With both Eurogamer and Video Games Chronicle discussing the behind-the-scenes demos of Switch at Gamescom last month, it’s important to put what was revealed into context.
The new hardware will deliver a proper generational leap over the Tegra X1-powered hybrid, while the use of a more modern Nvidia architecture opens the door to a wealth of exciting opportunities. However, even if the stories concerning The Matrix Awakens running on target spec hardware with DLSS and ray tracing are true, that doesn’t automatically mean we’re getting a handheld with the ballpark performance on an Xbox Series S. As always with console hardware – especially Nintendo console hardware – Expectations need to be managed.
It’s a topic we discuss in depth on this week’s episode of DF Direct Weekly, embedded below for your viewing delight. Every time a new piece of gaming hardware comes along, the actual information we have to begin with via leaks is strikingly limited – and PS5 Pro is another striking example. Everything else sits within the LIZ, a term often used by UFO debunker and ex-Neversoft developer, Mick West. That’s the Low Information Zone, and where there is a lack of hard facts, interpretation and wish-fulfilment often step in to bring us to often incorrect conclusions.
0:00:00 Introduction0:00:42 News 01: Next-gen Switch demoed with BOTW, Matrix Awakens0:23:30 News 02: Daytona USA 2 re-release incoming!0:32:51 News 03: Paid, DRM-laden DLSS 3 Starfield mod cracked0:40:40 News 04: Jedi: Survivor patch improves performance mode0:52:19 News 05: AMD releases RX 7700 XT, RX 7800 XT GPUs1:14:20 News 06: Interviewer asks: why didn’t Todd Howard optimize Starfield on PC?1:21:58 Supporter Q1: Will the Switch successor rely on the same cartridges as Switch 1?1:26:03 Supporter Q2: Will Nintendo do “next-gen” patches for existing Switch games?1:29:38 Supporter Q3: Do you think Nintendo could use a discrete dock-only GPU for the new Switch?1:33:28 Supporter Q4: Why hasn’t Bethesda switched to Id Tech for all their games?1:37:86 Supporter Q5: Have you considered reporting GPU wattage when benchmarking PC games?1:40:29 Supporter Q6: Are corrective lenses the unsung heroes of Digital Foundry?
Let’s try a little thought experiment. Let’s go back to the time before the original Switch’s debut trailer, when next to nothing was known about the machine, apart from its NX codename. What would have happened if there had been leaks suggesting that Doom 2016 was coming to NX? That The Witcher 3 could run on the machine? That the Sniper Elite games were looking nigh-on identical to the PS4 version? Putting aside that none of these games were likely in development in 2016, the fact is that – yes – Switch did indeed deliver titles that had no business operating on a Tegra X1 processor.