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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Digital Foundry: Best graphics on Nintendo Switch

Why is Super Mario RPG on this video? It looks very basic to me. There's other 60 FPS games on the Switch that are more impressive.



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Leynos said:

Bravely Default II doesn't get its due. On UE4. The game looks incredible on Switch in stills but even better in motion. Esp in the desert where the sand moving in the wind has a very real-looking effect. Nice textures and even ok lighting effects.

Forgot to add. I think some of the texture work on characters clothes looks nice on Switch. It's not Marvels Spider-Man 2 impressive with things like Sweatshirts but for Switch. It's nice.



Bite my shiny metal cockpit!

In my opinion, the best-looking 7th gen open world game ported to Switch is Assassin's Creed Black Flag because its environments, the foliage especially, is much better. I find the grass in RDR to be really low quality, and in the 2 comparison pics that are constantly thrown about in this thread, the Xenoblade 1 looks much, much better than the RDR right above it to my eyes, both in terms of art and in looking like a more modern game.



h2ohno said:

In my opinion, the best-looking 7th gen open world game ported to Switch is Assassin's Creed Black Flag because its environments, the foliage especially, is much better. I find the grass in RDR to be really low quality, and in the 2 comparison pics that are constantly thrown about in this thread, the Xenoblade 1 looks much, much better than the RDR right above it to my eyes, both in terms of art and in looking like a more modern game.

Xenoblade uses 2d grass that doesn't react to anything and shadows don't react to light but yea rdr is grass is the weakest aspect if it had nice grass it would  look a nice ps4 game. Playing rdr on my 14 inch laptop it can look so realistic at times. assassins creed games are no where near as dynamic, do they even have a day and night cycle in black flag?

 here is a video of rdr vs rdr 2 suprisingly hold well until in some aspects and falls in others.

keep in mind that RDR 2 looks a generation ahead of any open world switch game graphically.

Last edited by zeldaring - on 01 August 2024

zeldaring said:

Ok explain to me why xenoblade 3 being mentioned?

They explain why in the video. They liked the image treatment techniques (temporal upsampling), volumetric clouds, particle effects, models, expansive world, and liked the post-processing (ex. blur) and how all this came together to make a compelling visual end result. And again, that doesn't mean they're saying it's the best looking open world game ever. They're appreciating how these techniques have been used to create a compelling end-result for the vision MonolithSoft were aiming for. They talk about how the temporal upsampling creates sharper lines in the art style that make the anime style design of the characters pop more. In the full DF video for the game they talk about how the eyes, although painted and non-reflective, are still presented in a way within the character models that presents a hand-drawn anime style even when characters turn their heads to different angles. That's a mighty impressive little detail that wouldn't dawn on anyone unless it was done wrong. It's not just the list of features. It's how they are used towards the end goals for those specific projects. For a project like XC3, although it's open world, the simulation of world day/night and weather doesn't have a huge impact on the actual gameplay. So losing those dynamic world shadows isn't as big a deal. Meanwhile, the volumetric clouds that likely were a big reason shadows were removed lend towards the fantastical world design they're trying to target. And DF felt the trade-off was worth it based on their sentiment.

zeldaring said:

it even lacks features that were basic during the 360 era, like dynamic shadows and for a open world game that's one of the most important graphical feature, and it just looks like crap over all,

It also has features that either didn't exist or weren't easily possible or common during the 360 era, the very same features it's being praised for (ex. volumetric clouds, image treatment). The last part of that statement is subjective. Others in this thread have already expressed they believe XC3 looks the opposite of "crap". If you have a lack of preference for the visual and character design, that's purely subjective.

zeldaring said:

and most likely when DF makes best looking thirdparty games they might mention RDR and crysis 3 then what. RDR looks a switch game while xenoblade 3 looks like a early ps3 game. 

Quite possibly. Nowhere am I disputing that RDR is impressive. You're completely missing the point of my posts. I'm actually trying to teach you about the tech. If you go back and read my posts, nowhere have I said where my preference lies for either of these games (or anything else for that matter). Again, the last part of that statement is subjective. I went and looked at a 1080p video of Genji just now (an early PS3 game). From a technology point of view Genji and XC3 are worlds apart.

zeldaring said:

Switch's advanced graphical features could come at cost, like lower resolution, less stable framerate so there are tade offs. again BOTW is on wiiu its not using switch's advanced feature set , so does that not count as well? how about mario rpg which looks like a small indi game. What about mario wonder, it's not using those advanced graphical features but still mentioned why aren't you not questioning why DF mentioned it. like i said it's all bout someone not accepting being wrong,

Yeah, using new techniques absolutely could (and often does) have costs. But that doesn't make the feat of implementing them and learning from the process any less impressive to me (and seemingly to DF either). If no one ever played around with new techniques, we would've never gotten new hardware features that could do them better. And we wouldn't have ever gotten to the point of RDR graphics even. So do you see where I'm coming from with playing with new tech being admirable, interesting, and appreciable? As for BOTW, I don't know how differentiated the actual implementation of the Switch and Wii U versions of the codebase are. Sure they appear to have the same graphical feature set, but that doesn't mean those features aren't implemented without the hardware nuance in mind. I couldn't say unless I sat and looked at the codebase. Besides, the technically impressive part of BOTW is in how systems driven it is. People comflate graphics with visuals, but the term "graphics" is actually synonymous with "calculation". So the technology powering those physical systems (what BOTW does better than any of its mainstream contemporary open world games even on more powerful consoles), is cause for being impressed. Not because those other systems can't do it, but because it just isn't being done. The technical feat there isn't the hardware, but the design and engineering.

Last edited by trasharmdsister12 - on 01 August 2024

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trasharmdsister12 said:
zeldaring said:

Ok explain to me why xenoblade 3 being mentioned?

They explain why in the video. They liked the image treatment techniques (temporal upsampling), volumetric clouds, particle effects, models, expansive world, and liked the post-processing (ex. blur) and how all this came together to make a compelling visual end result.

zeldaring said:

it even lacks features that were basic during the 360 era, like dynamic shadows and for a open world game that's one of the most important graphical feature, and it just looks like crap over all,

It also has features that didn't exist during the 360 era, the very same features it's being praised for (ex. volumetric clouds, image treatment). The last part of that statement is subjective. Others in this thread have already expressed they believe XC3 looks the opposite of "crap". If you have a lack of preference for the visual and character design, that's purely subjective.

zeldaring said:

and most likely when DF makes best looking thirdparty games they might mention RDR and crysis 3 then what. RDR looks a switch game while xenoblade 3 looks like a early ps3 game. 

Quite possibly. Nowhere am I disputing that RDR is impressive. You're completely missing the point of my posts. I'm actually trying to teach you about the tech. If you go back and read my posts, nowhere have I said where my preference lies for either of these games (or anything else for that matter). Again, the last part of that statement is subjective. I went and looked at a 1080p video of Genji just now (an early PS3 game). From a technology point of view Genji and XC3 are worlds apart.

zeldaring said:

Switch's advanced graphical features could come at cost, like lower resolution, less stable framerate so there are tade offs. again BOTW is on wiiu its not using switch's advanced feature set , so does that not count as well? how about mario rpg which looks like a small indi game. What about mario wonder, it's not using those advanced graphical features but still mentioned why aren't you not questioning why DF mentioned it. like i said it's all bout someone not accepting being wrong,

Yeah, using new techniques absolutely could (and often does) have costs. But that doesn't make the feat of implementing them and learning from the process any less impressive to me (and seemingly to DF either). If no one ever played around with new techniques, we would've never gotten new hardware features that could do them better. And we wouldn't have ever gotten to the point of RDR graphics even. So do you see where I'm coming from with playing with new tech being admirable, interesting, and appreciable? As for BOTW, I don't know how differentiated the actual implementation of the Switch and Wii U versions of the codebase are. Sure they appear to have the same graphical feature set, but that doesn't mean those features aren't implemented without the hardware nuance in mind. I couldn't say unless I sat and looked at the codebase. Besides, the technically impressive part of BOTW is in how systems driven it is. People comflate graphics with visuals, but the term "graphics" is actually synonymous with "calculation". So the technology powering those physical systems (what BOTW does better than any of its mainstream contemporary open world games even on more powerful consoles), is cause for being impressed. Not because those other systems can't do it, but because it just isn't being done. The technical feat there isn't the hardware, but the design and engineering.

I love new graphical techniques as well i just don't want it coming at cost of resolution and frame rate and switch is just too weak for the most part to support them with out sacrificing resolution in a big way.

This list also seems very subjective as i really don't see mario wonder and especially mario rpg using any new advanced tech, yet they are on the list. even with luigi mansion 3 they state it's not using the latest tech but it does everything well  or something to that extent. so if a game mario rpg is on the list why is red dead which is techically more impressive a problem for permalite?  



zeldaring said:

I love new graphical techniques as well i just don't want it coming at cost of resolution and frame rate and switch is just too weak for the most part to support them with out sacrificing resolution in a big way.

This list also seems very subjective as i really don't see mario wonder and especially mario rpg using any new advanced tech, yet they are on the list. even with luigi mansion 3 they state it's not using the latest tech but it does everything well  or something to that extent. so if a game mario rpg is on the list why is red dead which is techically more impressive a problem for permalite?  

It is a subjective list. It's literally DF's opinions. As for Mario Wonder and Mario RPG, they give explanations for why those are on the list right in the video. I could go and summarize why again like I did for XC3, but I think it would be better for you to look it up yourself and then potentially ask more informed questions about what they might mean if you don't understand. I'd be happy to answer those. Just keep in mind that implementation has nuance, regardless of how the end result looks to you and that DF (and especially John Linneman) are really passionate about how the right tech is used with the right art, not just that the most advanced features are thrown around. That's why they can be more impressed by and positive for something like Mario RPG than Lords of the Fallen (2023). You may not share the same sentiment or value for marriage of art with technology, and that's okay! But recognize that and what that means for your contributions to this thread.

I don't think pemalite has a problem with Red Dead so much as he has a problem with the means by which you've conducted yourself while waving it around in this thread. As we discussed, this thread and the video are about first-party games and about technology and not just what looks good to you. I happily encourage you to make another thread about how RDR looks great. You can even be creative about it and make it about the best looking third-arty games on Switch, or the 7th gen games that you think hold up best to modern standards. I'd absolutely be down to share some of my own opinions in such a thread. This just isn't the right thread for it. 

(FYI - his name doesn't have an 'r' - a lot of people get this confused and it's always funny to see reactions when people realize it after years.)



zeldaring said:

I love new graphical techniques as well i just don't want it coming at cost of resolution and frame rate and switch is just too weak for the most part to support them with out sacrificing resolution in a big way.

Not true; there are a number of Switch games that support these kind of modern effects without sacrificing resolution; FAST RMX, Metroid Prime Remastered, Alien Isolation, Outlast II, Sniper Elite 4, Strange Brigade, Zombie Army 4...

Xenoblade 3's lower resolution is not just because of the effects it pushes but the fact it is pushing enormous open levels at the same time. And it's image quality isn't bad; it's using a modern temporal upsampling solution that Digital Foundry stated "passable rendition of 1080p when docked and 720p in portable play."



And RMX was made by 5 people.



Bite my shiny metal cockpit!

curl-6 said:
zeldaring said:

I love new graphical techniques as well i just don't want it coming at cost of resolution and frame rate and switch is just too weak for the most part to support them with out sacrificing resolution in a big way.

Not true; there are a number of Switch games that support these kind of modern effects without sacrificing resolution; FAST RMX, Metroid Prime Remastered, Alien Isolation, Outlast II, Sniper Elite 4, Strange Brigade, Zombie Army 4...

Xenoblade 3's lower resolution is not just because of the effects it pushes but the fact it is pushing enormous open levels at the same time. And it's image quality isn't bad; it's using a modern temporal upsampling solution that Digital Foundry stated "passable rendition of 1080p when docked and 720p in portable play."

Those games are usually very limited in scope and don't really have much going calcualtions wise. According to restera xenoblade blade 3 hits 540p when action gets intense. That Pic you posted looks like it has smear of Vaseline on it.