The Nintendo Switch is the best-selling console on the market right now. It continually sells millions of units throughout the year, even with the shortage of semiconductors. Furthermore, it has consistently released great 1st and 3rd party titles, with 2022 no different. The system isn’t the most powerful gaming console, but gamers don’t seem to care. Especially since it is the most portable one, even when you compare it to the Steam Deck; however, despite all this praise, if you were to reprimand the Switch, it would have to be due to its port market. Something that fans hope Nier Automata will break that streak, and they might get their wish.
We’ll explain. As we noted, the Nintendo Switch isn’t the most powerful console on the market. Not just in terms of processing power but graphical power. Yes, the Nintendo Switch has HD graphics, and it’s the first Nintendo console to have that. But, when you compare it to systems like the Xbox Series X or PS5, it doesn’t even come close. Likewise, it didn’t come close to last-gen consoles like the Xbox One or PS4 in terms of graphical ability. It’s done well with what it had, but the gap in graphics was noticeable, especially when it came to the ports.
Because many developers would ignore the Switch when it came to some of their more significant releases, when the system gets a port, it would be a noticeable step down in one form or another. DOOM from Bethesda was a great example. It played well enough, but fans could quickly tell the graphics got downgraded so that it could fit the system. Mortal Kombat 11 was another example. Despite being the best game in the franchise, the Switch port’s graphics were laughable at best.
However, critics are saying the opposite with the upcoming Nier Automata Switch port. Instead, they’re saying this could be one of the best Switch ports. One site even called it a “miracle port” in terms of quality.
In their preview, the writer noted that despite an “outdated hardware” system, the Switch version of the game could hold up against the PS4 version. High praise indeed. They also noted that while some textures got downgraded, you had to look at them closely to notice the drop in quality. Even the infamous “pop-in” graphics that the Switch is known for was far less in this port.
They did make it clear that it wasn’t perfect and that there was a lighting issue that did weigh things down. But they also said that if you wanted to play the game on the Switch, you could, and you would enjoy it.
The good news is that the title will arrive on Nintendo Switch on October 6th, so you won’t have too long to wait.
Source: RPGSite
