Video: Digital Foundry Lavishes Praise On Outlast 2 Switch Port

Looks very good. I've never had the pleasure, but will add this to the ever increasing game list.

The fact that it's standing up next to the PS4 version is pretty damn impressive.

@Samwise7 Except it's not. Lower res, lower graphical settings and most importantly, half the framerate.

@JoeyJoeJoe in this case it’s not wether it’s important. It’s wether it’s impressive, which it is.

Would buy this if it wasn't for the fact I know I would find it to terrifying to enjoy playing!! Impressed from a technical stand point though.

That's a really great port job, seems certain devs are working wonders with this little machine.

I've always said the Switch can handle a lot of good looking games. It's only a matter of whether a developer wants to give us those good looking games. Capcom and Square are the biggest culprits sadly.

@Menchi187 .... maybe you are in the wrong place dude. Sony is over here.

No 60fps? Bummer

Good effort. We should support this kind of third parties games, they deserve it when it's well done.

Haven't taken the plunge yet but that is because I want them to release a physical edition like on PS4 and Xbone.

If they bring the trinity on cart that will be day one.

@Yasaal 60 fps is not a huge problem for this game. It is a very slow paced game with a lot of stealth moment. I have more problems with Mario Kart 8 DX (4 player) still not being in 60 fps.

@JoeyJoeJoe Are you referring to the quality of the game or the decreased framerate? Because in this case, the framerate is definitely good enough, since this game is not that fast paced. I think 60fps wouldn't have had big impact on the gameplay.

And yes, it is impressive from a technical standpoint. I've only played the first Outlast myself, and that was a pretty good horror game overall!

@MagnaRoader Square? What have they done poorly on Switch?

They have released a few games as Japan only (Dragon Quest heroes 1+2, Mana collection) along with not giving much care for porting some of their multi platform titles such as the Secret of Mana remake (although admittedly its not a great game). They also spent time releasing some of their biggest titles to ios instead of the Switch (Life is strange, Final Fantasy XV).

Buying that game will finally fill up my 128gb card. Took a year to do it (22 games downloaded and 3 game cards). Now, I can start on my 200gb card😲😈 Awesome.

For a console about a third the size of the PS4 (I measured the Switch with the dock) with significantly less power consumption and which you can take with you, the Switch is quite impressive!😎
Sadly, most people are looking at the graphics alone.

I've never been the one to underestimate Nintendo handhelds, and I've been mightily impressed by the 3ds's performance in games like Resident Evil Revelations (3ds is still my preferred platform for it) and Luigi's Mansion 2. I've played and enjoyed games that almost felt like technical experiments, such as Alone in the Dark on GBC, and Payback and Kill.Switch on GBA, and weird but lovely "ports" such as Rogue Spear and Max Payne, also on GBA. But this handheld (I mostly play it in handheld mode) is a surprise that keeps on surprising, and performs closer to current gen home consoles than it "should". And that's great, obviously.
When a system's sales are good, there don't seem to be that many "it could never run this game" excuses, they'll MAKE it run that game, and apparently "they"'ve become good at it.

Unless they're Capcom, then they'll make some weird business decisions or excuses, IF the game makes it from their "ignore-or-tease-fans-with-weird-merchandise"-list to their "port-as-often-as-possible"-list.

@MagnaRoader I have the same question with others here about your peculiar comment regarding Square supposedly releasing bad ports to the Switch.

Still working on the first game, I've been stuck at one particular section near the end haven't had the time to put in to it lately. Definitely picking up 2 when I finish the 1st, though.

Oh good now I can buy it! (sarcasm)

Far too much focus on how games compare from one console to the next. "If we zoom in you can see that bit of detail is missing in this version", why do people care?!

As long as the games work and are playable and you know, fun, then that is all that matters.

Now having said all that I do believe every game would be 60fps in a perfect world.

@SBandy I totally agree with you. These "FRIENDS" at Digital Foundry is -personally- a stupid show for silly gamers that care more about additional pixels than actual quality in gameplay.

I can't handle horror or stealth games but I want to support this developer, they've done a great job.
And I think this game isn't even using a supported version of Unreal Engine, so this is even more impressive!

Impressive but too scary for me

This is why the switch is the system you get after you have a PC or home console.

Some games just not worth playing a water down experience just to play 2 hrs on the train and some are.

Half the frames?! I swear when did this become a non-thing? I'd take 60 frames over a matched resolution any day.

Horror games scare me too much nowadays so sadly I'm skipping this.

Both games are much too big (around 16GB collectively) and too expensive to warrant a digital purchase. I would consider physical copies though.

Half the frames of what? Lower graphical settings than what? Lower resolution than what? There is only one version of this game out for Switch! For the love of God, this loudmouthed small group of obsessively buy everything under the sun and regard it is some single market has to stop. Back in my day, talking about the specs of a game meant appreciating how much it was pushing the system in question...NOT comparing it to something completely different because THAT DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING RELEVANT. I only own a Switch. Why on Earth should I give a crap that PS4 has twice as many gogglywhatsits. All I'm interested in is if the Switch game is decent. And anyone who says 30 fps is poor must be rubbish at gaming if it puts them off so much.

@Menchi187 it’s running on a portable bro

Defo on my watch list

@GrailUK I agree. I like to know how the games run on Switch but I’m not sure why they always compare a handheld against a home console

@GrailUK Although I do completely agree with you on the one hand, I can most certainly appreciate some aspects of these comparisons, or rather: the outcome of them, which is that this little hybrid computer can hold its own against far more powerful systems.

Even for that alone, it could make one appreciate the Switch even more than they already do, regardless of whether or not they have any other system besides the Switch. That's how I see it, in any case.

The whole frame rate debate is silly, though, to put it VERY mildly. There are certain game types that definitely do benefit from 60fps, such as fighters and racers, sports and fps games, but there are also so many (if not more) game types in which it doesn't matter one single bit if it is running at 30 or 60fps, but apparently both the industry and large droves of ill-informed gamers have made themselves believe that ALL games MUST be 60fps or else they are simply inferior and/or not worth playing.

I have never played either outlast game, but heard lots about 2 back when it came out. I may end up getting that one, but it’s nice to see that they did s great job on the port.

@Agramonte

i guess that would be a judgement call. i have enough switch games to fill my time so my pc hasn't been played for a while sadly. only so much time in a day and all of that.

i grabbed this game over the weekend. it's pretty nifty and looks pretty good imo. nothing stunning but not bad.

@mgnoodle
Hybrid👍

The Switch version is more than playable and definitely worth the money. Nice comparisons made.

@GrailUK the joke thing about the small elite who moan about certain switch ports playing @ 30fps is that they love playing them big AAA PS4 games at 30fps.

I don't see them boycotting them games.

I have both these games and they play beautiful
And look fantastic

The Switch should have been called the Nintendo Port.

@bezerker99 So should the other systems during their first year

what type of game is Outlast? like a tell tale game where you make decisions or is there combat or some kind ?

@MagnaRoader Don't forget about Dragon Quest Builders (+ 2) and the newest DQ. Especially Builders is remarkable, since it's one of the few games that didn't hit PC.

@ValhallaOutcast It's a horror game where you mostly try to run and hide from enemies. Not like telltale. I recommend it, although it gets a bit repetitive at the end of the game.

@NintendoFan4Lyf

Yes that is fair enough and that is when Digital Foundry can be useful. The problem is the vast majority use it as a tool to have pointless arguments and we just need to look at the comments in the Eurogamer articles or, god forbid, the youtube comments to see the cretins it brings out of the woodwork.

I would much rather if they just had individual videos for each specific platform and did no direct comparison videos,l as that way you could determine if the game for your platform of choice works as it should, but they know what gets the clicks and views.

I can rarely tell a difference between 30fps and 60fps...or resolution for that matter. I guess I'm usually too busy enjoying the game...

@ThanosReXXX Y'know, you are a nice counter to my occasional rants Oh...and when you wipe out half of humanity, if I could be in the living half that would be great. Thanks.

@JoeyJoeJoe Yeah. You’d be playing games like Skyrim way back when on systems like the SNES. With technology and better GPUs comes more advanced games. Every time
I hear some Ninty fan repeat that garbage statement I see Reggie rubbing together his greasy hands while saying, “got another one.”

@CorvoRevo are you actually bullying someone because they are pointing out facts? Lol

@faint Oh, ok. I wouldn't know as I don't have other systems. I have a PS3 I never play. That's as "other system" as i get.

@GrailUK Well, I could promise you that, but then again: I'm a mad Titan, and plans tend to shift and change all the time, so I'd still be saving up for that underground shelter if I were you, just to be on the safe side...

"oh no I can't play the switch version the seat stitching is blurry and lower res!"... Is this what the world has come to? Lol ... The game looks fabulous, soon as I get my SD card and they on a discount I'll get em!

@Cosats Read my reply to the Koopa dude.

@Saego Dragon Quest XI is not coming until much later than the PS4 port, and read my comment to the KOOPA dude if everyone seems to be questioning my comment so much.

@JoeyJoeJoe If you prefer gameplay over graphics, that means you prefer the 60fps versions, then?

60fps isn't just graphics; it means the game engine is reading and rendering your inputs faster than 30fps, thus the gameplay feels more responsive.

Most NES and SNES games were in fact 60fps; it was purely a gameplay/ responsiveness reason. When games consoles move to 3D, that's when it became harder to render everything within 60fps, so 30fps became more of the standard for console 3D games.

Switch is the strongest.

@JudgeMethos I got one those too, but inside USB 1tb on my X1 and it's filling up fast. However since my cord got messed up I haven't played nothing but my switch and some mobile games. Love my switch and prefer cartridges, I'm down pay 5 or 10 dollars extra for them. I do however wish they had minor manual or some little extra to take up space in such otherwise beautiful cases. My steel xenoblade is amazing, and want more of them!

I can almost smell it. The Arkham Games are just around the corner. Either that or something like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom.

At this point, I am pretty sure people experience the whole 60 vs 30 fps thing very differently from each other.
I for example can't tell the difference of anything over 30 fps. I can only see it in especially made testvideos, but in games? No. (actually I noticed that a tiny bit in Bayonetta, but not so much that it would matter. It's probably because of the very smooth movement)
I tried around all I can on my PC playing the same game locked on 30 or 60 to try and find the difference but I can't, neither in form of a stutter nor in form of more or less responsiveness.
Not even side by side gameplay videos make me notice anything.

Judging by all the comments you always read in these discussion I can only come to the conclusion that some people are simply more perceptive to this than others.

Horror games never really interest me. But it's nice to hear the port was done well.

Oh no! Fire Emblem only runs at 30 FPS! No! I can't move my cursor silky smoothly anymore! (In response to the idea that all games need to be 60FPS)

@gatorboi352 It would be nice if more games offered a choice between favoring frame rate or resolution. In this game, since it's not there, it does seem that favoring resolution may be the better choice. There seems to be a lot of slowly traversing and studying the environment, where low resolution might be more notable.

I am waiting for a Far Cry 5 port. 720x480, 15fps. It'll frickin rock.

It takes me forever to finish horror games — I still have 5 resident evil games to finish on my devices. 5-7 on ps4, revelations on 3DS and revelations 2 on switch. But if I finish a few of them, I’ll be sure to pick it up. When game devs can port their product to switch and still make it look great (Doom, Skyrim, Outlast) it gets me excited that more things might show up on Switch. Here’s hoping more developers bring their games to switch and see success!

@Menchi187 yeah my thoughts too. It does look pretty good but its the polish that it's missing. I guess if the switch is your only console you'll be fine and if it isn't play it on the other. If Nintendo want total domination they need more power and equal comparison ports. Then they will be covering all bases.

@kobashi100

So much forced air dude. Damn near all the games that people are crawling about on the ps4 or wherever is running at 30 frames per second. Some of them like bloodborne don't even seem to hold that. Definitely a hell of a lot of hypocrisy going on.

30fps? My eyes!!!!

Lmao @ people getting pumped up about specs.

You can make this game 4K 60fps and it won't matter. It will still be mediocre!

@YANDMAN switch is not my only console and if I was gonna buy this game it would be on switch over PS4. Some of us regard portability a major plus for any game.

Also Nintendo don't need to be totally dominate in the market. They gave up that battle years ago. Going toe to toe with Sony and MS isn't gonna happen.

This hybrid market is the best thing Nintendo could be done.

Just done with both Outlast 1 and 2 on Switch (own both on PS4 as well). I prefer the Switch graphics in Outlast 2, As they cut back on the volymetric fog, that doesnt look very good on PS4. It looks more like Nintendo 64 Turok-fog for keeping up the framerate rather than mood enhancing graphic feature. I consider Outlast and Outlast 2 as the best ports on the Switch so far.

@sword_9mm oh for sure. Ive been the opposite. Not bought a full price game on my Switch since XenoBlade2. Just have to many things I want to play on PC/PS4 right now.

But Not really what I was getting at. I just feel games like Ys8, BattleChasers or Flipping Death I'm ok with taking a quality hit. But something like Wolfenstein 2 - I rather play with as little compromise on something else (I have it on PC). And it is good to have that option.

It all depends on the game

I would buy a retail version. I really would.

is the game mostly cut scenes? its kind of useless to compare those

@GrailUK
Exactly! and in a few years the PS4 is going to be slow compared to new systems. That cycle will never end! get over the details and just have fun with the current games because the resolution/framerate obsessed people will believe that everything sucks in a few years.

@kobashi100 In their own words they said that they want to put a Switch in the hands of every gamer on the planet. Quite clearly a statement of total domination. I think once the first revision comes along with added horsepower this will start to fall in line quite rapidly.

@LUIGITORNADO Facts ? I only see toxic comments made by Sony fanboys. Wrong place, wrong time.

@CorvoRevo Again. They're facts.

And this is an article literally spawned by a comparison of a Switch version of a game to the PS4 version. So how is this the "Wrong place, wrong time?"