The PS5 and Xbox Series X may be the new consoles in town, but I spent most of my last vacation playing mostly the Nintendo Switch. I imagine that many other players have done the same, and it is not difficult to see why.
The Switch has a bunch of fantastic games you can’t get anywhere else, including the chubby Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which I’ve been looking forward to since its surprise announcement earlier this year. I downloaded the game, started it up – and immediately wondered why it looked so bad.
For some context: I have been very busy with the PS5 and the Xbox Series X since I received them for review in early November. Some games I thrown for review; some games I just I wanted to play.
Anyway, my Switch was left abandoned in front of my TV for almost two months. When I finally turned it on again, I wasn’t prepared for the significant drop in graphics fidelity.
In resolution and frame rate
I tested the PS5 and Xbox Series X in a beautiful LG CX OLED TV, which supports 4K resolution and up to 120 frames per second. While most games won’t do that (4K at 30 fps or 4K upscaled at 60 fps is the best you’ll ever do), they still look fantastic and miles ahead of the previous generation console’s 1080p / 30 fps games.
It is true that the Nintendo Switch was never a technical power. His most beautiful games accomplished a lot, prioritizing memorable art styles over graphic prowess.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, for example, has much more memorable visuals than the last Call of Duty, whatever their resolutions and frame rates. But after marveling at the expansive landscapes in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, it was difficult to return to the relatively simplistic and restricted levels of Age of Calamity.
At first, I thought the LG CX OLED could help me ease the switch’s relatively low frame rate. I looked for the TruMotion configuration and turned it on.
For those unfamiliar with it, TruMotion produces what our senior editor Brian Westover calls “novel effect”For films and TV, artificially increasing the frame rate through visual tricks. (Other brands of TV have similar features, although the names vary.)
Although this setting often makes TV shows and movies look terrible, I have found that it can be useful for video games, where high frame rates are often more useful than perfect visual fidelity.
At first, the scenario did what I wanted, making Link seem to swing his sword and explode on the battlefield faster and more fluidly than before. But it didn’t take long for me to start noticing the cracks.
TruMotion cannot create more frames per second than the original game; it can only deceive their eyes and make them think so. As such, the effect had an artificial quality that was especially shocking when the frame rate failed and dropped by the minute or so. Before reaching the end of the first level, TruMotion had to leave.
In the end, I had no choice but to let my eyes adjust to the standard Age of Calamity look – or play in portable mode, where they were a little more tolerable. But then I had framerate problems and had to squint at the miniscule text and mission objectives.
Will we have a 4K switch?
In the defense of Age of Calamity, it really is a very good game, incorporating much of what I loved about Breath of the Wild in the fast-paced and energetic formula of Dynasty Warriors. Once I got used to the resolution and frame rate, it also didn’t look bad, thanks to its colorful environments and distinctive character designs.
But there was a distinct feeling that the Switch – which, according to Nintendo, is only halfway through its planned lifespan – can no longer provide the kind of look console gamers want.
Although the visuals are not as important as the gameplay, the story and a number of other features, they can make a big difference in immersion. In addition, a higher frame rate is not just for display; can be a gaming benefit, especially in competitive multiplayer titles.
Before buying a 4K TV, I was skeptical of the claims that we needed a 4K Switch. Now, I think we need one sooner or later.
While most Americans still have 1080p TVs (or less), that is changing rapidly, and two out of three console manufacturers can now take full advantage of 4K technology. If we have to wait another three years for a successor to the 4K Switch, the TV technology itself may have already advanced at that point, leaving Nintendo to try to catch up again.
This week, there were more rumors than usual about a “Switch Pro”, “Switch 2, ”Or whatever you want to call it. The end result is that there are rumors about Nintendo developing a 4K Switch and launching it this year.
In general, I do not trust the rumors of Nintendo and this lot is no exception. The sources are nebulous and seem to involve more illusions than hard evidence. But sometimes these rumors can be revealing, as they shed light on what the rumors want us to have on a current Nintendo device.
Some of the potential features of the Switch Pro include better hardware, more storage and 4K support – even if the new console has to abandon its beloved portable mode to get it.
In the end, I accepted Age of Calamity for what it is, and I’m sure I’ll do the same with the next Switch title I choose. But the PS5 and Xbox Series X set new standards in the appearance of console games, and Nintendo would do well to follow suit in some ways.
We may not remember the big games mainly because of their appearance, but at the moment, the impressive graphics can make a big difference.