Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Switch vs Wii U/3DS Graphics Comparison + Tech Analysis!

Masahiro Sakurai and his team return with the most feature-rich version of Smash Bros. ever. The Ultimate edition on Switch is more than a simple port from Wii U - visuals are upgraded, and stylistic changes are made.
For more info on input lag testing, check out GigaBoots' excellent breakdown: • Smash Ultimate Input L...
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[@ProtoMario]

This game has no microtransactions, isn't broken, and is finished. Games like these ARE the standard.

[@ad1onOW]

ProtoMario *fighters pass*

[@theindiediary5950]

Well........there is the overpriced packs coming next year. 1 character and stage per dlc.

[@alinepiroutek8932]

@@ad1onOW It is finished. Forget this stupid DLC

[@ChrisBa303]

What? Did you even play online? Its broken as ****

[@fragileraptor8812]

The Indie Diary I am against DLC in games but at least this is one of the more reasonable fighting game passes. The game has 74 characters which is insane compared to other fighting games like Street Fighter which launched with 16 fighters and Injustice 2 which launched with 28 fighters

[@Mr.GameCrazy]

Just a quick correction, Super Smash Bros Ultimate was developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd, not HAL Laboratory.

[@turbosnipeone2164]

04:23 hippity hoppity get off my property

[@clockdownrme]

Yeah, he says HAL Laboratory multiple times throughout the video and in the description. Even Sora Ltd. Is just Sakurai, so Namco is basically the developer, just with Sakurai's support. Same case with Smash 4.

[@Poever]

oheao I wish it brought back Melee’s Mute City. What the what?

[@Console_Gaming_Vids]

This is what happens when you let someone other than John handle a DF video.

[@computer6062]

and the Zelda character designs are from different series entries, only Adult Link specifically appears as the BotW version.

[@Oni_Dino]

You said the Zelda characters' models have all been updated to their Breath of the Wild versions, but that's incorrect. Only Link is remodeled to his BotW version. Zelda is remodeled to her A Link Between Worlds version. Toon Link is still his Wind Waker design. Young Link is his Ocarina of Time design.

[@oscarmccormack1611]

Young Link is in his Majora's Mask design. Young Link doesn't have arrows in Ocarina of Time.

[@zsaber20]

@@oscarmccormack1611 he also doesn't have a deku shield in majora mask..

[@oscarmccormack1611]

@@zsaber20 Okay, which bow does he use? Fairy Bow or Hero's Bow?

[@brock985]

Oscar McCormack It’s the same design. “Mario didn’t use his Galaxy design he used his Galaxy TWO design!”

[@alanfavoretto6761]

Correction: Zelda uses her ALttP design, not ALBW

[@b.a.g-gomez2610]

Bandai Namco developed this game. I don't think HAL Laboratory has developed a Smash game since Melee.

[@masked-feraligatr1094]

DakuSky No. Hal laboratory is credited because they created kirby.

[@Poever]

DakuSky their name is present as credit for the original concept. It’s a copyright thing

[@b.a.g-gomez2610]

@@Topgamer007 I think what it said was that the original game was by them and Nintendo.

[@extofer]

Wikipedia says they had a part in Brawl

[@simok8443]

Bandai Namco and Sora LTD, the company of Sakurai

[@foxhound6364]

I was blown away by how good this game looks in handheld mode. Maybe I’m used to the decreased resolution that many games have, but this one looks REALLY sharp in 720p on that smaller screen.

[@stllbreathnbut_y1844]

It looks absolutely perfect in handheld. Outside of looking at it under a microscope, it can’t be any better.

[@clipsXD]

@@stllbreathnbut_y1844 yeah more than 2 fighters puts strain on the eyes but but fighting on the go is priceless

[@MrFrost009]

@Raios Rogue creepy

[@allegryan]

Raios Rogue yeah and lick my toes. nobody cares or asked for your input there

[@shuntarofurukawa5577]

@Raios Rogue graphics really are important to you aren't they

[@JOEVGM]

For the record, HAL has not worked on a Smash game since Melee. Not sure where your fixation on HAL came from for this one.

[@TheGamingDandy]

Not every stage is there. RIP pokefloats.

[@UrdnotWrex88]

Yeah I really miss it. Making that stage look polished was probably too much of a work load in all honesty.

[@KMXXXsub]

Also some stages from smash 4 isn't here. The one with lava and ridley

[@alexandrite2221]

Christopher Felix Yeah, I don’t get why they couldn’t add the Pyrosphere without Ridley as a hazard. They could even leave the Ridley hazard in because that’s a clone of the original Ridley.

[@secret333plays]

@@alexandrite2221 Probably just due to priorities. Ridley is playable and Pyrosphere would need changes. They probably thought their time was better spent on other stages than bringing back and altering one that wasn't even well-liked originally.

[@evolo123]

Hope they add all missing previous stages (not many are missing) as free update or paid DLC

[@ragingmages7879]

I love digital foundry but there's quite a bit of misinformation here. Repeated mentions of HAL as the developer, claims that the game contains all the stages from previous entries, implications that the game would just be a port without the visual upgrades, mentions that multiple Zelda characters use their Breath of the Wild designs, and I'm only halfway through the video. I think this should be fixed and re-uploaded.

[@KatanaRikku]

It's really not a big deal

[@aspiepower2419]

Well, all stages from previous games are included except for some really sh*tty stages and that one Pac-Man stage.

[@jacksonbranby]

Aspie Power that pac man stage *is* back

[@JCOdrjones]

@@KatanaRikku If they get these facts wrong, why should we believe them for anything else? It hurts credibility.

[@CZProductions]

Meh, none of that stuff is actually important for a TECH analysis.

[@CasepbX]

5:40 Saying something about shadows something something... all I can do is stare at that super detailed burger.... now I want to eat a burger!

[@justintendo4302]

I thought smash Wii u was gorgeous. But this game is BEAUTIFUL

[@melxb]

i agree and i still feel some things look better than switch, its really just time difference than graphical power

[@soultheconfusing9563]

The difference?

[@justintendo4302]

Raios Rogue in your opinion

[@soultheconfusing9563]

@Raios Rogue what are you on this game looks amazing.

[@TheAustin007powers]

Raios Rogue trash opinion

[@nintendo1889x]

I gotta say, Sakurai and his team are ridiculously talented programmers

[@LeynosJehuty]

He learned from one of the best out there. Iwata.

[@nintendo1889x]

@@LeynosJehuty He did work overtime to get Melee released on time

[@dexedge4645]

Ridiculously talented devs that code insane input lags in their game 🥱

[@vandammage1747]

Looks great and runs great! The amount of 60fps games on switch is impressive. Devs should take notice.

[@vandammage1747]

@Walther Penne 50 games only? I don't think so.

[@VariantAEC]

@@vandammage1747 Actually I think for once this troll (Walther Penne) is very close to being right. There aren't really that many 3D games on Switch running at 60FPS just like on all the other consoles. Of course there are tons of ports from the much more powerful devices coming over that also see FPS cut in half including games like Doom (2016), Wolfenstein II and Warframe. Switch just isn't that powerful. When a game like BoTW is 30FPS you have all these Mosuo games running at 30FPS when PS2 was running them at 60FPS (shaky yes, but it could hit 60hz) then you know there's something going one here that keeps new games from hitting 60hz. It's not even just console anymore this gen has seen the most framerate limited PC releases too like NFS: Rivals locked at 30FPS (though most PC releases are locked to a maximum of 60FPS if they have a limitation on them at all and that is still pretty rare).

[@vandammage1747]

@@VariantAEC you're right about switch being weak and those ports of doom, fortnite etc are only 30fps. But those games are only ports and nintendo has a clear focus on 60fps. Only first party title that is 30fps that I can think of is Zelda. Also a lot of platformers like hollow knight, sonic mania etc are 60fps. But of course those are not demanding 60fps games.

[@vandammage1747]

@Cyberdemon Mike , doesn't matter how demanding it is it's about devs targeting 60fps. Ratchet and clank on pro is 30fps because that's what insomniac wanted to make.

[@VariantAEC]

@@vandammage1747 Isn't Hollow Knight a 2D platform game with a 16-bit retro aesthetic... It would run at 60FPS on a GBC or PS Vita. There are also other titles made for Switch by 3rd parties using Nintendo's IPs that run at 30FPS as well as games made exclusively for Switch by Nintendo focused developers like Monolith Soft that also make games at 30FPS. Additionally nothing on Switch is visually demanding and is running at well over 30FPS via incomplete PC emulation right now! Suffice to say that if emulation is going well enough that Switch games using it are running over 40FPS on average on PCs weaker than my laptop that Switch hardware isn't just weak, but that *Switch is suffering from a massive overabundance of hardware weakness!*

[@davido5317]

It's kinda weird imo, that a company who analyzes graphics for a living doesn't know what cell-shading means....

[@lucaspereirahmj]

They thik cell shading and outlines is the same thing

[@mythosinfinite6736]

>Everything remotely cell-shaded is Zelda-related >Every redesign is from BotW >Even Ocarina of Time Ganondorf, Link to the Past Zelda, Ocarina of Time Young Link, and _Toon Link_ Ok

[@trigger1377]

>Developed by Hal >3DS version is cell shaded Ok

[@Run_For_Fun_]

Smash Ultimate certainly does NOT "include every mode" from the series history. Several modes present in all past games were cut, such as home run contest and break the targets. Edit: They patched in some modes that were cut and some new stuff too. Nintendo and Sakurai are really giving Smash their all and I really appreciate that. It truly deserves to be called Ultimate

[@MrFrost009]

thank god

[@Run_For_Fun_]

​@@MrFrost009 ohhh. I was actually rather disappointed to see these modes cut. Break the targets makes you really learn different ways to use each characters move set and home run contest was a fun time waster.

[@seacliff217]

Run For Fun ! Except ever since Brawl, Break the Targets has been nothing more than a handful of stock stages that don't test the character's abilities at all like it does in N64 or Melee. I honestly don't expect them to make 70 different Break the Target levels if they don't plan to keep the hollow shell it turned it to.

[@jedoled]

SSBU Switch doesn't either include every stages. And forgot to be colorful. Super Washed-Out.

[@AntiChangeling]

I would have loved to see Smash Run return, too - and made to work properly, with online support. I still think a Smash 4 port with all of the features of both versions would have been perfect for the Switch, but I'm really glad we got Ultimate.

[@JCOdrjones]

Um, this game wasn't developed by Hal. It was Bandai Namco and Sakurai's personal dev team, aka Sora Ltd. Addition: There are more glaring errors, and the issue there if they get the simple facts wrong, why should we believe them for anything else? It hurts their credibility.

[@perfectlyslicedegg3348]

Yeah I raised my eyebrows at that....

[@JCOdrjones]

@Raios Rogue ...ok

[@inspirations365]

Because they are still the best at frame rate and graphics analysis? Can you name anyone else that has done it as extensively and successfully? Why do they need to be perfect?

[@the5starx]

0:54 he wrongly states that the game contains every stage and mode in the smash series False

[@ryudjn6590]

Because we all have eyes and can see the graphics and framerate graphs? Do you come to a df video for the technical stuff, or to get a review?

[@shodancat1000]

Personally I love the cel-shaded effects like smoke and fire. Looks awesome.

[@lukemoonwalker8444]

The smoke is by far the best effect in the game, it looks SOOOO good

[@kalmanta1824]

Yep, the cartoony look fits Smash Bros. perfectly.

[@SamsterBirdies]

@@lukemoonwalker8444 it gets very overwhelming with all the effects on 4 player smash though.

[@claudiolluberes111]

The smoke is amazing, great to see that games these days finally managed to make effects look good.

[@MrSEA-ok2ll]

I still feel the Wii U was a massively in appreciated machine. I place it beside the Dreamcast for great quality and design, but holding a poor adoptive rate.

[@SwordfighterRed]

I still think Nintendo proved some nice games and concepts could be made on it. Just a shame it didn't catch on more.

[@slicksullen]

It definitely was an awesome piece of hardware with amazing games. Heck, if you go to multiple Wii U game trailers, you’ll usually see people wanting a port of said game to switch.

[@ShouldOfStudiedForTheTest]

As a Switch owner, the WiiU games were awesome! I am so glad about the ports and will probably continue playing 8DX, even if 9 comes out, because outperforming 8DX is a very very hard job.

[@Dualgas]

And unlike the Switch, doesn't completely brick when you plug in a different charger...

[@trancenebula7]

I like my Wii U more than my switch, so far. The speakers On the Wii U are 100x better. And the graphics for this game are better than on the switch. Also breath of the wild runs better on the Wii U. It’s honestly weird.

[@LeocaprioDinardo]

The only video Im dissapointed, you miss more detail about characters as AO, the pbr and more direct comparisons between characters, the reflection in the eyes and more effort by comparing environments. Was expecting much more from this video, I mean is so good but you could have done much better.

[@josiahgarber3761]

Francisco del Valle Ojeda They tend to omit a lot of the impressive details in Nintendo games somehow. I don’t understand why.

[@LeocaprioDinardo]

@@josiahgarber3761 i dont wanna sound like a fanatic, but the game is much much much more than what they show you in this video. In fact I didnt expect this game to be visually/technically the beast it is. They could have gone in more characters/environments comparison instead of wasting time of framerate and shit like that. The game, IMO, along with mario odyssey and fast rmx are benchmark for this console. I did not expect to be surprised by this game and the Nintendo Switch itself. Ultimate fits what this game really is.

[@josiahgarber3761]

Francisco del Valle Ojeda I definitely agree! I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear, but what I meant was that DF often doesn’t mention all the awesome tech and visual features in Nintendo games for some reason. Thanks for making it really clear. Btw, have you ever seen brainchild’s analysis on Nintendo games? He did one on Odyssey and Breath of the Wild on Resetera and did some early smash Bros stuff on gamexplain. It’s quite good!

[@LeocaprioDinardo]

@@josiahgarber3761 jajajaja you dont have to be sorry for anything my friend! Im agree with everything you said, in fact its like you said they tpommited SO SO SO MUCH THINGS in this game and I was expecting a real deal here. As much they showed you just a half of what thepis game is visually/technically. And about thst channel i will subscribe and watch the videos you told me, I enjoy so much watching this kind of shit jajajajaja

[@claudiolluberes111]

@@LeocaprioDinardo Yes the AO and the polygon number in models is definitely better, but I don't thing talking about framerate is a "waste of time". Not everyone is a graphics... snob? (sorry but couldn't find a better word), for most people performance is the most important thing.

[@JORISGUY7XD]

This game is not developed by HAL Laboratory! HAL only owns Kirby, some other characters and the original game copyright together with Nintendo. Sora Ltd. (Sakurai's company) and Bandai Namco Studios (who also helped with Smash4) made this game.

[@nowonmetube]

6:13 "motion blur is completely absent" 😍

[@officialrohinmusic]

I know, fuck motion blur. Makes games look like they’ve been rubbed with sandpaper. That shit’s for movies only. I absolutely love Nintendo’s anti-motion blur stance, even with 30fps games like Breath of the Wild.

[@DrLilo]

There are so many glaring inaccuracies in this video, I honestly can't believe Digital Foundry could post this...

[@TheGamingDandy]

Their thing is about technical specs and visuals, they're not just pure fact machines. They made mistakes about who developed the game, the Zelda characters and a few other minor flubs, but it's largely irrelevant to the content and purpose of the actual video.

[@jeremywright9511]

Yep, strange honestly.

[@nighttimestalker]

All they got wrong was the producer

[@DrLilo]

@@nighttimestalker they also claimed that every past stage was returning amongst several other errors.

[@bowlofrice1006]

@@TheGamingDandy So you're willing to give them a pass on being wrong on basic facts about the game but trust 100% their other as you call "relevant" information is accurate? LOL If they can't even get the fact WHO MAKE THIS GAME right why should I trust the rest...

[@user-iw2je9ol1c]

Why are they acting like this is an upgraded version of the Wii U game lol, this is an entirely new sequel

[@WIImotionmasher]

Digital Foundry is all about comparing graphic across versions of games to explore computing and graphical design methods. Maybe its a different game, but it contains perfect points of comparison with the same stages, character models, and overall gameplay type (camera is the same, 8 player smash, etc). Also acts as a benchmark for Switch.

[@MrFrost009]

@@WIImotionmasher not maybe it actually is

[@ThomasBogh]

What is new in this one compared to the Wii U version? Looks just like a remaster to me.

[@justincredible303]

@@WIImotionmasher The reason there is so much stuff returning is because that's what fans requested. They asked Sakurai to make the ultimate Smash with all the characters and stages. Even though they are old assets, they have all been done from the ground up.

[@justincredible303]

@@ThomasBogh New characters, new stages, totally revamped combat, World of Light, every old stage has a final destination form, new outfits, new engine, etc.

[@thebahooplamaster]

*_The 3ds by far has the most realistic graphics._*

[@TheDrQuake]

Them all suck in graphics. Totally. MOst times WII U version just better than switch, 3ds just low-res so cant see what it is really.

[@CasepbX]

@@TheDrQuake You're blind as a bat if you think the Wii U looks better than Ult.

[@TheDrQuake]

I am the cornholio! Sharper does not mean better, better "detail" and view range just shows more pixels on these "details"

[@mukuroikusaba7347]

@@TheDrQuake no you just blind thats like saying metal gear solid 5 on ps3 looks betterthan the ps4 version idiot

[@lucaspereirahmj]

@@TheDrQuake 3ds has low-res but has anti-alliasing also, so, you can see clearly the graphics

[@gekkovonthefish7310]

Sora ltd. and Bandai namco developed this game, HAL Laboratory only helped the development of Smash

[@truthhurts5646]

This generation: Nintendo switch = GOTY PlayStation = GOTY Xbox One = greaseproof controller

[@CONNOR-cn6rw]

truth hurts!

[@V1CT1MIZED]

PC = God Like 144hz

[@truthhurts5646]

DeadPhoenix86 You got exposed for damage controlling Xbox One on ChánneI: MorganaDays Titled: OMG! Xbox One X - The Most Powerful Console that runs Halo Wars 2 at 23fps PubIished: Sep 10, 2017 GET. EXPOSED. Xtard pretending to be a pc gamer 🤣😂

[@truthhurts5646]

osskeet And here you are triggered by me again. Tell everyone how you were sooooo sure GOTY of War wouldn’t win GAME OF THE YEAR lmao. How that egg on your face? Was the crow tender?

[@DaveTheSodaGuy0]

because goats are all these consoles got over glorious 4k resolution, actually good online and retrocompatibility, right? GET EXPOSED LIKE HELL LMAO

[@kyonru]

What about 8 ice climbers (16 climbers) and 8 ditos? Making 16 ice climbers (32 climbers)? Will my switch die?

[@kojo7981]

I actually tried doing that, even in handheld mode. Unless you're playing on a huge stage like The Great Cave Offensive, it actually runs pretty well.

[@gregberkhof2953]

I'm seein double here. Four krustys!

[@alinepiroutek8932]

No, it will only fall to 57-58fps

[@aspiepower2419]

@@kojo7981 How did you try that? You must have had some huge luck!

[@kojo7981]

@@aspiepower2419 I tried it on Umbra Clock Tower too, and even with all of the stuff going on in the background, the frame rate was still pretty solid.

[@MunkeyChips]

But can it run Ice Climbers?

[@Raf8347]

Yep

[@1gta4gta]

@@Raf8347 Up to 8

[@ohnoitschris]

I really wondered if 4x Ice Climbers could have worked on the New 3DS

[@1gta4gta]

@@ohnoitschris yes

[@1gta4gta]

@@ohnoitschris not really

[@jamesrouse3466]

This game is such a blast! You can feel the astounding level of precision and polish in every match and mode of play!

[@Xilefian]

3DS isn't cel shaded, it just had character outlines. Cel shading is a lighting terminology, it doesn't include outlining.

[@cupidknewrap]

cel shading is a colour shadering technique, not a lighting shader. The first step of cel shading is to render the rearmost faces entirely black which gives a hard outline to a model. That said Smash used pre-set outlines for each chracter pose.

[@retroboy-fh1ji]

Take Jet Set Radio on the Dreamcast for example :v

[@ArcadianLegend]

Fountain of Dreams actually turns off character and object reflections with 5+ players, so FoD with 4 Ice Climbers with only the most taxing items on high could be a more interesting stress test.

[@MasterMarioMX]

let me try that.....and does turning replays into videos affect perfomance too?

[@GenerationZ313]

I guess you could call this the ULTIMATE comparison.

[@estignatic]

A technical masterpiece for the Switch

[@nintendo1889x]

The fact 8 player smash works 60 fps docked is insane

[@estignatic]

@Walther Penne There were 16 characters on screen 14 of which were controlled by AI which is taxing on the CPU so please stop with the hate and let us enjoy our game.

[@estignatic]

@Walther Penne You're forgetting it's a mobile SOC from 2015 and only 3 cores are available for games and the clock speed is 1.02 GHz. I see you all the time in the comments hating on the Switch get a life dude. Switch is selling millions wether you like it or not.

[@AlphaladZXA]

@Walther Penne yeah bros a troll nintendo is actually trying to make their games 60fps unlike most companies they just expect you to have hardware powerful enough for their games maybe they should build them in mind with consoles to get 60fps🤔

[@AlphaladZXA]

@Walther Penne well the pc is most guilty of that then it's one platform filled with all kinds of sites making their own flash/educational games that are crap going back to the late 80s so pc is king of shovel ware

[@Azuraion]

There is no HAL. I'm afraid your wording is wrong, Dave. I mean, Tom.

[@V1CT1MIZED]

Such a great and enjoyable console! This is getting me back into consoles in general! The patch is out for smash today too!

[@BoleDaPole]

So many inaccuracies in this video.. c'mon DF, you can do better!

[@kdkseven]

Other than the HAL thing, what inaccuracies?

[@NaikoArt]

@@kdksevenonly Link is from BOTW

[@succccccccccccccccc2328]

@@kdkseven saying that it has all the stages from previous games

[@lucaspereirahmj]

@@kdkseven they said that Smash 3DS is cell-shading, but that is just outlines that can be deactivated

[@kildaver]

...who the hell is playing 8-player Smash with all Ice Climbers?! How can anyone keep up with *that level of CHAOS?!*

[@stllbreathnbut_y1844]

The ice climbers frame drops were actually pretty shocking. I had tested this a few days ago and I didn’t even notice the performance hit.

[@lawthirtyfour2953]

Obviously, the human eye can't see above 30fps

[@stllbreathnbut_y1844]

Law Thirtyfour ehh... it can. But yeah, frame drops or not, it still looked great.

[@maxsonly]

What a great way to end the year with Smash Bros.

[@SaigonBrit]

I have such admiration for Digital Foundry's obective analysis of all the games they look at. A truly professional job. I just wish all games journalism could be so professional.

[@beyondparadisegaming]

Sakurai and his team work very hard. They should be proud.

[@bctalicorn809]

I much prefer the new look DK and Diddy have. Their fur textures don't look like garbage this time around. Hair in general got a huge graphical upgrade this time around. However, I think those two looked the best in Brawl. The models still look really impressive.

[@timoyjonsen5428]

This comment looks like garbage

[@kylealien2107]

Oh dear Tom, so many mistakes........... Your P45 is in the post.

[@MarkTaylorsVersion]

Can y'all shut up about Melee already? This a different game. We didn't need a "secret Melee unlock" and we never will need it.

[@mreurovisionau]

Not all modes are there, notably the home run smash from the lasr game, and the special solo mode frim 3DS.

[@MrFrost009]

thank god

[@1lik3Fir33mbl3m]

Home run contest would be nice, but its not like there is nothing to do in the game lol

[@LeynosJehuty]

Trophies are gone entirely as well

[@cooliipie]

Break the targets.. and the entire 1 player mode

[@WH250398]

Nintendo is still supporting the 3ds in 2018. Sony gave up on the ps vita in 2013 :(

[@megapro125]

IMO they gave up on it at launch. It launched with like 2 system seller titles and no further big AAA games anounced. You don't need to be an industry expert to tell beforehand that this was going to fail especially at it's high price for a hand held only device. Sony should definitely have seen it coming and delay the launch until they actually had a small game library to show on the vita. The performance, OLED screen and finally also double joysticks on a handheld were looking really promising at the time but with no games to support it...

[@WH250398]

@@megapro125 Oh there were plenty of games until 2013. What killed it was the lack of marketing and those shitty expensive memorycards.

[@megapro125]

@@WH250398 On the plus side you can use those cards to store your passwords since barely anyone knows what they are let alone owning a reader for them ;)

[@Sammyv17]

Sony did almost everything wrong with the Vita. Giving all of their developers PS4 projects was instant death. I still use it for certain games though because it's a great portable.

[@StaticSleet]

Its very much alive in the hacking scene. After 5 years of collecting dust, I now play it more than my switch. I like showing people me playing Assassins Creed Odyssey on it, the reactions are hilarious

[@danieljagic207]

This video is far and away the most comprehensive DF video I have ever seen. Wow. I watch alllll the DF videos. Well done Tom. Amazing work

[@MysteryD]

Thanks so much to whoever found a way to capture both portable and docked footage at the same time.

[@dkmarcusdk867]

The title is wrong, smash bros ultimate isnt on wii u, and it wasnt developed by HAL. Still a nice video

[@bruszan]

This game is not made by HAL Laboratory, awesome video anyway!

[@nintendo1889x]

How many times are people going to correct this ad infinitum?

[@bruszan]

lol this comment was when they just released the video

[@bruszan]

But sorry I guess

[@bananachild1936]

I think DK's less fuzzy fur on Ultimate was just the result of a different artistic design choice. I personally think it looks better as it complements the more cartoony + vivid dynamic lighting of Smash Ultimate.

[@SnowyNowak]

For people saying "lol why are people in the comments complaining about the errors, that's not what they do" DigitalFoundry is a bunch of professionals. Getting factual information, even if it's not "their thing", right is kinda expected of them. Also, how does Tom not know what cel shading is? It's a lighting technique, not "it has thicker outlines".

[@dialmightyspartangod6717]

Spoiler: Switch has high res texture work, realistic character models with various detail to clothing, hair and their skin. Obviously the maps are revamped to fit Switch hardware, shadows all around are revamped and more realistic but in some areas of larger maps, shadows have lower resolution and look pixilated. Motion blur is gone somewhat, and lifting is more realistic. Basically Switch is better. Native 1920x1080

[@melxb]

um no i see textures on wii u look better at times like look at ground @3:05 for example

[@melxb]

and some chars look like plastic on switch in comparison or like donkey kong...and theres shadows that look shittier too...i just see maybe artistic choice changes/devs learned more and time aka the fact its developed today with newer engine than it actually being graphically surperior...like i feel if they were to make a wii u version today it could look the same

[@melxb]

look at 4:38, donkey kong himself and everything else too, from the tree behind him and its textures, the ground and its textures, even stars in the sky and the DK on his tie ever so slightly all looks more punched in on the wii u...like i said i feel the switch version has just been "touched today" to make it work in the new engine and make the best of it, over it being a true next gen entry

[@dialmightyspartangod6717]

mel b Yeah I saw. They even said that’s the cost of the new Shadow depth and maintaining keeping that native 1920x1080 RAW

[@melxb]

@@dialmightyspartangod6717 yea switch barely ever uses anti aliasing, that alone would kill the system dropping framerates

[@toot1231]

Prob just me but Smash Wii U had a much better art style

[@jhomelmazhd696]

Is definitely you, you better get your 👀 check

[@SubieandFriends]

I wish i could have smash ultimate right now for my switch but since im broke i wont get it for a few months more......but in the mean time smash on my 3ds has pretty much everything i could ever want, especially the online play,.... the amount of content on the last smash bros for wii u/3ds is so vast that i still havent come close to complete 100% nor am i close to unlock everything the game has to offer, im sure theres even modes i havent tried yet, not to mention the VERY VAST trophy collection that you can acquire, its fun to collect new trophies and read the description of each trophy character, you end up learning alot of new things regarding the whole nintendo universe of characters....

[@TurboPikachu]

2:44 Correction - The Wii U's OS backend takes up 1GB of RAM at all times, leaving games with just 1GB of RAM to use at any given moment. And unlike Smash for 3DS which disables the home menu to allocate the entirety of the handheld's 128MB of system RAM specifically for Super Smash Bros., the Wii U version does not ultilize this strategy.

[@lucaspereirahmj]

The 3DS disables the home screen to use all the CPU also

[@DJ5540]

Glad to see you covering game of the year.

[@TheAustin007powers]

Constantine facts I love God of War but in no way am I gonna play this less than I did that.

[@heisenbergwhite00]

They already covered God Of War

[@TheAustin007powers]

PC MASTERBATER He said Game not Movie

[@alinepiroutek8932]

@@TheAustin007powers The Order of War?

[@heisenbergwhite00]

@@TheAustin007powers god of war Is a game and very good one

[@GameTacoFTW]

5:45 now I'm hungry.

[@vittosphonecollection57289]

LOL I read the title as "Wii U vs 3DS" and I was like "OMG the 3DS one upscaled looks awesome!" XD

[@Linkman247]

Actually it does not include every mode from the series. There is no stage builder, break the targets or home run contest. Not all of the stages are returning either. Stages like Zebes, Sector Zero, Icicle Mountain, and Miiverse are not in the game. Hal hasn't worked on Smash since Brawl back in 2008 which was a collaborative effort. Sakurai left Hal to form Sora Ltd. It was Sora LTD in collaboration win Bandai Namco that was responsible for the development of Smash 4 on WiiU/3DS and Smash Ultimate.

[@haydens.2755]

The input lag really doesn't affect any kind of normal gameplay, trust me. It still feels amazing and honestly better than the previous games. Only the competitive scene will find any issue with it. Hopefully it's patched though.

[@haydens.2755]

@Lain Well, that certainly seemed like that's what they were trying to go for. Melee players need to learn that Smash will be different every time and maybe they should try some new things and get used to new mechanics.

[@haydens.2755]

@Lain I understand that two frames can mean quite a lot in the competitive scene, but... It's two damn frames. Is there really no workaround? This game supersedes Melee in every other way, but because of this one thing, now we're gonna go back to a split fanbase who do nothing but argue about which one is better. And then Ultimate's competitive scene will die like 4's did and no one will care about the game in the future.

[@TonyJenn]

@@haydens.2755 exactly. Yeah sure it's an annoyance, but is it really serious enough to kill a competitive scene? I get it, melee is a classic, but not everyone gonna play it forever, plus im sure this is fixable. SFV had it worse when it came to this issue, but it was fixed eventually.

[@haydens.2755]

@Lain I'm sorry, I just can't see it. It's so insignificant to me. It's because I'm a casual player, I know. But man, Ultimate has me in love. I can't see it be forgotten or hated because of something like this. PLEASE, just fix this Nintendo. For the good of this game. (Also my friend combos me all the damn time, I do see that this game is worse for combos but they still exist).

[@haydens.2755]

@@TonyJenn Unfortunately it could be. Competitive scenes in the series died for a lot of reasons, only a few of them being very viable from my perspective (like Brawl. Adore that game, but it was not good for tournaments).

[@drawvidraw1406]

Am I the only one that thinks Donkey Kong looks better on the Switch?

[@AlphaladZXA]

He looks more like he does in the returns series now it's alot better

[@heisenbergwhite00]

Yes.... anyone can see Donkey Kong from smash Wii U looks better

[@drawvidraw1406]

@@Raging No need to delude myself? It's just my own opinion

[@AlphaladZXA]

@@Raging yeah same here he looks more like his dkc returns look he always looked wrong in brawl and 4 to me maybe it's just the lighter fur color on ultimate🤔

[@AlexDisibio]

He looks like he is made of plastic in Ultimate.

[@667GameFreak]

I also ran the 8p Ice Climber stress test on Fountain of Dreams. Something I noticed was that, at least in this instance though it might actually be for 5p and up, is that character and item reflections are removed on the stage's floor. I'm sure this was done on purpose to prevent excessively low performance.

[@Joolz1982]

Lots of info thanks. Love the depth Digital Foundry always go into.

[@t4m642]

We need Digital foundry in smash XD

[@fadi5956]

lol

[@agentfrost7823]

Digital foundry Analyse the battlefield

[@nelret7292]

Their FS reduces the framerate for enemy character models😂😂

[@Pyovali]

Featuring Richard and his full fat move set.

[@pablodela41]

How about Fountain of dreams, 8 ice climbers, each one with one assist trophy and a masterball Pokemon?

[@UrdnotWrex88]

R.I.P Poke' Floats. You shall always be remembered.

[@HipnotikHylian]

Fuck PokeFloats

[@littlegloom]

I saw a guy crying today. I waved at him. He waved back. but then I realized.. that was just my reflection

[@MultiMetal31]

15:14 Actually Smash for Wii U had literally every controller imaginable, unlike the Switch

[@thelastgogeta]

Yeah the only "surprise" is that GameCube is back for the 3rd time. Wii U supposed the whole mainstream Wii and Wii U range plus the 3DS. I can't think of a good reason for Smash Ultimate to not support some of those other controllers somehow really. It isn't like they are against controllers which aren't supported in other games being supported by Smash.

[@MultiMetal31]

@@thelastgogeta It's especially nice for the 8 player brawl. The main reason the wii u had the compability was the general backwards compability for the wii games. For the switch it would probably be too much work to get support for older wireless controller.

[@thelastgogeta]

@@MultiMetal31 I understand but the big bonus of wireless is that we might not need a peripheral to support additional controllers. People needed to pay extra to get support from 3DS (since you need the game or the app) as well as GameCube support. If we aren't actually using the touchscreen, motion controls or a new control scheme more legacy support could be nice whether for 8 players or while another controller is charging. Fortunately the Switch is almost always charging two controllers but yeah...

[@seacliff217]

thelastgogeta Well, the Wii Remotes use an infrared single that the Switch is not compatible with, and the Switch doesn't support any Wii U controller. I do wish they had the option for the 3DS to be a controller though.

[@TheFlumeUnplugged]

@@seacliff217 the infrared is only used for the poniter, the actual controller connects via bluetooth

[@bes5164]

that Kong's fur on Wii U is horrible, just layered alpha textures, disgusting, im glad they got rid of that in the Switch version

[@SpiritYT]

Honestly, I'm still impressed from Smash 3DS. That must have been a pain to make for the developers. I often think it was a little bit better than smash Wii U.

[@TEMINIX]

Smash Ultimate does not have every mode and it does not have every stage. That statement is full of false claims.

[@DarienDragonFox]

Ill take the performance hit with the 16 players lmao, its fun shit

[@steynkeultjes4527]

I give this soundtrack a 10/10 amazing. And it even comes with a free fighting game. Nice.😁

[@robertwahlstrom]

The game is freaking awesome for anyone that is wondering. Solid gameplay, massive story mode, the share amount of representation from different games are downright insane. And the graphic is downright perfect. It's also crazy how they actually manage to capture what different characters from different games is all about so tham well. And yeah wonder who playes 8 player ice climber matches or even playing 8 players at all in portable mode. And would say any 2 millisecond input lag difference likely would not matter at all as recovery times have also been lowered.

[@user-sv3tx9gm6u]

i like the change to dk's fur in ultimate, makes the model look cleaner

[@UltraPrimeHunter]

“Every character, mode and stage” yeah you couldnt be further from the truth buddy

[@sajanpatel4956]

DRM Sparkles Yes, like 5 stages and 2 modes no one used means he can’t be further from the truth.

[@Nuvendil]

You keep using that term...cel shaded. I don't think it means what you think it means.

[@theindiediary5950]

Uh, no. They were correct.

[@Nuvendil]

@@theindiediary5950 with regards to the smoke yes. The 3DS, no.

[@jamesalexander5559]

@@Nuvendil Right, something using an outline doesn't make it cel shaded. Outlines just happen to be with cel shaded games typically.

[@Zwizard247]

cant believe it has been a week since ultimate release

[@1134calc]

also, to add to the corrections: every character has returned, but ultimate does not include a few stages and a number of modes from the series' past. great video though!

[@TexelGuy]

Imo DK looks better in the switch version. I actually thought he didn't, but playing the game and watching more gameplays made it grow on me, even if there's no fur effect. It's a clean, cartoony design that I bet nintendo is going not for performance reasons and it still looks pleasing, atleast, compared to the half realistic (The fur part), half cartoony (The rest of DK's exaggerated features) DK that kinda broke immersion compared to the other characters. I mean, how demanding could fur like that be?

[@kildaver]

Depends on how it's handled. It's either going to be textures with transparency maps (most likely) or particle effects (more often used for pre-rendered animation), and both are a little processor-intensive, especially if it has to be reactive like hair or capes are in this game.

[@TexelGuy]

@@kildaver the fur on DK on the wii u looks really low density and quality, it definitely won't take up too much performance if the exact same thing was copy pasted on ultimate. If the wii u can handle it, the switch definitely can too, even with better detail in other areas since it's got more horsepower to spare over the wii u.

[@kildaver]

@@TexelGuy True enough. It was probably just a design choice.

[@user-wb8iu1hl6i]

@@TexelGuy The Switch could definitely handle the fur, but it probably doesn't look good with the new lighting engine because it's a trick using layered diffuse textures

[@ARMYEEUU]

If Bethesda was developing this game it'll run 20 FPS docked and 10 portable and 10 characters 😂

[@maxsonly]

Everyone is here = Bugs/Glitches

[@ARMYEEUU]

😂

[@shuntarofurukawa5577]

And that "everyone" is the bugs

[@tokusatsudx9890]

LOL agreed

[@ad1onOW]

MEXTEKA you mean the ark developers

[@alpacacheese7705]

Thank you so much. I love this content. i was curious about a few things and you cleared it up. good work guys thanks

[@bije277]

I honestly like the new donkey Kong model better than the Wii U one. It’s more minimalistic and clean and it goes well with the new lighting of ultimate.

[@gammaphonic]

Wait, using a gamecube controller gives 98ms lag!? That’s enormous. I would’ve noticed that for sure. I mean, that practically a tenth of a second. Are we sure this is right? Does he not mean 9.8ms?

[@ThatNormalBunny]

I think so because as you said you would sure as hell notice 98ms input lag

[@brreeaad]

No, it is actually ninety-eight milliseconds. Compare this to Melee's 58ms. You would think that 30 extra milliseconds wouldn't matter that much, but noticing input lag gets exponentially easier as it gets worse. I'm just a casual player so it doesn't bother me massively, but I definitely notice it.

[@Jeenaud]

So much misinformation, you could have at least tried.

[@FROEZOEN]

ight, when's your better analysis coming out?

[@gabrieliatarelli]

Awesome video! Can you guys do a comparison between the Switch Version and other consoles of Dragon Ball Fighterz? I am curious of how the portable mode behaves.

[@johnodaz1273]

Quality video DF and great work. Really good info and Smash really is a special franchise.

[@MysteryD]

WTF I was just lying in bed last night wondering how the Wii U version holds up against the Switch version... though, I'd be interested in seeing how it translates from the Wii version, too!

[@TheMindOfThomas]

No need for a video comparing Brawl to Ultimate. Just look at it. It (Brawl) looks like hot garbage compared to any other game in the series IMO.

[@AceTechHD]

ComputerNoises I’m surprised they didn’t mention that there are quite a few models that look much sharper on Wii U. There’s definitely a lot of compression on Switch, but it still looks great.

[@Joeynator3000]

"it contains every character, mode-" ....It doesn't contain every mode...

[@clockwork204]

Haha that 8 player Ice Climbers battle royale! I could watch that all day.

[@MattHalpain]

thank you for this awesome in depth look into the comparison of the 3 editions of this game

[@backup368]

_"It should just be a Wii-U port with paid online that comes out in September."_

[@hangemhighhilton]

Man... what the fuck are we comparing here? Correct me if I'm wrong but Smash Bros Ultimate ONLY came out for Switch, right? So are we comparing Smash 4 on Wii U and 3DS to Smash Ultimate (which is pretty much it's own game and not an "Ultimate Edition" like you're implying). I'm confused. Seems like an apples to oranges comparison to an extent.

[@jackoski__19]

Yes exactly he doesn’t seem to know a lot about the situation in this video, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t know that this was a different game. Basically comparing street fighter 5 to 4. He doesn’t know that Hal didn’t make the game, that cell shading isn’t just an outline you can turn off (3ds version). Not all modes and stages return. He doesn’t even have like half the characters. This video frustrates me, first df video I had to dislike.

[@hangemhighhilton]

@@jackoski__19 Yeah! JUST like comparing Street Fighter IV to V directly. Good example. Yeah man, DF is usually extremely objective and precise in their comparisons/analysis videos. That's pretty much the reason I like them but this one just somehow got uploaded despite the fact that it falls fifty yards short of making any goddamn sense. XD

[@Cae_the_Kitsune]

You got a few pretty basic pieces of information wrong: - The game was not developed by HAL; yes, it was directed by Masahiro Sakurai, but he left HAL 15 years ago. - The game only brings back all the fighters from past games, not all the stages or modes. - Link is the only Zelda character to be given his Breath of the Wild design; the other Zelda characters' designs are taken from different games. Also: the source file for the video is absent on the Patreon site.

[@OxKing]

Donkey Kong now casts shadows on himself. I think that's why they changed him.

[@Shyguymask]

Donkey Kong looks better on Switch honestly.

[@jedoled]

Denial at its best. Honestly.

[@Shyguymask]

@@jedoled Ok buddy

[@autisticpenguin658]

True Roman I feel like you have never played ultimate... when i started playing it sm4sh started too look really old

[@FROEZOEN]

@@jedoled "dEnIal aT itS bEsT hOnesTly." He looked like he was smeared with shit on Wii U lmao.

[@retmania]

still enjoy playing Ark Survival Evolved on switch

[@skyriotAndKadeGaming]

This is unrelated

[@ad1onOW]

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater are you ok?

[@Sammyv17]

How are your eyes holding up?

[@kwedl]

*anyone thinks a character or stage looks better on WiiU* "Did you just say you hate the Switch and SmashBros Ultimate!?"

[@grassroots15]

Can you redo the VO for this video? Outside of the technical info (which is massively appreciated,) there are a lot of little things wrong. Like, HAL didn't make this game, and none of the Zelda characters have a cel shaded look, not even Toon Link, despite being based on a cel shaded game.