Splatoon 3’s Update 10.0.0 is out, with updates for both the Switch 2 and the original Switch.
You can read the full patch notes here, but the main changes is what you would expect. On the Switch 2, the game has been adjusted in such a way that it displays more detail on screen, and saved images now have higher resolutions. This certainly implies that Splatoon 3 was developed in such a way that it already had more detailed graphics from the start, and they knew it wouldn’t appear on the original Switch but it would be seen in the Switch 2.
The Switch 2 also gets smoothed animations in several aspects. Splatsville, Inkopolis and the Grand Festival Grounds have smoother movement. Several characters also get smoother animations, even when large numbers of them appear on screen. Even the small bottom right animations in loading screens got improved.
On the original Switch, certain elements will no longer display for Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz. That may sound completely unusual, but these adjustments are apparently necessary to enable continued cross platform play with Splatoon 2 players. Recon Mode is unaffected by this change.
As a reminder, the Switch 2’s hardware is actually completely different from the original Switch. The newer console actually plays Switch games using a translation layer. This is a hardware solution that falls sometime between software emulation and a hardcode port.
For this reason, the changes for Splatoon 3 between the two consoles are drastically different. Subsequently, the same game will be a bit different on each platform after the change. Nintendo’s goal isn’t the same experience, but a good experience on both platforms.
As you can see in the video below from NintendoLife, the improvement for the game on the Switch 2 is absolutely palpable. It’s the kind of change that makes you feel the generational tech leap, even if this patch wasn’t sold to us as a Switch 2 Edition level update.
It also raises hopes that more games will get generational upgrades like this on the Switch 2. That wouldn’t be suitable for all games, as we do feel certain titles are better served getting native Switch 2 ports, like what WB Games did to Hogwarts Legacy. But, outside Nintendo games, it may be suitable for ports of games that originally came from the 7th console generation, AKA, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
