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Digital Foundry: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch Tech Analysis
- Thread starter fluffydelusions
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Ugh, that handheld mode looks putrid. Good thing I play docked 90% of the time. I'll probably never play this in handheld.
Here's a link to the article for those who can't watch the video:
Is Xenoblade Chronicles 2 too ambitious for Switch's mobile mode?
Don't have time to dissect it for key details atm.
Is Xenoblade Chronicles 2 too ambitious for Switch's mobile mode?
Don't have time to dissect it for key details atm.
I'm really enjoying the game, but it's clearly got a lot of technical problems. If you fast travel to a town it can take quite a while to actually load in textures and NPCs. Even doing some salvaging last night, when Rex switches to his full suit it would take a good 5 seconds to load all the textures on the suit.
At least the load times are super snappy I guess.
At least the load times are super snappy I guess.
As a reminder, Xenoblade X on Wii U - which serves as the basis for Xenoblade 2's engine - runs at a native 720p. For Switch users playing docked to your flat panel, resolution remains at that same level, despite reports of dynamic resolution scaling.
However, everything changes when playing in handheld mode and image quality takes a nose dive. Unlike docked mode, playing on the go sees the developers deploy a dynamic resolution solution. The results range from 552p or so to 432p and even as low as 368p in some cases. There are probably other values in there as well but it's clear that this is not a game that ever comes close to reaching the native resolution of the Switch's integrated display. In fact, this is one of the lowest resolutions we've pixel counted since the PlayStation Vita era.
However, everything changes when playing in handheld mode and image quality takes a nose dive. Unlike docked mode, playing on the go sees the developers deploy a dynamic resolution solution. The results range from 552p or so to 432p and even as low as 368p in some cases. There are probably other values in there as well but it's clear that this is not a game that ever comes close to reaching the native resolution of the Switch's integrated display. In fact, this is one of the lowest resolutions we've pixel counted since the PlayStation Vita era.
I only noticed that happening after super long play sessions, restarting fixed it for me. Fast travel load times are stupid fast though.
Nintendo must have really valued the December release window. The video really shines light on a lot of little things that just an extra month or two probably could have ironed out.
I knew Torigoth was pretty rough in places but I'd have never guessed it'd go as low as 368p there. Blimey. I was surprised by the docked res though; I thought it looked too clean to be 720p so that must be the TAA solution at work.
I do agree with John though that the art style goes a long way. The lighting and vibrancy are fantastic and a HUGE step over Xenoblade X. Looking at the two one-after-the-other in the video, X looks so much worse than I remembered. It's so washed out. I think the new art direction they went for in 2 actually wound up paying off. John mentioned Skies of Arcadia and it really does have that 2000s RPG style to it, which is fun to see.
I knew Torigoth was pretty rough in places but I'd have never guessed it'd go as low as 368p there. Blimey. I was surprised by the docked res though; I thought it looked too clean to be 720p so that must be the TAA solution at work.
I do agree with John though that the art style goes a long way. The lighting and vibrancy are fantastic and a HUGE step over Xenoblade X. Looking at the two one-after-the-other in the video, X looks so much worse than I remembered. It's so washed out. I think the new art direction they went for in 2 actually wound up paying off. John mentioned Skies of Arcadia and it really does have that 2000s RPG style to it, which is fun to see.
The docked mode doesn't resort to dynamic resolution? That can't be right the game looks so uneven at times.
The handheld version does have a lot of technical problems. It's extremely blurry. I've been doing the majority of my playing in docked mode so it hasn't really bothered me. I only really switch to handheld when I'm doing salvage farming.
I've played about 30 hours so far, and it's been 50/50 handheld and TV because of playing it in bed or when my daughter is in charge of the TV.
I was absolutely shocked by handheld mode to begin with. Not in a good way. Gormott really seemed like the game was actually breaking.
But you know what? It's never been that bad since. It's odd. But eh, I don't even mind it now. It's a fantastic game and I'm hooked all the same.
Skyrim still stands as the single most impressive thing I've played on my Switch though. What an absolutely fantastic experience.
I was playing in handheld mode. From times to times, you can definitely see the visual quality dropped, but not as bad as the video shown(because the screen is much smaller in handheld mode).
But i am only 6 hours into the game, so I can't tell how bad is it yet, or I won't even care about it if the game is great.
But i am only 6 hours into the game, so I can't tell how bad is it yet, or I won't even care about it if the game is great.
You can get a brief glimpse of how drastic the drop is if you play it undocked, back out to the menu screen, and dock the console. Same goes in reverse. It looks noticeably worst in handheld mode. It's probably why they tried selling a themed Pro Controller alongside the game.
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