CD Projekt Red "Not Really Cutting Anything" From The Witcher 3 On Nintendo Switch

“how you interact is a bit different”

This is great news as I didn’t like how you had to line up perfectly with an object to get an interaction prompt to display on PS4, in fact it was driving me bananas by the end of the game...

Yup day one buy.

Finally, the Nintendo fans will be introduced to bathing Geralt and the stuffed unicorn!

UI and interaction

What they meant was Touchscreen support. Again, this game will be optimized for portable play.

Day 1 for me great game

Imagine if they made an exclusive for the switch. It would be the best looking game on it.

I haven't played this game, but understand it's a masterpiece. Will absolutely get this if the port turns out fine.

@Quarth it will turn out fine.

Never played and very excited (especially with the physical side) but also very cautious.

Reading reviews of ps4 and xone there was framerate drops and lag there.

Money's tight atm so will wait for switch review personally.

If it is a decent port, I'll double dip. Not only it is the most technically challenging game so far to port to the Switch, they're also going for the 32GB game card, which is commendable. This could set a good precedent.

Don’t have a PS4, so never played this. It was my #1 hope for an announcement at E3, so I am stoked! Just take my money!

@Ryan_Again i assure you won't be disappointed by your journey across novigard!! Best game ever!

Hoping they port witcher 1 & 2 as well, like Capcom are doing with resident evil on switch. Most especially witcher 2.

It'll probably look way better in action in the palm of your hands, but how it looks was never the issue for me as much as the fact that I just really don't wanna replay this game.

Playability was just poor, and I already experienced the story and side quests so the impression has been made and it simply won't be the same thing twice, it never is.

Here's hoping it does well, just to stick it to Crapcom.

Man, CDPR and Saber really hit this outta the park.

It’s funny that there are mobile devices more powerful than the Switch now, but still nobody will develope this level of game. Maybe they don’t think it will sell at a premium price... so nobody is willing to make that investment.

If those screenshots are anything to go by, this is going to look absolutely fine in handheld. Double dip for me, got about 20 hours in on PS4 (PRO) but gave up as I couldn't click with the combat. The whole potion thing really spoiled it for me, meant it was too stoppy/starty. I'll play through on the easiest mode then that's not an issue.

@konbinilife And it won't. Somehow, and I don't exactly know why, the mobile market prefers microtransactions over upfront costs. Look at what happened with Mario Run, which was 10 bucks. That flopped pretty hard.

Your Wallets will bleed red from June till December and beyond!!! Nintendo!

im not really that interested in this game on the switch but i might still double dip to show support

It is five years old. So the Switch version still can't compete. The trade-off I get, playing in handheld mode.

But big third party games for the Switch will most likely always be the older ones. Giving the developers a second lease of life to their back catalogue of games.

I played Skyrim for the first time ever on Switch. I know the graphics in that game are terrible compared to the remastered console editions or the PC version, but I still loved every minute of it on the Switch. I don't see this being any different.

It would be nice if Witcher 3 looked amazing but frankly it's just going to look as good as it can do with the limitations of the Switch taken into account. If the game is truly as good as people say (and I hope it is!), it should stand up without needing to be the best looking game ever.

I've actually got this on PS4 and played about an hour of it, just like I did with multiple PS4 titles over the past year. I need it portable in order to really put the hours in!

I mean, on 7” the resolution might be alright but after putting more than 300h of 1440p60 Ultra to this game it would be really hard to adapt.

@aetios that’s too bad. I bought Mario Run and I actually think it’s the best of Nintendo’s mobile offerings. AC pocket camp doesn’t have the magic, and Mario kart controls are no good. Dragalia and Fire Emblem are nice but again, those damned micro transactions.... :/

@konbinilife Mario Kart aint out yet. You played the beta?

@zool Uhmmm in many cases you're right, but... Crash Team Racing, Cuphead, Hellblade, Mortal Kombat 11, Team Sonic Racing, Wolfestein Youngblood, Spyro Trilogy, Dragon Quest 11, Oninaki, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Doom Eternal, Trials of Mana,... All of them are either released at time with the rest, or were released the last year (and I'm pretty sure I'm missing some).
Not that bad I think, considering it's a complete different hardware.

@zool
It won't matter. The game will do crazy well just like Skyrim and Diablo 3 and all these other ones. The appeal of having games like this on a handheld has a hard knock expiry date.

@konbinilife Mobile has a lot of bad industry practices that has to be cleaned up before it will ever take off. While most games have no or low upfront cost, they have scummy ad servers that scrape every ounce of personal data they can get from you (for resale/profit). Their only other way of profit (because customers have decided the value of a mobile game generally is $0.00-0.99 is to set up barriers that can only be overcome with great luck or money (micro transactions). Both are predatory and not really sustainable (i.e. once all personal data has been scraped what value is left to profit from).

I think even in a world of streaming services, Nintendo is carving out a segment of the market for themselves. Just like with Witcher 3 being brought to Switch, it is providing gameplay experiences in places that you wouldn't think possible. Strada and Xbox's cloud services are great, but I want to see real world usage first. I just don't see American ISPs rolling over and opening their networks like that (without trying to tax access via higher service costs/bandwidth caps).

Day one for me
1) never played the game, and want to
2) full support to companies who give AAA games to the switch

@konbinilife Yeah, that is kinda mind blowing. Just shows what a difference it makes when lots of effort and polish is applied to software. Nintendo's games frequently have so much polish, and are so fun, that I think I'd play them even if they were on Vita level technology today.

Still no word on frame rate, that is a big reason to worry.

@Darknyht Yeah, internet space is such a warzone, like the battle to manipulate and control decision making (whether it's voting or buying stuff) of everyone who has any connection to electronic devices like tablets or phones, that it's hard for me to imagine Stadia working. And I pretty much don't ever play phone games because I've had too many experiences ruined by ads. YouTube is getting unbearable too, lining up two sequential ads for me now before I can watch the video I selected, which itself is basically an ad (usually for a game, or musician, or something). So absurd and crazy, forcing people to watch ads for crap they don't want before they can watch something that is already basically a type of ad for something they do want! Our modern globalism is nuts!

It reminds me a lot how The Witcher II looks on Xbox 360. And it is still a fine looking game.

@frabbit I know what you mean, but I love the way Skyrim looks on Switch. The frame pacing seems to be perfect, which allows my TV to dejudder it perfectly making it looks like 60fps. That works for Skyrim because I'm pretty much always walking around or running around an there's no noticable input delay for me when I'm playing. Breath of the Wild works similarly for me. Those are two 30fps games that I love! Of course I only play them docked.

@60frames-please Yeah I worded that badly, I don't think it looks "terrible" at all, it just doesn't look as good as the other versions by any stretch. Was perfectly playable and I've stuck 100 something hours into it, which is 100 something more than I put in on the myriad other platforms it has been relased on.

@zool

Doom Eternal says what? Wolfenstein Youngblood, Minecraft Dungeons etc...more and more often you will see 3rd party games release for Switch near or at the same time.

I dont really care for a 4-5 years old game.
I already have played it on ps4 on its best!!!
I would like other 3d party major games more fresh!

@dimi I didn’t realize it still wasn’t out. I did play the beta in both my phone and tablet.
I guess they were going for one-handed play with the controls, but the big arrow is annoying and it just feels off. I think Nintendo is purposefully gimping the mobile games to not cut into sales of real titles.

@LtAldoRaine yeah, the production of this game will help lower the cousts of the 32gb cartidge. And with it happening, soon more ports will coming from the companies which don't have files compression good technologies.

Why do people constantly compare a game on Xbox one or ps pro to the same game running on the Switch ? Surely to god you realise there will be a difference ?!!!

@Woosh193 Two years in and people still make these stupid comparisons. Like suddenly out of nowhere it's going to be some graphical powerhouse. Makes you question whether they're looking at the game or playing it?

They had me at 32 GB cartridge. I can’t wait, I’ve been impressed with what I’m seeing.

Sigh... yeah, I'll be buying it😞 My poor, poor wallet.

@WiltonRoots @Woosh193 If there weren't a difference, there would be no reason to compare. That's exactly when you should be comparing. That is how you identify the differences and make a determination if the differences are important to you or not. That goes for comparing different types of games to one another, or the same game on different systems - there's absolutely value in comparing.

Simply stating differences, or pointing out where the Switch port is lacking, doesn't mean it is a bad port or anything of the sort. It's perfectly reasonable to point out where a Switch game may falter slightly in performance or graphic fidelity, yet still accept the trade off for the other benefits of having a game on Switch - as I almost always do. I favor Switch games 90% of the time, but that doesn't mean I have to be completely disinterested in how it stacks up to PC/XBOX/PS4 versions.

The point I’m making is people expect them to look the same and run the same then complain about it when they don’t. I thought it was obvious that there will be a trade off to get it a game to run on the switch that was designed for another more powerful system. Having started my gaming life on a zx spectrum perhaps I’ve got a realistic expectation. I would have killed for a system like this when I was younger. They should be grateful for what they have as all the whining is starting to get boring.

@roadrunner343 yep I pretty much echo what @Woosh193 said.

@WiltonRoots @Woosh193 Some people may expect that - but I would agree, those people are dummies =) My point is solely that there's no harm in comparing, and the comparison is beneficial, even when we all know there will be difference. Most of the comments I see here are not whining that trade offs were made. The concern is what trade offs, and how severe are they, which is why these comparison are useful.

The third game is by far the best art directed in the series, and the wonderful landscapes and color-palettes will still look amazing despite some of the textures being drawn at a lower resolution.

I am glad they mention the UI changes. For a game designed for a TV sometimes it would not translate well to a handheld screen. Even the respectably large screen on the Switch.

So long as the game reviews well on the Switch, I am gonna pick it up. Even though I suspect it isn't the kind of game I normally would like. It's got so much praise it must be worth at least attempting.

I only got to play the very beginning of this on the pc. With this info I will 100% buy it.
If only Skyrim on switch looked this good(it still looks great and has beautiful visuals, don't get me wrong).

Remember the days when arcade ports to home consoles were normal and nobody expected the SNES or Genesis version of NBA Jam to look exactly like the arcade?

There was always a concession at the time that the graphics would be diminished, but that did not stop most players from enjoying the game. We were happy to be able to just play at home. It is the same thing here. We can play Witcher 3 at home, on the go, on a Nintendo device.

I can't wait for this release. Nothing but a win.

Glad that Switch only users can finally experience this game.

It's super good, and with the expansions packaged in, the game is easily worth the asking price.

Day one buy. I will show support and I will give this game a chance.

@roadrunner343 yep sadly sensible comparisons like yours get drowned out by console warriors... @Mallow above nailed it too.

Some sacrifices will certainly be made, but as long as the game looks fairly decent, doesn't chug along too much, and the gameplay is unaffected, I don't mind.

To be fair, Skyrim is one of the best ports on Switch, it comes fairly close to the PS4 edition. The trade offs will probably be far bigger on Witcher 3.

Congratulations! Good job. More 3rd parties should listen to that developer. Come on!

Oh boy, they really should not raise expectation. Now you just invited 100 youtube videos on day 1 - comparing to see if this is true.

I do not understand marketing that start you in a hole 🙄

@konbinilife I agree, although imo the price for SMR was a little high if you consider that for example a game like Rollercoaster Tycoon for mobile (not RCT4, the port of the original 1999 game) cost 7 euros. They should probably have targeted that price point.

@Mallow Except TMNT. I expected a BUMP and got a side scroller adventure with pink coral and a timer. Curse that NES arcade port!

Game Freak: "We simply can't fit all 800+ Pokemon in one game anymore, what with all the animations and such, even on the Switch."

CDPR: "Hold my beer."

Kinda reminds me of the Assassin's Creed games on Wii U. I loved Black Flag with the gamepad it was so good.

Day 1 for me along with Alien Isolation. 2 very nice third party surprises from E3.

@60frames-please you’ve mentioned your TVs dejudder function a number of times and how it makes 30fps run smooth like 60fps. How does this magic work? I could simply google it but where’s the fun in that and you seem like the best person to ask

@beazlen1 It's also called motion interpolation. On Samsung tvs it's called dejudder. It creates an image where moving objects get an extra image created by the TV's computer that is basically halfway between where it was in the previous image and where it's going in the next image. This somehow bumps 24 frame per second movies, 30 fps TV shows and 30 fps games up to 60fps while also adding input delay for games and a delay in video(sometimes I think causing audio to get out of synch with video). I don't understand how it works really, it feels like magic to me. In racing games it almost always introduces too much input delay, but for me it doesn't do that with Breath of the Wild, Okami, Katamari Damacy, Skyrim, etc. One of the most dramatic examples I first saw was Wind Waker HD. It looks like a magic Pixar movie you can control. I love it! I was shocked when I turned it off in my TVs options menu and saw how crappy Wind Waker HD looks without it. I wouldn't play that game at 30fps, but it's incredible at 60. Also, almost all gamers hate this feature because they understandably want super quick input response. I've talked to a director who wants it banned from TVs. He felt like it destroys the director's vision of a film. I told him I love and I wish I could mess with the setting way more and make video look trippy and messed up with after effect trails and color cycling. I'll never forget the first time I noticed my parents Sony smart TV partially do motion interpolation on an old black and white movie. Some actors face kind of slide across the screen in a smooth plastic way and I blurted out "what was that?!" It took me a few months to figure out what it was and that some HD sets had it and some lower end ones didn't. I loved it!

DAY 1. And CD Projekt RED continues to show their superiority in technology and quality control.

I will defenitely give this my support. Never played a Witcher game before though. Looking forward to it.

Wargroove, Yoshi, Link's Awakening and Witcher 3 and not renewing my online subscription. That's my 2019.

Just want to warn people who've never played The Witcher 3, without spoilers: This game can be dark...and by dark, not "lack of ambient light" dark, dark as in, "watching innocent people being burned at the stake alive while they scream horribly" dark. It fully earned its M-rating. It's definitely not for kids.

That being said, it's a great game.

"we're not really cutting anything....except all textures are being remade in ms paint".

@60frames-please Thank you for the reply! How much lag does it introduce? I'm looking at getting a new TV so I'll make sure to check out this feature.

@beazlen1 I've never tried to measure it. In some of their videos DF tries to do it with a very high speed capturing camera on them pressing a button with the resultant action on the screen in the background. I think that's what they did to measure input lag on maybe Smash Ultimate and others. Anyways, all I can tell you is that I remember once having to turn dejudder off in order to beat a boss in a 3D Zelda game, probably Wind Waker HD, because I was bouncing like an energy ball back and forth and it required precise inputs. But at the same time in general the input lag didn't bother me at all in regular gameplay. It usually ruins racing games. Although I only play Blur on PS3 with it on. Blur is easy enough that I can get by with it. Plus I wouldn't want to play Blur with it's 30fps visuals without the dejudder option on. Games like Valkyria Chronicles(on Switch or PS3, the PS4 version runs at 60fps), Okami, Breath of the Wild, Katamari Damacy, Octopath Traveler, Mario + Rabbids kingdom battle, Pool Panic, the Gardens Between, Civ VI, and Planet Alpha look great with dejudder and to me look terrible without it. I never play any of those games in portable mode. Then there are games like Yonder that run at something like 55fps and my TV can't improve it. It looks ok, but I wish it ran at a perfect 60! Also, input lag doesn't bother me on any of those games I listed above. Different TVs probably have different amounts of input lag. I tried an expensive 4K Sony TV once but returned it mainly because it couldn't dejudder Breath of the Wild as perfectly as my old Samsung. It was also too bright! I don't like HDR at all.

@Rpg-lover thank you for shouting out. I am so stoked. My initial impression of Witcher wasn’t good. I thought it looked like another cheap fantasy game. But daaaaaaa**mn the more I see of Witcher the more I am all about this game. The dialogue is all so good. Can’t wait, man!

@nocdaes I’d think twice about Wargroove... I kind of regret my purchase. It’s fun when you’re winning, but the gameplay is more like a puzzle. One mistake and you can’t really pull back the victory. Plus matches take soooo long. But that’s just my take. If you get it, I hope you love it!