Video: Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Visuals Stand Up Rather Well in a Wii Comparison

Damn, the Wii is nearly outclassed by a handheld. The future really is bright for next Nintendo handheld.

I think it was expected but the Wii version is still far superior...

A note on the lighting differences:
The cutscenes use whatever time it is in-game. So if you think one looks better because of that, you're actually getting both!

I think that given resolution differences (the Wii footage looks clearer in this video than it would on my TV), things should balance out quite nicely.

The difference looks pretty small actually. Excited for this.

I'm with @nacho_chicken, the cutscenes could have happened in different hours of the (in game) day.
Overall it's almost the same.

Details are a little fuzzy on the 3DS version, but not awful. However, this isn't gameplay. And the brief snippets Nintendo has shown in promotional videos look REALLY rough. Like, hard-to-tell-what-some-things-are rough.

new 3ds version has ugly textures that are blurry and basic compared to wii version. ill probably get it on wii u eshop because i reckon nintendo will put it on there eventually.

it should look better considering more new 3ds power. i know the game is big but come on.

@thebigN I don't think they will release it as part of the Wii collection on Wii U eshop simply because Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is one of the biggest reasons to get a New 3DS (as the Wii version is very rare).

@thebigN
If you tried that, you'll be waiting forever, my friend.
Nintendo wouldn't just completely annul their only New 3DS exclusive to date like that.

@nacho_chicken I mean the wii version

Pretty nice that the visuals are more or less the same, this will definitely be the first game I'll get(assuming there'll be some more exclusives in the future) once I buy a New 3DS.

The best thing about Xenoblade never was the graphics, imo, since it came out so close to the Wii U anyway here. The game is amazing though, and I recommend everyone try it.

Guys, please remember that you are viewing the graphics on the 2D effect on the New 3DS which is just 400x240 resolution. When you play it for real using 3D, you will be getting 800x240 (400x240 on each eye) and things will be even sharper. This video kinda undersells the New 3DS graphics...

I wonder what are these street pass "bonuses"/amiibo might be that i just missed that part.

it's a trailer... not suitable for comparisons

Its very close, but the Wii version obviusly is still quite a bit above the N3DS remake.
Though mostly in terms or texture resolution, which is perfectly understandable, considering how much landscape this game renders all at once.
Handhelds will always have their limitations, even the fabled "portable PS3" Vita pales in comparison to an actual PS3 in many many ways.

But i still think that porting this game over to the N3DS is still quite a feat.
And like a few people already said:
The trailer isnt a perfect representation either. Its stretches the visuals, doesnt display them in 3D etc.

@thebigN The New 3DS isn't more powerful than the Wii...

@Taikasieni Music and 3D models so very similar to the Sound Test and Trophy Gallery areas of Smash 3DS and Wii U but kind of locked behind a Streetpass/Shulk amiibo wall.

Couldn't finish this game. Got bored after around 20 hours of it and never wanted to come back. I hope the New 3DS version makes me change my mind. I blame the excessive amount of content and very very large maps. The learning curve isn't pleasant for the most part of time and it just gets worse to manage when new characters arrive. I felt like I was playing a MMORPG in a beta test server.

Wow that's pretty amazing. Just imagine how good the next Nintendo handheld will look. Wii U graphics on the go.

Pretty similar. That shows you how far Nintendo hardware has come in recent years.

Put a comparison of actual gameplay up next please.

Something about Shulk's eyes seems just a little off in the N3DS version, though it's only noticeable up close. Other than that, holy crap this is amazingly close to the Wii! I'm very surprised.

@Bushido_Fai Can't agree more, I don't know how many times I tell people the 2d on the 3ds looks bland and washed out. 3d looks more crisp and better rendered like it's meant to be. Weird but 2d gives me a headache as it looks too blurry. It's why I hate it when I find out a game doesn't have 3d.

Very fuzzy looking on the New 3DS but should be less of a problem when you are playing it and not looking at comparisons, of course. I'm more worried about framerate and draw distance.

The lighting on the WIi version looks far better in my opinion.

Looks great! Can't wait to finally play it after so many years!

Bringing Xenoblade Chronicles to 3DS was one of the best decisions Nintendo's made in a long time. So many people still haven't played the game, and there's nothing better than a good JRPG on a handheld, particularly a Nintendo handheld.

And clearly, the game looks almost the exact same as its Wii counterpart, which is quite the feat for a 3DS game. Especially when it's a port of what is the Wii's graphical crown jewel.

@RadicalYoseph The lighting differences are because of the time of day, with the N3ds cutscene happening during the day and the wii cutscene happening at sunset. Basically, the time of day was the only difference between the two versions.

It's going to look good for a 3DS game, but still the low resolution and small screen don't make justice to how beautiful this game is.

I'm amazed at how good the 3DS version looks. I legit think it looks better then the Wii. More sharp, less compression fuzz.

@Grumblevolcano I don't think its about rarity. Metroid Prime Trilogy was rare and Nintendo isn't making much off of it at $20 or even $10. The only reason Xenoblade is rare (aside from being a great game) is that it was a paid GameStop exclusive. That exclusivity agreement isn't relevant to a 3DS release now or a digital release in the near future. In fact, Europe has already received it, if I remember correctly, in their eShop.

@Jim_Purcell And 3D will be a nice addition.

I might just play it again on my Wii U if I don't finish my backlog before X is out. Which I doubt I can do.

I wonder if the old 3ds could've run this game but not without lag and crashing

Wii version looks much better, but the New 3DS version is still acceptable considering how ancient the hardware is. Not something you can call "impressive", but still pretty cool. Will grab a copy of the 3DS version once I've finished the Wii version.

@metroidfire1 I wouldn't mind being able to play it without 3D...

They both look pretty much the same to me, but it's still impressive getting it to run on a handheld console.

I still have the Wii version in my always increasing backlog, so, while I appreciate it's in 3D and not a straight port, I'm not eager to spend $364usd on the console+game...

Differences I've Found:

-Trees are present at the top of the cliffs surrounding Colony 9. These trees/bushes are missing in the 3ds version.
-Shoreline in the 3ds version has a dark line going through it, the Wii version does not.
-The water appears far more detailed in the Wii version. (1:15)
-Less detailed textures in the 3ds version. (0:54 shows a clear contrast, but ground textures in general are much less detailed)
-Better smoke and fire effects in the Wii version.
-Some kind of blur in explosions, much less present in the 3ds version (0:57).
-More dust on Metal Face lift off in the Wii version.

The differences are very clearly there and the visuals of the Wii version are stronger, but it's good to see this game release again.

I don't know about everyone else, but when I'm playing a game, I don't pause it to check out the detail, so these side by sides do nothing for me. I do sometimes notice poor graphics for a brief moment, but if the game is good... it's brief. Then it's time to play. This is one of my favourite games of all time and the first game EVER that I will buy another copy of.

I'm just surprised and disappointed you can't preload it on the eshop.

While the quality is obviously better in the Wii version, at least it looks like they're representing the art-style sufficiently.

Never got to play this on the Wii, so I'll definitely be picking it up for the N3DS if it releases in North America.

Looks good to me. While I have already played this game, and finished it on Wii, I'm thinking of actually picking this up to show my support to Monolith Soft and Xeno-series in general.

Same reason I have Shulk-amiibo preordered.

I think it looks awful in comparison when viewed on this YouTube video. Pretty sure on the small screen of the New Nintendo 3DS it will look OK though.

Wii version better but impressive from the New3DS. Need more exclusive software thou to convince me

The 3DS always had a problem in the texture department to begin with, so it's not so surprising that added memory or cpu power don't help, as long as the GPU stays the same. But I guess it's a little less bottlenecked when coupled to more RAM and CPU power, helping it achieve what is still a darn good and close thing to the console experience, albeit running at much lower resolution.

I'm glad I skipped it so I can now enjoy it on a new handheld.

Its amazing how the handheld now holds its own to a last gen console.
I did think that the 3DS colour pallet was a bit washed out compared to the Wii version.

I wonder what chance there is of Wii XC being thrown in, or offered at reduced price, with XCX whenever it gets released in the West, ala Bayonetta 1 & 2...

Come on, N, give the N3DS version a few months head start, then drop the news 2 weeks before release date of XCX in August. I dare you.

I think the 3D will make the 3ds version look better in my eyes.

@gcunit Nonexistent because Nintendo will use the Wii version's rarity to their advantage for getting people to buy the New 3DS (XL) and I'm pretty sure other rare Wii games will get the same treatment (e.g. Radiant Dawn in a 2 pack bundle of that and the GC predecessor Path of Radiance).

I don't know what could be the reason to play this on 3DS if you have access to the Wii version. I want the New 3DS but this game looks better on Wii and it's better suited for home sessions. I'm much more interested in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

I still haven't beaten the Wii version.

Not much difference I'm really hyped for the portable release of xenoblade chronicles

Overall, not a bad transition. I hope they redo Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii U with updated textures. Maybe they could release both together like they did with Bayoneta 2.

It's hard to get too impressed by the tech in a 3DS which falls short of the Wii, which in turn was well shy of the power of the XBOX 360 and which is significantly less powerful itself than a modern cell phone chip like the Tegra K1. For what it is, it's good, but a handheld with a modern cell phone chip could present much more vivid and impressive visuals.

Looks pretty good, a nice faithful port.
It would've been better if the game came on on the U instead/

Is nobody mentioning how they completely changed Shulk's outfit to match his look in Smash Bros? I thought that was interesting...

@Grumblevolcano I doubt they'd do that. XB3D is exclusive to the n3ds because it just wouldn't run on a regular 3ds. I don't see why RD and PoR couldn't run on a regular 3ds and thus, couldn't see it every being a n3ds exclusive IF they did remake those games. I could potentially see something like The Last Story being another exclusive though.

Both looks the same, only thing is you can't judge the New 3DS version visual until you see the 3D effect for yourself.

@rishisquid Oh, I had no idea contravenes could take place during different times of day!

@RadicalYoseph If by contravenes you mean cutscenes, then yes, they happen during the time of day in which you complete the objective.

@gloom
Stop making up stuff. His outfit is the same. There was nothing to change. His outfit alway matched.

I dont think it looks that great, very blurred textures and Im not sure the 3DS is the best fit for its epic vistas.
I have the Wii version though, its a great game.

I wasn't too sure about getting this port. I was reminded of Xenoblade's awesomeness and now I need to play it again

Only change I noticed is that Dunban's skin looks a bit less sickly, and Shulk isn't wearing a helmet.

Still, I'll probably buy it because I never did play the original. Looks fun!

@Not-Another-Ad

Don't worry, Xenoblade X on the Wii U will come soon enough.

The 3DS version is in 3D! How can you compare it with the Wii version? The New 3DS has to render every frame twice (for each eye), that takes significant processing power. I bet you, looking at this game in 3D will make the Wii version looks flat and boring.

@Stuffgamer1 Exactly what I thought, the Wii footage is shrunk down to the 3ds's 3.88" screen. It wouldn't look that sharp on a 40" telly

@rishisquid Yeah, I meant cutscenes. That is a neat feature, I didn't know rather or not cutscenes were in-engine. And I beat the whole game! I just need to pay more attention to detail.

Lol why are people whining about GWAPHIX? This game would only look amazing if it was released back in the PS2 era, so who cares if the textures aren't as good looking as the already subpar looking Wii version? The game is still going to be awesome, and that's what matters

That's really impressive considering the N3DS has to render the screen twice for the two perspectives needed to form the 3D image.

Anyone who missed out on Shulk Amibo, Gamestop is doing a second run being released may 1st. I advise you to buy NOW. I paid in store and it comes to your house with free shipping. Just had to tell someone.....

I played and own it on the Wii. No need to shell out $40 for the same exact game. I love the game but I don't have a massive amount of dispensable income.

The Wii is superior but not by much. Is is the new 3DS so they might be better for future games as developers get acquainted with the hardware.

I'm getting a new 3DSXL, the Majora Mask version, just to play this game.

Is almost always the same: the next handheld handles graphics almost as well as the last generation console. Still, I feel that Nintendo was a little skimpy on the 3DS: resolution, video RAM, RAM (only 512MB!!??)and processor power -wise.

Most of the shown gameplay has the camera pulled back pretty far. I always have the camera closer to Shulk's back, so I'm sure the models will look less blurry for me.

@oats-81 I got mine last Thursday. I was the only person at my store to get one.

i think about my vita for one second, and immediately i am unimpressed. But i doubt Nintendo will be so stingy with technology next gen. tho i do like that i can fit a crap load of full games on a 16gb SD card (using 32gb now)

@Einherjar The Wii game came on an 8GB+ dual layer...The 3DS game probably compressed to 2GB. Textures are the first to be hit regardless if the 3DS is as powerful as Wii or not. Add in the screen size factor - it won't be that noticeable.

The Wii game came on an 8GB+ dual layer...The 3DS game probably compressed to 2GB. Textures are the first to be hit regardless if the 3DS is as powerful as Wii or not. Add in the screen size factor - it won't be that noticeable.

Also if you add in the fact that the 3DS has to render 2X in 3D mode - it would seem to me that the added processing power, ram etc in the NEW3DS probably outstrips the Wii.

@liveswired Im pretty sure that it will be noticable, but im one of the few people who would play a great game even if it would use ASCII graphics
I dont really care to be honest
But yeah, the first things that get hit by conversions like that are audio files, then textures and maybe some polys.
But having seen the model viewer, that doesnt seem to be the case here.

Xenoblade Chronicles is the most graphically impressive game of the last generation to me among all consoles (only some of the DS games looked better). Looks fairly representative of the original on the 3DS, save for the textures of course. It's still a Wii game and this is still just a port, 3DS or WiiU it would never feel the same.

@nacho_chicken Smart observation!