NBA 2K18 to Have All Modes and Support amiibo on Switch, But Won't Hit 60fps

Booo.

EA made the right choice with FIFA.

The only drawback is the framerate? I don't see that as a deal breaker at all.

In the long run, won't make much of a difference to me since I'm not really a framerate snob, but I feel like not aiming for 60fps is a missed opportunity. Paticularly for a sports title.

Games play fine at 30 fps.

It's obviously achievable. Pure laziness

Wondering what the amiibo support will amount to.

Ehhhh to put this in perspective NBA 2k13 on the Wii U was around 30 frames as well. It's shouldn't hinder your gameplay really at all. I believe 2k13 still has a demo on the Wii U eshop if anyone wants to see it first hand.

@Aaron09 You'll need to contact the devs and explain to them how to do it kiddo. Since you're an expert and all.

@justin233 This of course haha:

Maybe they should get some tips from EA team, they managed to put FIFA 18 @ 60fps on Switch, docked and undocked.

@Nintendoforlife lol, I have no idea who these basketball players are, but I'd buy that amiibo.

A bit unfortunate, but not a deal breaker by any means.

2K and EA are using two different approaches here basically. EA is using a custom engine and optimized the game for 60fps, but is lacking a mode and some of the gameplay enhancements. It's a tailored game. 2K went for the same engine and content/feature parity, but at the cost of performance.

Will wait for reviews. If its functional then I will get it. I know this will get compared to the other versions and rightfully so.

I still think is great considering Switch will always have the advantage of portability and this version has everything on it.

But I still do think that Nintendo will have to release New Nintendo Switch about 3-4 years in the console lifetime. You know a middle model much like PRO and X1X.

If animation on point and the fluidity it should be okay. Still disappointing though. Man the Wii U must have had serious GPU problems if they couldn't get a port of the 360 game running 60fps

720p undocked great though. But yeah with more development time next year maybe best to build custom engine

... this news does not bode well for my hopes of 60fps "WWE 2K18"...

Meh, not a big deal IMO. Looking forward to the amiibo functionalities.

@Shiryu - I am not sure if WWE will be effected mechanically at 30 from 60 as it will more aesthetically. Seems like most wrestling ganes are more on the sluggish side.

Not defending this choice, since I'd rather 60 FPS on a basketball game than I would wrestling. If I HAD to choose, anyway.

@Paraka @Aaron09 @GrailUK @MasterGraveheart @kobashi100 Meh doesn't look bad at all tbh, in terms of how smooth the gameplay is atleast: https://gfycat.com/BarrenMixedLiger https://mobile.twitter.com/Melinda_DS/status/903312293865418755

Amiibo for this game ??
Hm...
Guys, can you imagine if Princess Peach / Daisy / Rosalina Amiibo are compatible with this game, later we can unlock their Girlie outfits to be worn by the Basketball players ?

Or.... give them Mario outfits + Moustache from Mario Amiibo.

As long as 30fps is locked in, I'm definitely down with some NBA action on my Switch.

I mean Breath of the Wild ran at 30 fps and that was ok, unfortunate, but as long as it is locked at 30 and there aren't any other glaring flaws this should be a solid release. I'll be getting it for sure as I loved NBA 2k on my XBO before I sold it.

@Nintendoforlife Oh man, that's looking sweet! Now I'm almost looking forward to NBA 2K18 more than I am FIFA 18. Almost 😉

@Nintendoforlife - Well I am not a huge fan of real sports games anyway, but I am not opposed to 30 FPS in certain situations and NBA at 30 won't bother me. However that goes without saying a game like NBA would easily benefit more from 60.

@Paraka No argument there

@Switch99 It's definitely looking sufficient for my needs haha.

@justin233 #ShaqAmiiboConfirmed

Also to work with Shaq-Fu 2 whenever it comes out. XD

Oh nooooo. Not 60 FPS. Whatever will we dooooo. ... ... Really. XD It could be way worse.

Sports games need to be 60fps. Not even considering this anymore, but I haven't really liked any of the previous NBA 2k games, so no big loss I guess. I do love basketball though and am dying for a good basketball game...

Lol...As long as it's locked a smooth 30 is fine!!

Everyone downplaying the important of frame rate here looks silly. Sports are about fluidity of movement, to best achieve this absolutely requires high fps and smooth animations. I'd argue all day that frame rate is one of the most important features of a good sports game, it's not an area of compromise.

@Nintendoforlife I have the Wii U version and it is not good. I am not falling for that again, hence no purchase on Switch. Doesn't support your point at all from my perspective.

@Paraka Framerate affect mechanics, it is directly related the input of your actions, to gameplay. That is the point. They sacrifice fps to achieve better visuals. You have it backwards.

@IceClimbers EA no doubt made the right call to me. Not even much of a soccer fan, but I will buy FIFA if it plays well. I love basketball and have been pining for a good Switch b-ball game, but no way in hell am I paying a premium for an experience worse than I can get for a pocketful of shells (previous year versions).

I don't need this years 2k game, I just want a good one on Switch. Half the frame rate of last gen versions doesn't instill that belief.

As long as it hits 30fps it does not matter.

30fps for a good open world game like Zelda:BotW was totally fine and 30fps for a good basketball game like NBA 2K18 will be totally fine.

THEY'RE CALLED GRAPHICS OPTIONS. PUT THEM IN. THERE'S NO EXCUSE

Monster Hunter World is gonna be 30fps and that's the most gameplay-centric, frame-by-frame precise series I've played in my entire life. Even MHXX on Switch is 30fps, and it plays just fine.

If Monster Hunter can manage at 30fps, there's no way in hell a basketball game is "unplayable"

So basically, Nintendo sport fans will vote with their wallets for feature parity (NBA 2k18) vs Frame rate/performance (Fifa).

Eh, 30fps is fine for a casual sports game.

If the frame rate is indeed 30 FPS, then that is a real shame. Good to hear that the game is feature complete though.

I find it funny that NBA 2K18 on Switch will be 25 GB, which means it is just able to fit in the Switch's internal memory without needing a SD card.

@ACK I'm not a sports game fan, I always preferred the real thing vs videogames, but does it really affect gameplay that much? Honest question. I know for example most fighting games (which I do play) require a fast consistent frame rate because there's a lot of twitch reaction (for lack of a better word), SF5 would be unplayable at a high level at 30fps, but do sports games these days also require that kind of reaction?

For context, the last sports game I played was NBA Hangtime on N64, so I'm really honestly asking, not intending to downplay what you say

@ACK - What am I having backwards? I believe I said the game benefits from a higher FPS. But also noted it doesn't effect me personally if I so chose to play said game.

Only thing I argued on a faster FPS wouldn't genuinely effect (and this was comparison's sake) was the WWE comment, cause wrestling is just naturally more sluggish of a sport. Would it be better at 60 FPS? Perhaps, but I doubt it would be a noticeable difference with a game like that.

But hey, I even seen people argue that visual novels benefit from 60 FPS for the same reason. Others even argued wanting 120 FPS eventually.

@duhsoares21 EA managed to give us FIFA @60fps but at a cost. Nintendo will not have half of the features that the ps4 and Xbox will have. 30fps isn’t as bad as people make it sound you probably wouldn’t be able to tell unless someone told you

I prefer framerate and soccer so Fifa would get my money. But this doesnt sound that bad for basketball fans.

It's a sports game, it doesn't need to be 60FPS but this is disappointing. At least the game is the full package with Amiibo support

@Malcrash Sports games really benefit from 60fps.

So compare to Electronic Arts who was able to get FIFA running at 60fps for Switch, 2K Games couldn't even handle 60fps on the Switch? Hmmm, well at least now we know who to pass the new golden poo trophy to. Know this Electronic Arts, the day I call you by your company name instead of your initials is the day you got my respect, now all you need to do is to continue doing a good job like this.

Nice to see such level headed comments here (bar the dude above me lol)
The fact that console gamers have suddenly become frame rate/resolution nerds this gen blows my mind!

@AG_Awesome I'm not an expert obviously, but they could've contacted Nintendo for help. Nintendo does most of the time hit 60fps after all. Maybe I was too harsh though. Sorry

Not a deal breaker for me, especially with mobile play as a feature.

@Aaron09 That's actually a pretty cool reply if you. Thank you.

And I get your frustration, but the way I see it, maybe they just weren't able to optimize it fully while keeping the same features as the other console versions. Imho how a game plays and the content it has means more than resolution and FPS (supposing those two things aren't terrible of course). I'd like to wait until this game comes out before judging it or the team making it.

I would have preferred 60fps with a little worse graphics... but as long as the frame rate stays constantly at a locked 30fps it is not a deal breaker at all...
Now, if the game starts dropping frames and goes below 24fps at times... that'll be another story entirely...

Pass. Fifa 18 changed my mind due to how nice it looks and the 60 fps and 1080p docked. If the NBA 2k18 can't match up, I say thee nay!

Captain Toad decrees that we vote with our wallets!

And... btw.

This is exactly what people cried out for. All the "but I don't want a custom engine, FIFA should be on Frostbyte with full parity features-wise"

Well... here ya go people. This is exactly what you asked for. This is the price paid for a game running in the same engine with full parity features wise, parity with models and parity with animations.

Personally, I think both are well done. FIFA is well done via sacrificing full parity and engine in favor of performance, while NBA 2k is well done sacrificing peak performance in favor of full in-engine parity. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Maybe next time... before throwing spaz fits on the Internet... people will know what they're actually complaining about not having (this is exactly what people were complaining about FIFA not being)

I'm pretty disappointed with the 30 fps but since it has full features I'll probably still get it.

@Nintendoforlife , oh man that's an amazing rendition of Westbrook amiibo. It would be cool if they had amiibo like Wilt, Jordan, Olajuwon, etc. I don't see many Switch owners purchasing 2K. Nintendo console owners have been anti sports for awhile.

so wen is the physical copy release date.

@Cyberbotv2 2 others: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/6wyzdg/oc_mockup_for_what_nba2k_amiibos_could_be_like/

If the slower FPS negatively affect the gameplay (we'll see come review time) I may actually get FIFA instead, in the hopes it'll help make Madden happen next year and I'll support the developers putting in the extra work (and how the heck is EA the one I am saying this about??? What a strange world we live in...). I assume 2K13 on Wii U was 60fps? If not, and if it was 30fps also, then I'm still on board, as it didn't phase me, but the fluidity you lose between 30 and 60fps in a sports game can make a noteworthy difference, so this will be something I keep an eye on and may determine where my money goes between this and FIFA. Never really played FIFA, but I'm willing to give it a real shot if it turns out to be the better game and the better optimized one.

@Camilla I am still very interested in knowing this as well. If I'm going to get it, I'm going physical, and would like to not wait TOO long.

@Camilla
Apparently a month after the digital release.

@kobashi100

It wasn't the GPU. The GPU was leagues ahead of the 360. The CPU was confusingly slower than the the 360. The problem was that most 360 titles were CPU heavy when it came to crunching numbers. That's why WiiU ports were not as effortless as they should have been. If the WiiU had a faster CPU then it truly would have been between a PS3 and PS4. A missed opportunity.

I'll probably double dip. I'm getting the Switch version now and will get the steam version when it goes on a huge sale since that will be the best version and the switch has mobile.

The comments are funny to me though. If FPS and resolution are that important to y'all you shouldn't be getting console games, only pc games.

@Nintendoforlife , thanks. There was a mention in that reddit thread of amiibo cards. A Wilt Chamberlain holographic, die cut, foil amiibo card would be way better, just for collecting purposes. I wonder if Nintendo even thought of this. They could attach that players greatest game to the card. So many possibilities with something like this.

@westman98 did they stated sometime around fall but specific which month.

I bet Shaq is gonna be the amibo.

Ha! Look! I finally got to do that. lol

Anyways, in all seriousness, I'm cool with 30fps.

If 30 fps could run breath of the wild I'm pretty sure 2k is gonna run fine.

@Nintendoforlife My goodness, I didn't realize I needed NBA player amiibo until now lol. I want to scan a Kawhi Leonard amiibo into Breath of the Wild ASAP!

Deal breaker. Bought 2k13 on Wii U when it was released and the frame rate ruined the game. I'm a nintendolife faithful but they have never been more wrong on a review than their review of 2k13. I was burned before but not again. I'll need a demo to change my mind. It's a shame, I love the series and would love to have a smooth version on Switch.

I hope it turns out well for those interested, I'm not one of them. Very boring sport and I say that as someone who played it for many years.

@Paraka I really wish every developer target 60 fps @ 720p for their Switch games. Time will tell if this will affect sales or not.

Here's the thing, any console player stressing moaning about frame rate is just silly. My PC destroys any console on both resolution and frame rate, but I still chose to play mostly on the switch, my weakest system. We make our choices, mine based of life style, but to then moan that the world (and laws of thermo dynamics) wont adapt to suit us is just silly. Of course the game will be a tiny bit better at 60 fps but in no way in a game changing way. If this game is your cup of tea then you now have a number of great options, If you want the greatest smoothest game play on your pricey PC rig its there for you, want easy connivance and on your sofa play PS4/XBox is ready and waiting, want flexibility of take anywhere and sofa play the switch is for you. Its great to have all these choices but you have to chose, you can not have it all!

Absolutely pathetic. I had defended 2K also, said it was a big deal for Switch to get this game, but a last-gen effort? This is just weak.

@Gamer83 good grief... Where do you get this rubbish from? 2K have managed to include everything from the PS4 version. They have had to make a sacrifice somehere. To call it a last gen effort is pathetic.

It's funny because you was probably moaning at EA for not doing the same thing.

@M_thoroughbred I don’t have problems with 30fps games, not at all, but switch is capable of get 60fps. FIFA 18 has good graphics, fluid animation on switch, i dont think that lack of journey (because fifa 18 on switch not use frostbite) mode for exemple would affect framerate

Me and my friends are buzzing that it has all the features plus on the go and all that's effected is the framerate. But what more would you expect considering it's specs against the PS4 and Xbox one.

@duhsoares21 that's a big statement to make. Game development isn't as simple as well FIFA hits 60fps so NBA 2K should.

Zelda BOTW goes sub 30fps. The switch has its limits. 2K ported there new engine to switch. If they would have hit 60fps but with bad visuals people still would have complained.

You can't have it all. As long as the performance is rock solid most people won't care about it being 30fps.

@kobashi100
Nope, don't really care about EA's games. This is a last-gen effort on 2K's part. If they can get it running 60 fps on the Xbox One they should have no problem getting the Switch to do so as well. Lazy port job.

@littlesten
You comparing to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X or the standard models? Because frankly the standard PS4 and Xbox One hardware is nothing special at all, hell the Xbox One can barely push 720p, 60 fps on a lot of games. 2K should get no benefit of the doubt here. Yeah great, it has all the features, the tradeoff has to be frame rate? Gonna have to miss me with that argument. Maybe if the consoles it was making the same game for had actual good hardware I'd give the benefit of the doubt but that's not the case.

I'm getting this!

@Gamer83 you do realise that the switch isn't on Xbox one level when it comes to power right?

Also lol at your comment about Xbox one struggling to output games at 720p 60fps.

Please stop making up stuff.

@kobashi100 I know that game development isnt that simple, there is lot of work involved and as a indie developer i know that. is lot of things that can make 60fps not possible, as hardware limitations, the used engine , particle systems, number of itens on screen and so on. BOTW has a huge world so its kind of expected that switch wouldn’t be able to hit 60 fps, there are also the engine that is being used that can lead to framerate drop, switch hardware its not on par with xbox one or ps4 but its not weak hardware. One good example its that bomberman released at 30fps and a patch was released after for 60 fps. Maybe their problem wasn’t technical but with being complete in time for release (the same as bomberman) I just think that happend by lack of time, switch is new and the game will be released with other platforms that are long on market. Anyway, i’ll be getting the game as I did o Wii U and Xbox One.

@Gamer83 Wasn't defending them per se. Just saying that me and my friends are happy to have the full features even if it is at 30fps. If i wanted any more and a little less portability id just purchase it for my laptop.

https://youtu.be/yp9SXNjm1aI

Looks impressive

@kobashi100
I have the Xbox One, the hardware is straight garbage and it has struggled with performance in a lot of games. Same with the PS4. Both companies admitted their failure by releasing mid-gen refreshes. The Switch isn't perfect but when docked it should be able to run a sports game at 60 fps with no compromises. The 2K games aren't exactly taxing on a system but the development team clearly doesn't want to put the work in to try and give Nintendo fans a good game. That's pathetic. Then they'll turn around when people don't buy their half-a$$ed game and say people don't want sports games on Switch. Nintendo should just take matters into its own hands in regards to certain genres because it's clear Western third parties don't even want to try.

@littlesten
Which is fair enough and I hope those of you who buy it do enjoy the game. But I think it is letting developers off the hook a bit. We're not talking about something set in some massive open world here, it's a basketball game. Should at least be able to get 60 fps when the system is docked.

@Gamer83 The existing NBA 2K engine was designed for the Xbox One and PS4. The Switch has roughly half the available CPU threads, and a lower clock speed.

You have to expect some kind of downgrade to get the same engine running on switch with all features included.

Specs don't lie.

NBA 2K isn't just the basketball. There's a lot of other stuff in the game where the framerate really isn't all that important, such as MyGM mode. Don't need 60fps to make trades and whatnot.

@kobashi100
I expect a downgrade in handheld mode. Docked, there is no reason this game shouldn't be able to reach 60 fps. It's a sports game, there's nothing complicated going on, all it would take the devs is a little extra effort they clearly don't want to put in. It's a big middle finger to the Switch userbase.

From someone who has played this on PC since 14...30fps is a real bummer. It makes the game feel way less smooth and will make dribble moves and defense tougher. Add to that 2K's really subpar online servers, park is gonna be a cheese fest. But at least no hacking like the PC is plagued with. This is still a def buy for me, but will get it on PC too for better performance.

@justin233 I'm hoping for "Nintendo characters as free agents", 'cause making a Nintendo All-Star Team would be awesome.

As for the framerate thing... meh. 60fps is nice looking, but a game not running at that speed isn't a dealbreaker for me, and while NBA 2K13 for Wii U ran at 30fps and it was indeed noticeable, it wasn't a huge issue.

The film industry adopted 24fps as the standard because that's the minimum framerate a film (or game for that matter) can run at without looking choppy, so as such that's my dealbreaker as well - as long as it's smooth, stable and consistent, anything above 24's fine with me.

Anyone who calls this a last gen effort needs there eyes testing.

For a portable version this looks pretty damn fantastic.
https://youtu.be/w2ZgJBY1BTM

@Gamer83 @Shiryu @denis09 @kobashi100 @ACK I respect your personal opinions, but I personally don't think it's anywhere as bad as you make it out to be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2ZgJBY1BTM https://youtu.be/yp9SXNjm1aI

I figured more people would be upset about the fact that you won't be able to access the full game if you don't have a microSD card than the whole 30fps thing. That seems like a wildfire waiting to happen.

@Gamer83 considering the CPU and memory is exactly the same docked and undocked I would like to know how you expect any developer to just double the frame rate so easily.

@RedMageLanakyn that's an issue yes but not sure 2K is to blame. Until 64GB carts are cheaper this is gonna be an issue for everybody.

Going forward I can see other 3rd parties doing the same thing when it comes to large file size games. Spend cheap on memory and put the cost on the consumer with memory cards..

Remember Nintendo even had a problem with
Xenxoblade X.

@Nintendoforlife I am OK with this.

Complaining about 2k18 being 30fps is very lame. Most games in all of history were made with 30 fps and now thats suddenly unplayable. So all of you people didnt play video games that were 30 fps wether that be sports games other genre, and just waited for technology to evolve to give us 60fps gaming. People please, just go buy yourselves a PC and just shut the nibelsnarf up.

@denis09 Fair points, but I disagree on the whole "cheap way out" mindset. This game is identical to the Xbox and PS4 versions outside of FPS and maybe special effects. I'm not sure what could be more of a "proper port" if it's playable. Now with that being said EA did make a custom engine and get the FPS right. Is it the same game as you would find on the Xbox or PS4? No.

What you find makes a quality game is up to you, and apparently for sports game it's definitely FPS. But I wouldn't say what the FPS is determines whether it's cheap or not, considering every other part of the game is intact.

@Nintendoforlife This whole 2K have found done a cheap port on switch because it is 30fps is laughable.