Nintendo Shares Lots Of Free Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Wallpapers

These would make for some good Switch themes.

Ugh... just watching people arguing about resolution numbers in the other article just makes me sick and takes out all the artistic awesomeness that this game has.

It’s a really sad day for gaming when this generation argues about leaves not looking just-a-bit rounder this time.

No other company does world and environment design like Monolith Soft.

I could care less if this is 720p or 1080p. This game is stunning and one of the best and prettiest RPGs I have ever had the pleasure of playing.

Just stop with the d*ck measuring contest. Resolution is one of the last things you should be worrying about when playing this masterpiece. I mean, we all played this on the Wii and 3DS and even on those consoles it looked stunning just because of the design and creativity of the world.

@fafonio it's 2020 504p shouldn't be a thing. You do realize the GameCube did 480p. So somehow decades later Nintendo improved by 24p meanwhile Microsoft and Sony improved be over 1000p. To make matters worse this game is running at 30fps. Normally if you have reduced FPS you have a higher pixel count. At least Kirby, Luigi's mansion ran at 1080p when 30fps. So this game has the lower FPS plus a resolution which should be embarrassing. I'm so confused how anyone is defending this.

@fafonio
So right you are! This generation of gamers sickens me sometimes with their 1080p perfect framerate nonsense! They demand perfection too much. Just play the friggin game! All that pixel count talk and tech spec jargon. I don't even know what a teraflop is! I just like videogames!

@sixrings
It's a Nintendo game. You don't play Nintendo games for ultra mega hyper realistic super graphics. Even games like Xenoblade Chronicles charm lies in it's story, world, characters, gameplay, art style and direction. Not just graphics alone. Same goes for each and every Nintendo franchise. Visual fidelity alone has never been (and likely never will be) Nintendo's focus. Fire Emblem Three Houses looks bad but the characters and lore are amazing. Kirby Star Allies and Yoshi's Crafted World look like they could've easily been Wii U games, but the simplicity of their styles and gameplay sell it most. Kid Icarus Uprising, Star Fox Zero, Pikmin 3. Same things. Even the original Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii, while impressive for a Wii game was horribly outdated in its design yet people enjoyed it nonetheless on both it and 3DS as well. The characters, gameplay, voice work, and general awesomeness of the game is what landed it as a cult classic for so long and got everyone excited for Shulk's Smash 4 reveal. The way I see it, Definitive Edition is a direct upgrade in all areas. Yeah it doesn't look as good as FF7R or something, but that's not the point. It's not trying to be the ultimate big hyper fidelity RPG that none can compare to. It's Xenoblade Chronicles.

So if it bothers you that much, you're well within your rights as a consumer to simply not buy the game and let the rest of us enjoy ourselves. Nobody is forcing you to get it, and I respect your opinion if that is your decision. All I ask is that you respect the opinions of those who are expressing excitement for this game and avoid making them feel bad for their purchase decisions. Thanks.

Satorl Marsh at night is the best girl.

@JR150 I'm sorry but any game looks better with a higher resolution. In a few months 1080p is even going to be questionably outdated and this is half that resolution. There is no reason not to have Nintendo quality gameplay plus some competitive looking graphics.

@sixrings
Computer graphics don't work that way. You have a finite power that goes between Framerate, Graphical Effects, and Resolution, and developers can do what they want with it. In one hundred years time, any developer for the PS25 can make a game crawl at 15fps, or render at 120p, if they use enough of the power to making the picture look super realistic. Do you have any idea how long it takes to render a single frame of a PIXAR movie, even in '2020'?

Monolithsoft have chosen to prioritise a pretty picture over the resolution it's rendered at. Their choice. It's not right or wrong. It's a matter of taste.

@Ainze well isn't that concerning? How much worse would the game look if they took off all the graphic tricks to get it at 60fps 900p. I get its their choice but if they had more powerful hardware they wouldn't have had to make that choice. It's not like the switch is at the end of its life cycle. We are talking about this thing being around for another 3-4 years. At this rate they should have just released the system with a 480p screen.

And for those who are saying that graphics don't matter and only gameplay does then are you only upgrading consoles ever 5 years because you're forced to. It sure sounds like people here would be happy playing the switch in 2030 when xbox and PS are running 8k.

@aqryllic I think I would prefer an upscaled 1080p 60fps of the original game. I thought that Wii Zelda Twilight Princess port looked pretty good personally.

@aqryllic
If Monolith had stuck to that the game actually would have hit 1080p instead they focused too much on the graphics resulting in a blurry game particularly in handheld which is the only option for the Switch Lite meaning it negatively impacts the enjoyment of the game.

@sixrings
Again, you don't get computers, or art. EVERY developer has to make these decisions, and will do until the end of time. An Xbox Series X game running at 8K 120fps could still have been made to look better. At some point, the devs run out of power and have to draw a line at how much they improve it. PC gaming is proof of this. You, the consumer, chose which things to include and which things to sacrifice. And yet, it still could have gone higher and higher and higher, if the devs were rich and stupid enough to try.

And yes, the Switch will still be fun in 2030, just as the NES, SNES, N64, etc is still fun in 2020.

@sixrings
To be clear, I would have preferred less graphical improvement in favour of 1080p, so I agree with your preference. But that doesn't make their artistic choices wrong, and certainly doesn't mean that the laws of physics don't apply.

@Zeldafan79 just to reply to a post in your other thread about people not comparing graphics until the HD era. I was born in 1979 and we did compare graphics between the SNES, Genesis. For instance which Aladdin looked better, which mortal combat had blood, which street fighter was more colourful. Blast processing was a buzz word because people cared about graphics. Neo Geo came out with a slogan Bigger, Badder, Better. Turbografx 16 never managed to do well because it was really an 8 bit system competing against 16 bit systems. Hey but there was a Turbo express so it could be played portable. Either you didn't pay attention to the school yard debates or you didn't care but it wasn't the HD era that invented them. Perhaps though the internet has highlighted them.

Gonna grab a bunch of these for my IPhone. So amazing wallpapers here, Nintendo always has the best wallpapers.

@Ainze sir I understand how this works. However I don't agree with the choice. Also I believe the choice was partly made because of the limits of the hardware.

@sixrings
It's fine to not agree. I don't either. But "the choice was partly made because of the limits of the hardware" is obvious because ALL games on ALL platforms follow this rule. And "if they had more powerful hardware they wouldn't have had to make that choice" isn't even slightly true.

@sixrings
Honestly i just never cared about the technical side of videogames. I don't give two craps how they work or what the specs are. I grew up when a games graphics were nothing but little white squares on a black background. I'm in it for the rush, the adventure and the thrill of winning! How this stuff works is none of my business. Let the designers worry about how good the game looks. Oh and yes i probably do only upgrade because the old systems eventually stop getting new games. Not because i gotta have the most high tech gadget currently on the market.

@Ainze ok if they had more powerful hardware they could have run it at the exact setting they currently are but at 60fps 1080p.

I don't really want to debate semantics.

@Zeldafan79 that's fine but as someone in their 40's I don't want people to think that we old timers were above this and that the debates came about because of entitled millennials and gen zs. That's not accurate. From the beginning of time for better or worse graphics were debated.

@sixrings
And if they'd left it as was, they could have 1080p60 on current hardware. And if they had even more powerful hardware, they could have 1080p60 with even nicer looking visuals. It's not semantics. There is actually a whole visual component that can keep getting better infinitely, but devs have to play a balancing act with. There are no absolutes. Just artistic choices. It makes no sense at all to consider hardware power. I used to work for one of the major studios. This was how it was every day.

@sixrings First of all the resolution numbers you've mentioned are for the worst case scenario, which I doubt the game will actually hit based on impressions given by other reviewers so far.
Second, people have so far only focused on resolution and not over the fact that in-game performance has been very stable in both handheld and docked. Multiple previews have also stated the game plays with barely a hitch.

@Ainze I liked your comment. You converted me. Thanks for setting me straight about my ignorance.

Since you know so much I thought you maybe able to list some first or second party Microsoft or Sony games from the 360 PS3 era which ran at 540p 30fps.

@sixrings
Yes they were always debated but the media and children who's parents could only afford one system were probably more concerned with that stuff than the average gamer. I'm not a game designer nor could i create a videogame if i wanted to. I'm just a guy who likes to play them.

@Zeldafan79 I could afford every console but some of these games are only available on one console. This is where the problem is.

@ryancraddock just a heads up, you should mention in your article that these wallpapers are not yet available for the North American region. I hope they will be soon though!

Thank god Nintendo at least dont charge for these wallpapers. (not thats beneath them, check Nintendo Badge Arcade).

The main issue with Nintendo sticking to lower resolutions is most people have 4k tvs nowadays. The higher the resolution tv the worse a lower resolution product looks on it docked. Trying to play N64 on a 4k tv is virtually unplayable.

Nice wallpapers. Enjoying the daily news on Xenoblade here! Always feels like a series that doesn't get much attention outside of the fanbase.

Everything goes on hold when this game comes out. I've even managed to get release day off! This game will displace its sequel as my favorite game on Switch! Xenoblade Chronicles is a masterpiece! And no other JRPG can hold a candle to it. Not in my eyes. Not even FF7.

Zilch is a great price for these!

Three days away. Anyone know when the review embargo lifts?

@sixrings

Yep, it is 2020. Players can expect both graphics and gameplay. Especially for a full price $60 game.

Crazy is, that you asking why it is running at 520p is somehow asking for "ultra mega hyper realistic super graphics" 🤦‍♂️

It is just another example of weak hardware that has no headroom to deal with lazy optimization.

Basically they just letting Dynamic Resolution fix the problem zones in the game.

@RPGamer He's 41. I thought he was 14 too.

@RPGamer so one can't want gameplay and graphics. That's what we are considering entitled these days?!

@Agramonte @sixrings
If that's how you guys feel, then simply don't get the game. No one is trying to make you change your viewpoint here.

@sixrings
We’re getting graphics. We’re getting so much graphics that we’re getting less resolution. This isn’t poorly coded or poorly optimised or something. It’s very good graphics, that perhaps pushes the Switch a bit too far.

A great example would be Witcher. Some of the best graphics the Switch has ever seen, but all those lighting and particle effects tank the resolution and textures.

All in all, this is excellent for a portable. These games are a bit beyond the scope of the Switch power range, but impressive that it can happen at all. But if it doesn’t do it for you, and it might not, don’t buy it. That’ll show ‘em.

Remember, there’s no such thing as underpowered. There’s just different use-cases. In 2020, Switch is the best mobile console you can get for £250. Xbox One X is the best static console you can get for £350. PC is the best you can get for £x000. And none can run the best games at max settings. None!

The closest thing to underpowered you can get is unbalanced, like pairing a GTX 2080ti with a Celeron. Stupid combinations of components. The Switch is not that.

The reward is not available for your region. Thanks NoA!

Can someone download them and send me a link please?

Why does the US Nintendo stores and sites and sales always lag behind?

@backlogrob As a primarily digital Switch game purchaser, I'm still irritated that they did away with vouchers in the U.S.

@JR150

My comment @sixrings about what I thought of his post on 520p games in 2020 was also not an attempt to change anyone's viewpoint here. Or an invitation for anyone to try and change mine.

It is a gaming comment - If that's s not how you feel, then simply get the game. Either way, people will post their decision here.

@Agramonte I agree. There's a lot of this game looks great or it looks like crap comments. Mine in the latter. At the end of the day clearly this is subjective. No one's right or wrong even if I think this indicates that the switch is too far a gap between it and a potential PS5 and series X. I am amazed though that anyone would defend the low resolutions especially in handheld mode. Some people want a OLED switch pro. What a waste of a OLED screen if this is the types of resolutions the games are going to be in. I'd argue it's a waste of the current 720p screen but I'll just be able a child for having moderate standards.

@sixrings please call me back when Microsoft or Sony do a hybrid console. Really nitpicking the resolution of the portable mode against static consoles.
Try harder next time.

Looks like this is for Europe only. Do not see the reward on the American MyNintendo.

@sixrings What do you expect to change between now and the next Nintendo console? Also what do you expect us in here to do about it out of curiosity?

@RPGamer LMAO 😂

@fafonio try harder insinuates I'm trolling but soon Microsoft will have streaming so in theory I could play significantly better looking games on my iPhone. However I have zero interest playing Microsoft or PlayStation games. I do like my Mario and Zelda. That said I would like my games to look somewhat current gen. There's lots of people cool with the good enough philosophy but I have a hard time adopting that mentality. Of course no one on here can do anything but it isn't unreasonable to think that Nintendo tracks customer satisfaction and the more we say this is ok the less reason to improve the hardware. I'm just happy this isn't a franchise I have interest in.

@WiltonRoots how about a pro docked model like the new nvidia shield which runs better because it doesn't have to worry about being hybrid.

@Agramonte @sixrings 3:50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7rFIdx8NmA

@sixrings Well I don't think anyone here can sort that out sadly...

The PC I have now is better than the specs provided for the new PS5 and Xbox Series so no one is trying hard enough by my standards. Can your PS4 play games at 4K at 120+ FPS without dropping frames. No? You peasants.
...
That being said, 3 of my 5 favorite games from 2019 are ones with major performance limitations that rose above that because of other elements in quality that can't be denied. If you haven't played Xenoblade yet, trust me, it's worth it even in 720p. The world design, music, and story are all great. Top 10 games of all time for me, easy. And that was back when it ran in 480p and had muddy face textures.

Oh, these look nice...

Not available in your country/region

...........

Still, some nice wallpapers there.

@RPGame part of the article is about the graphic limitations and is your stance in comment sections that everyone has to agree with you or remain silent? Sorry people have different opinions.

Always love those wallpapers, but never understand why Nintendo rarely sharing them on their Japanese My Nintendo site for people using Japanese account.

Sure we could easily change our account's region (if there's no remaining funds) or just register a new one, and JPN My Nintendo even have a exclusive store and smartphone app.
...But why not offering wallpapers?

It's a shame these are the Europe site only. I have to jump through too many hoops to download free wallpapers just because I live in North America. (and it's not exactly hard to do, just complaining that I have to do it anyway)

Just wanted to point out that these are now available in the US for 50 Platinum Coins.