rather blame the hardware.

[@Bakatora04]

You have games like Xenoblade 3 that run way better in the regular Switch, Gamefreak just fail at optimization this time, we do know dev kits are stronger than regular switches, so maybe that didn't help.

[@EchoSeraphim]

What do you think in regards to the game taking out some QOL things that other games had? Like moving items around from Pokemon to Pokemon when you're not in the box, as one example

[@mr.guacamole]

Love the intro

[@diamondman12]

It'd be interesting to see scarlet vs violet in comparison of performance. Speedrunners have abandoned violet as a version because it runs a lot slower over time thanks to Miraidons model and effects when you use boost or glide etc. It's nothing massive but it's an interesting difference.

[@triggermuch6421]

It’s so awesome how popular you’ve become because of these videos, 100% deserves. Amazing job and keep up the good work!

[@ryans6016]

I recently went back to playing SwSh and am appreciating/enjoying it so much more after playing SV. You take the little things for granted like be able to physically walk into a store and Pokémon center.

[@cleverman383]

Same for me but with BDSP. I love how every town in those games are so unique and have lots of NPCs to talk to.

[@xX_MC_OvU_PvP_YT_Xx]

Common "the previous gen is always gonna be better than the current gen" brand comment. Go outside.

[@cleverman383]

@@xX_MC_OvU_PvP_YT_Xx I started Pokemon with Shield and Violet. Then I went back and played the older games and I realized that they're even better.

[@trevorwebb8185]

I think the levincia thing was this games "big city". Your celadon, goldenrod, jubilife, especially castellia. Every game has always had that one big city. Black and white did a good job making every city look different, yet have large cities.

[@ishallnomonyou]

I think your prediction about Nintendo waiting for the new Zelda game to come is correct. Makes total sense they would release the new and more powerful switch with one of their star child games.

[@trevorwebb8185]

With botw being an original switch launch title, having totk for a new model launch title would work perfectly. I just hope it's not "new switch" exclusive games for another few years.

[@ziegfeld4131]

We are never getting an upgraded switch they will just release a new console

[@mariotheundying]

@@trevorwebb8185 if nintendo wants it to be like botw's release then they would need to make it be able to run in a normal switch because botw released on Wii U too

[@Htiy]

@@trevorwebb8185 I’m expecting a switch with increased power. The system in idea is almost perfect

[@SashenkaKun]

Anything announced now would be a whole new console entirely. There's no way they would release something similar to the N3DS again.

[@Donk100]

This was a great video and unlike other youtubers, you took your time to collect information and test the game using the full potential of its chip to list multiple reasons why you believe we will receive a new hardware system next year along side the release of Zelda tears of the kingdom. Keep it up Austin!

[@goldenreaper0738]

The funny thing about scarlet and violet is when I first play the game the sky was completely blacked out and inverted for the first few hours of gameplay. I did not expect this comment to get this much attention.

[@JDLong006]

That happened on my 2nd playthrough, picked a darker skin tone and Clavell also had a darker skin tone and I was so confused

[@pyramidserum]

@@JDLong006 GAME THEORY: Clavell Is Your GRANDPA?!

[@nolanstone4723]

@pyramidserum Clive the regular yet super hip STUDENT of the academy is your dad and Clavell is your grandfather.

[@jamerv777smerf]

🤣🤣🤣

[@jamerv777smerf]

A kid vanished right in front of me when he was walking towards me😭I told my Pokemon homies and asked if I was ok

[@getrektnoob777]

It’s amazing to see what scarlet and violet could have looked like if things went right

[@andydossantosloureiro3735]

I have to say. I really loved to listen to your monolog here! Nicely written script! On point and makes someone think about all that's happened. Great work :)

[@Z0RUK]

Apparently, removing Ed Sheeran's song and removing a single line of code that limits FPS can also bring the same effect. That's why a lot of SV mods for optimisation have those features included.

[@KWH-PortCityShota]

Ed Sheeran crashed the game..? 💀

[@Z0RUK]

@@KWH-PortCityShota The audio file is corrupted so it significantly reduces the performance of the games and has a part in some of the glitches. It's crazy, I know. But somehow, it's true.

[@grunkleg.2934]

Ed Sheeran's song is so garbage, it literally tanks the performance of the entire game. Maybe in future versions of the game, it'll get the "I Am The Wind" treatment, where they change the song due to copyright

[@TheAwesomeDarkNinja]

Still blows my mind that they don't patch that. It probably wouldn't take that long to remove a line of code and replace the audio file.

[@shatteredsentient5321]

NO WAY IS THIS A JOKE XD? That's crazy

[@Enterprisingengine93]

Austin, thank you for explaining this so well. I love the game but this definitely helped me understand how the hardware itself affects the experience.

[@GreyGamingGG]

Regardless, I wish they would at least implement different profiles for the OLED and mini. Buying that new hardware should come with *some* perks however miniscule. Doesn't stop the game from working on old hardware with a different profile. Excellent discussion and video!

[@foxello2008]

This was such an interesting deep dive into the performance issues that SV encounter, and why. As a complete novice when it comes to gaming tech, this was very helpful. And so much more constructive than the 'gAmE fReAk hAtEs tHe fAnS' hot takes parroted by certain people. I really hope that these issues can be resolved so the games can run to their maximum capabilities. SV are such fantastic games with great characters and a genuinely moving storyline. They deserve so much more credit, and ironing out the lagging and overall performance problems would cement them as top tier Switch titles. Thanks for all the top level content this year!

[@NateJMusic]

I love this video. This provides something that I value alot more than alot of things...say it with me guys... "CONTEXT". As always thank you Austin

[@rockerduel00]

THANK YOU for this video! The Switch performance details in your video led me to change the Switch’s TV Resolution setting to 720p in an attempt to improve docked performance. Eliminating the upscale required from native 720 to 1080 output had a substantial impact. It reduced lag and stabilized frame rate while sacrificing a little graphic fidelity. I imagine my gameplay in docked mode is now closer to how it was intended. Just a bandaid solution and I hope Game Freak can develop the miracle update that’s needed to run PKMN S&V at high resolution with minimal dropped frames on the underpowered Switch. I’m on Gen2 Switch (bigger battery, not OLED) and game software is saved to internal memory.

[@itswoahfoxy]

The last section of this video really hit different. It’s crazy to think about and I could definitely see Nintendo doing something like you explained. I almost would’ve rather waited out for a better switch and a better performing pokemon game with more attention to detail. But I still love Scarlet/Violet for what they are. Here’s to hoping for that switch pro asap

[@Carnage_808]

BOTW was released as the flagship game of the Nintendo Switch. I wouldn‘t be surprised if TOTK, it’s sequel 6 years in the making, was released alongside a new Switch. And when it happens, I will be crying, clutching the OLED I got for Christmas.

[@singaming8541]

That pause... nice one. I still say that S&V needed AT LEAST another 6 months of development, but I'm just a gamer, what would I know?

[@brehella770]

I agree. There are a lot of issues in the game that could be fixed in a few weeks, but there’s a lot of stuff that would take forever. I think they might have just freehand designed most of the ground, mountains, etc. in game and those are amongst the biggest issues. Currently Pokémon spawn inside of walls because the walls aren’t solid, and I doubt they can just flip a switch to stop Pokémon from spawning in them, they’d have to go back ad correct every single wall and object.

[@sandgrunge]

I'd say one year, to add the paid dlc they will sell us as part of the base game and in return sell us dlc for legends arceus, then later on give us Kalos Dlc for S&V.

[@1DPIKI]

So did Pokémon BDSP.

[@sasuke65743]

All games can have different settings applied. They can silently enable new settings for the oled/V2 and less for the V1 if they wanted. But if that would have damaged the internal components, consume the thermal paste faster and damage the battery (or consume it faster), i'm totally with their decision to leave it as it is, except they could have worked on it way better, considering that there are other open world games on Switch with more content and way better textures with solid 30/60 fps too.

[@Egg2124yt]

That's the best intro you've ever had lol!!!

[@AustinJohnPlays]

glad you enjoyed that lol

[@eeveebest11]

Lag sucks, but when edited for a video about performance, it's funny! But I legit thought my computer was running slow, which it does a lot.

[@HanaTheRussell]

Here's my take. Pokemon always seems to push the right up to and even past its limits with each passing system. Black and White pushed the sprite system as far as it possibly could go, even edging onto 3D graphics. That led to them going full 3D on the new 3DS system. Sun and Moon saw them making basically a sword and shield esque style world, but crammed onto the tiny 3DS screens. If you watch gameplay from SM/USUM projected to a TV it's beautiful and looks a lot like sword and shield. Two gens on the DS. Two gens on the 3DS. Now two gens on the Switch. And clearly SV has pushed the Switch up to and past its very limits. So, I think you're right that a new system is around the corner. One that we're all gonna have to buy to continue playing new games. This is completely in line with their way of doing things.

[@megastephatron]

i know this is an old comment but you thinking that SV is pushing up against the switches limits and stating this in public is so sad i just have to comment on it. i know the switch has issues but i hope now that tears of the kingdom has come out you have a better idea of what an actual game pushing against the limits of a system looks like. or play xenoblade chronicles or something. i swear you pokémon fanboys are just depressing

[@nickfra]

Ah yes, Lagtree Thicket and Casseslowdown Lake are huge avoid areas for me. I was shiny hunting Slowpoke in the lake last night and amount of Pokémon spawned in dropped the frame rate to like a brutal 5 per second. I ended up spawning a shiny Veluza instead in the water and it took me nearly 5 mins to throw 3 balls, I thought it was gonna crash it was chugging so hard.

[@ct9727]

Shiny hunting Veluza is annoying because not only is that fish aggressive its also got to spawn in the most laggiest part of the map

[@woomynation]

If they released a more powerful new switch that would be super cool, but I'd also feel super scammed for getting the new decal oled switch this fall.

[@RoyArkon]

Well that's on you then, what can you do.

[@Gamer1288]

@@RoyArkon How is it on them? It isn't their fault that they had no idea that a Switch Pro was coming as Nintendo never announced it. That is on Nintendo for not announcing it so that people know to hold off until the next version releases.

[@default9314]

@@Gamer1288 No, cause lets say they announced it today. Is it still on nintendo? No. In fact, its not on anyone. Woomy wouldve been able to forsee the new release and nintendo cant take into account 1 person

[@RoyArkon]

@@default9314 Very well said dude.

[@hubbehubner2526]

@@Gamer1288 After an announcement there will always be people who’ve just bought the old system. Why on earth would that be Nintendos fault lol.

[@glimmor5]

Love how it still lags and still looks worse than BOTW. A game that was a release title for Switch. We have to melt our switch just to get pokemon looking half decent from a billiom dollar company. Ridiculous.

[@usehackenplayz6529]

the glitching at the beginning was great

[@lunap7556]

It kind if makes sense that it was originally going to be on a better system because it is strange that we got 3 pokemon games in such a short amount of time. A later release would have made more sense.

[@1DPIKI]

Bdsp was a different developer but legends and S/V the same developer and similar in many ways.

[@atomickaiser1934]

This game was rushed out the door before it was supposed to. Gamefreak is also struggling with the 3d transition as well. Many japanese devs were struggling with 3d transitions during the ps3. Gamefreak is just late to the party.

[@coopsaf]

Glad to see that you have facts and educated guesses with backup information for your theories instead of just using excuses like "They are just money hungry. They give us an unfinished product because they will make money."

[@RoyArkon]

Indeed, that's what really good about Austin John, he's there to give us facts and information, with no drama, elitism or community shilling drama and rage. I wish more people like him would be in not just the Pokemon community, but any community.

[@quazar3640]

That's not an excuse though. That's one possible reason or factor.

[@timberwolfsniper7201]

@QuaZar and heres is one proving the point. And even if its true it would be an explanation. Not an excuse. But people dont understand the difference. Just like the ff7 diehards cant tell the difference between a remaster and a remake

[@MazerTime]

I was saying since day one, i don't belive it was tested on the normal switch until the very end of development, or it wouldn't came out looking like that. You gave me a convincing explanation as to why.

[@yeetmaster9010]

Can't wait for that Switch Pro, my thought process is that this was meant to come out when the OLED did, but because of chip shortages they released the OLED with just a display upgrade and no new chip despite them planning for it.

[@stanzacosmi]

thats likely exactly what happened. the oled matched up perfectly with the leaks of a switch pro (white shell, bigger internal storage, better kickstand, white controllers) the only thing that was missing was the new chips, which are finally being made as the linux kernel now has support for a new model of tegra 1 chip with NX profiles (NX being the codename of the switch)

[@Zora_TheSideCharacter]

There is something that I have noticed, people keep complaining about it being really laggy and stuff, but I never believed anyone because my game runs just fine. Then I watched other peoples playthroughs... Apparently my switch just Handel's it way better then most peoples.

[@Squeeky]

It's WILD to see scarlet/violet run so smooth. I'm shooketh

[@janners365]

The thing about a recent big nintendo release is that I'm now singing along to the end song of these videos. Love your work Austin.

[@nakano8412]

A new switch could probably make this run alot better, like the overclocking, but I think this game just isn't the best optimized in the first place, big games like Xenoblade, Breath of the wild managed to run at 30fps very consistently without it. I do hope they will continue patching this game, and if there is a new switch I hope they can make this game as good as the overclocking.

[@goukipau]

This is awesome and very interesting indeed! Thank you for putting up time to investigate this.

[@el_zinga]

I really do appreciate this more charitable explanation for Pokemon scarlet and violets performance issues. Are there more elements involved than just what you talked about? Sure, I would have to assume so. But while Pokemon has been formulaic for quite some time, there's a reason why they're doing so well financially. They still make good games.

[@kawashinimon]

Why fix what isn't broken? Pokemon is formulaic, but deviating too far from the formula can lead to even larger outcries. We can see that with other video game series often. Sides, Pokemon hasn't been that formulaic of late. Between totem pokemon/trials, a new gimmick mechanic every gen, and titan pokemon/team star, I'd say they've been trying to spice it up a bit. Let alone the amount of back-end system work they do every gen.

[@makarambles]

I'm wondering if, due to the success of the Switch, Nintendo would plan a Switch 2 with full backwards compatibility with Switch titles (and maybe accessories). Both the WiiU and the 3DS had full backwards compatibility with their much more successful predecessors, and to my knowledge no hardware revisions ever removed that, unlike the Wii with GameCube. If a Switch 2 was to release I think it could have the ability to performance boost certain supported titles like the XBSX|S and PS5 in addition to full hardware emulation like 3DS->DS and WiiU->Wii. I don't own any other consoles as I just play Nintendo and PC so I'm not sure if you can just stick any disc in or download any last gen game from the store but from a software development perspective I can't see an issue with a full sequel system running older Switch games. I've also noticed a lot of games that have come out after 2020ish just not support touch screen in handheld mode at all (or barely at all) vs. older titles that did. Like... I think the most jarring for me was Animal Crossing. So many menus look so touch friendly but then just don't work. My sample size is pretty small though- I'm the type to put a lot of time into a few games rather than own a large library of games. Makes me wonder if Nintendo would consider a non-hybrid successor. People like me who enjoy playing handheld 99% of the time would be left out but I know a lot of core fans play docked almost exclusively and the Wii did amazing even without portability. The GameCube with its form factor and handle and WiiU with the touch pad were kind of dabbling in what makes the Switch special, but both systems did worse than the Wii and Switch. Another thing I could think Nintendo could do is that instead of a Switch Pro, release a Pro Dock with an external, more powerful GPU inside. External GPUs have been around for a while so the technology minus the GPU itself isn't too expensive. Also, it takes out a major heat source of the Switch, meaning using that boost mode using the CPU + external GPU instead of the internal would be less taxing on the main machine. The dock would have to have active cooling (fans, heat sink etc) itself to support something like that, which would be integral especially with the newest OLED models because OLED displays can be damaged and discolored with prologed heat exposure. I would definitely prefer this over a Switch 2 or a Switch Pro. Would probably be a $150 to $200 accessory versus a $400-450 upgrade.

[@infinitivii1897]

The level of mental gymnastics you have to do to justify or explain away the performance of this game is astounding. It’s not the console or the chip that’s the problem. It’s the developers of this game period.

[@christiancarew7066]

I know nothing about programming and coding but when I play this open world it feels different than other open worlds, like it FEELS like its trying to render the entire map at once and process every detail not even close to you, instead of like rendering what in your visible vicinity if that makes sense

[@TWEEKL]

This could also be the reason why they only have very few interiors for buildings. Every other pokemon game you could just burst into every house/ building like the koolaid man.

[@1DPIKI]

Good point. Would have to reload everything after exiting too

[@1bmb2]

We are definitely overdue now for a more powerful switch, but I think if it was coming in may they would have announced it by now. I think there is a better chance of zelda getting delayed again and releasing with the more powerful switch next holiday.

[@tigerjones6822]

Always love your videos man! Keep up the great work

[@DaAvidVideoExplorer]

Always outstanding quality videos! I had that feeling earlier this year for the new Nintendo switch. Bought myself the new oled and planning to trade in my old one for the newer model.

[@redhotchikapepr8978]

I literally just upgraded to an OLED so I’m gonna be so bummed out if they announce a new switch in like 5 months

[@RequiemIIV]

The switch "I'm only using a fraction of my power"

[@TheYoMandude]

The part that really kills me is the fact that we will never know. Whether thats GF/TPC's fear of biting the hand that feeds or Nintendo being Nintendo, it kills to think that zero communication is coming out from any of this outside of "Yeah yeah we heard ya. Here's a patch now shush."

[@DSgamer2.0]

Switch: I want to be notice NOW! *starts spinning loudly*

[@minksetti1168]

The fake buffering in the intro made me burst out laughing! Love your subtle nudges even in the editing lol

[@waliedsalam2487]

I thought I was the only one😂

[@SpaghettiBelly]

Honestly the only improvements I've seen with the new update was the pokemons eyes finally closing when I put them to sleep. Even then ill occasionally still see their eyes open. My characters face doesn't do facial expressions anymore when I make a sandwiches so it seems like they did 1 step forward and 2 steps back again.

[@shawverno.1130]

I was already so sad about SV performance, now I’m depressed about it. Thank you for the video tho, it’s super informative and helped me change my outlook on the games

[@charliez077]

but honestly it shouldn't change your outlook - it's NOT the hardware's problem, there are far better running and far better looking games on Switch, the GAME is badly optimised!! yes, Switch IS an outdated console, but Gamefreak released a game they should have postponed and optimised far better!!

[@OtterSeaborne8901]

While I agree that TotK being pushed back was a blow to their holiday planning, Pokemon has had a paid October/November release every year since 2016. Instead, I think Pokemon and Zelda were faced with "the hardware you built this for won't be available on the planned release date" and took different options - Zelda can delay, because they often go long periods without a release. Pokemon has too much else riding on it, so they made it run on the old hardware and shipped it.

[@nealstacy4393]

This is why I always felt Nintendo should do a TV only Switch with plenty of cooling and just push the SoC’s clocks as much as reasonably possible. It would be the closest thing to a “Pro” model that Nintendo could easily deliver on with existing hardware years ago. Plus when you consider all the components Nintendo could remove from a TV only model, they could of made it available at an extremely low cost (No screen, battery, etc).

[@SimpCity2000]

Imagine bricking your switch so that the worst Pokémon game ever released runs normally.

[@pinguman13]

This has been literally the best insight into the whole performance fisco while also tying it together with the mysterious switch 2/pro

[@PDX_Mycoo]

That intro was too smooth lol

[@zeromontalvan1514]

i really hope this game gets fixed at least whenever the dlc comes out, cause it would be really disapointing if they just wait to nintendo to launch a new console to again make games with poorly use of the potencial of the console, i literally need to every 30-40 minutes start another game like mario kart 8 deluxe or smash to see something runing at a stable framerate cause it really makes me dizzy the framerate

[@just_jude_live]

I would love an Austin John Podcast. listening to the end of this video was SO entertaining. You make some awesome content!

[@gabrielechignoli6982]

One of your best videos man! Really interesting, it shows that in part it is greatly frustrating that timelines are in part effective. We have a good game that runs on an old system so why stop now.

[@JetsetStealth]

super interesting video. crazy too, how much difference a solid 30 fps would have made. no doubt there would still be complaints. but seeing it run with a consistent framerate almost felt like i was looking at another game.

[@Thorinox]

The odd thing is, it is not just Legend of Zelda getting pushed back, there are other titles as well, even the new Harry Potter was pushed back till July 25th for Nintendo Switch, and what makes that odd is PS5 and Xbox Series X still remain with the original push back of February 7th, but PS4 and Xbox One was pushed to April 4th. How is this odd? PS4 and Xbox One and Nintendo Switch are older models, so they are most likely trying to make it run right, but why does the Switch have to be pushed back ALL THE WAY to the end of July?! Why does Legend of Zelda get pushed back to May 12th? Some could say that its because of performance issues, I say its about time for a Switch Pro. These newer games are pushing the Switch past its limits. And with the Switch being 5 years old with older hardware. We are overdue for a better version of it. And lets hope that if/when they do make a pro, that is doesn't come with a tiny amount of storage >< a 32GB of storage is less then $10 now, they could EASILY put in something in like a 256GB for an average of $25.

[@rekc_bcq4816]

I can see the optimization explanation for SV’s performance issues being the case. However that was a strange choice if true. Presumably Scarlet and Violet would have been on the original switch as well as the pro. With that in mind, it would make more sense to program it to play well on the weaker hardware and go from there. The only reason I could guess as to why that was the case was because it wasn’t a pro but a full new system. If that was the case, they wouldn’t have put Scarlet and Violet on the original switch. I think a large part of it is their timeline, but if that other theory is also true, it’s interesting to think about why it happened

[@rubychan2288]

Covid, which hit months before the SWSH DLC, caused shortages of...everything. Including a lot of computer parts, like semiconductor chips. This could have made it impossible to manufacture a new system. But (if we assume this theory is true) with the disruptions caused to industry operations and uncertainty about everything going on there may have just not been time. By the time Nintendo gathered enough information about the situation determined that the new system needed to be shelved for the time being and TCPI deciding to move SV to the Switch rather than deal with the headache of delaying the game*, there wouldn't have been enough time for the (probably still quarantining for a lot of this!) dev team to fully reconfigure the games for the old system. *Remember, by this time there would already have been contacts in place many, many tie-in merch drops, timed to the release of the game. Ditto the production of new TCG cards, a new anime season, ect. The amount of money they stood to lose from the fines they would incur from breaking all those contracts, messing up the anime, ect (to say nothing of generating industry bad-will), would have been determined to be much more of a financial hit than they'd get from the loss of sales/ill feelings resulting from putting out a game that is...less than perfect.

[@neobahumuth6]

tbf TW3 has a similar thing when they nerfed graphics all around to make the game run on consoles, which is ironic considering what happened with CP2077

[@rekc_bcq4816]

@@neobahumuth6 Fair. Then in both cases it involves not having enough time

[@neobahumuth6]

@@rekc_bcq4816 in reality the problem is bad management rather than time. Time is only an issue if your team is mismanaged

[@Drifty5730]

Shiny hunting bisharp in the bamboo forest was aweful the place is beautiful but you can't see the beauty until 5 minutes later

[@sideeffectv]

The delayed switch theory makes sense because Pokemon kinda can't change their release schedule. They have to get the new game out so that the TCG, anime and everything else can be on time.

[@av2279]

100% agree. If there was a new console/switch pro that got delayed because of shortages in the last couple of years, there is 0% chance that they would have delayed SV along with it. They would have unceremoniously crushed it down onto the current console to release it in Nov 2022, no matter what damage it did to the performance of the game. Which, when you think about it, sounds exactly like what we got.

[@trizyurx]

The pause would've got me if I wasn't on my phone

[@jonaszprzybycien6545]

The idea that SV was developed wiht tegra + is a real food for thought. Or a whole new Switch revision that got delayed and replaced by OLED version due to chip shortages.

[@RickyJC]

Well this video was filled with an incredible amount of speculation and pot stirring.

[@TheLinkhawkins]

Austin, they have been talking about a Switch Pro unit since the day switch came out. It's all hope and based on nothing substantial.

[@josholiver6710]

I mean, a new console is going to come out regardless. Whether it's called switch pro or something else doesn't matter, and it's likely to come sooner rather than later. I wouldnt say expecting a new console is based on nothing substantial lol

[@TheLinkhawkins]

@@josholiver6710 it has been claimed to be coming "this year" for 5 years now. Of course a new console will come in time, but at this moment there is no substantial evidence that it is "soon" (a very subjective word). Thank you for your input though :)

[@advmx3]

Of course it does. The problem is not the switch though. There's a reason why it's underclocked, and it's for it to last longer. The actual problem is a developer that has no time to actually develop a good game and is forced to work on a way it's not feasible anymore. If your only job is to produce an IP, and this IP is ONLY released in ONE platform,it's your job to understand the platform and create a game that works well in it. Metroid Dread, both Zelda's Open World games and all Mario games run with excellence and with better graphics than Scarlet and Violet. There's no excuse for how the game looks / runs in a normal, regular-ass switch.

[@dpninja7152]

Curious about the large scarlet/violet box in the background 👀

[@gremlindo]

personally i couldn't care less what the excuse is for the current performance. it's POKEMON of all things. we shouldn't have to overclock our system just for a consistent 30 fps.

[@glimmor5]

I think you might be on to something about Tears of the Kingdom and in imo they switched releases because they knew Pokemon is a way stronger ip that could have record sales even with the worst running version of a Pokemon game in history lol

[@AbeTM]

That intro was the perfect touch

[@kseymour9777]

THE LAG IN THE INTRO GOT ME SO MAD XDDDD

[@elijahmthompson2313]

Good analysis at the end. Not bad thoughts.

[@thomasbinder3370]

For the question raised at 13min of overclocking. This concept of loading the possible field you can see doesn't fit in this open world . Can't see thru mointains or walls but still loading it, is useless. An perimeter concept with a view shed analysis has a similiar effect with less loading delay. So adapting concept of Lets Go, only for the viewing area would be enough. Flying on a less detailed surface should do the rest. And yes is still old and the next gen should have least not a back then 2 years old chip. Nice video.

[@bananaeclipse3324]

Thank you for giving me another point to help defend how good the game is. They really are trying! And isn’t this basically the first time they are updating Pokémon games after release (that isn’t about patching exploit glitches)? I love s/v and seeing it only improving makes me so happy!

[@FrozenHare]

I'd personally be sad to see a new switch released, I like the affordability and accessibility they have, thats where the success of the gameboy/GameCube came from I feel like, everyone had one, and everyone could get one, made it easy to relate with others and gave Soo many people common interests to discuss on bus rides or at lunches during school times

[@PuApOoK]

There are leaks for a Zelda OLED switch. Who knows when an actual new switch will be coming out.

[@Wispy110]

Although I agree with the switch chip being old at this point that nintendo needs to have an upgrade to the current day. I think its mostly on GameFreaks half with the poorly optimized game they rushed to release. BeatEmUps did a fantastic video on his view and the performance on Pokemon SV - he basically summarised saying that Pokemon have a deadline with the games because it lines up with the merch, anime etc. If the games are delayed then everything else is backed up and they lose heavy profits

[@victorvance13]

I’ve played exclusively in handheld mode on an OLED and it’s been pretty much fine so that makes sense after watching this

[@Capten_Wonder]

I love this game. I beat it over Thanksgiving weekend. I tried out competitive. EV trained a team. Got Charizard. But now it's so hard to play. The game becomes a grind fest post game. If I have to run around this world for hours on end, grinding raids for shards and patches, then I need it to run better. It's so hard to grind and play this game with all the stutter. This makes me so mad to see how the game could and should run.

[@jcrc1]

Thanks for all these SV videos!

[@darkcreatures]

So if it unloads the map behind you, do Pokémon only actually spawn on screen then? That would reduce a lot of panic shiny hunting and trying not to miss one