Earlier this week, Nintendo released a new update for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Apart from making the Switch game compatible with the Labo VR Goggles, version 1.6.0 fixed “some other issues” to improve the overall experience.
It turns out the load times in the Switch version are now nearly in line with the game on the Wii U. Shrines, for example, take five seconds less to load. YouTuber and speedrunner Alexis de Champris uploaded a before and after comparison video on Twitter to highlight this. See for yourself below:
Even though the tests were conducted with a physical copy of the game, at this point the speedrunner is confident the Switch and Wii U load times are “almost” even. A fellow speedrunner backed up these claims, saying how there was “noticeably less overworld lag” when moving about using special glitches and game exploits.
The load times in Super Mario Odyssey have also reportedly been sped up following its recent update.
Have you noticed improved loading in Breath of the Wild? How about Odyssey? Tell us down in the comments.
[source polygon.com]
Comments 43
As it is, Breath of the Wild through the updated load times is a nausea-inducing failure - a noble, curious one, but a failure nonetheless.
FTFY 😜
Better late than never, I guess.
Gosh darn it! That five second difference mean I don't have enough time to grab a snack anymore! #ruined! Never playing this rubbish again!
Neat. Maybe this is an excuse to do a third playthrough.😉
Speedrunners rejoice
It's actually also tied with the Switch 8.0 update, people found out that the Switch cpu has its clock increased from 1 to 1.75GHz during specific moments, but the games have to receive a update to use the 'boost mode'
Source: https://gearnuke.com/nintendo-switch-8-0-0s-boost-mode-addition-making-games-load-faster-and-perform-better-via-overclocking/
Overclocking Baby!
The GOAT game just game just got slightly better.
@Heavyarms55 loading your save is a full 10 or 11 seconds faster too. When i first tried the VR mode it loaded a lot faster than I expected, but I assumed it was because I was distracted.
Outstanding!
@ballistic90 No!!!! The horror! Now I cannot go to the bathroom while the save loads! When can I use the toilet now!? #doubleruined!
@Heavyarms55 theoretically the Switch CPU is being overclocked to speed up the load time, as made possible during the 8.0 update.
I’m super impressed with this, looks like fast travel is quicker too!
Comment loading......
Nintendo is slowly increasing the clockspeed of Switch over it's lifetime. This is a usual practise for Sony.
The games will get better as the console is getting faster.
nice to know that.
@Heavyarms55 Until you realize you can take your switch with you to go to the bathroom AND get snacks #unruined 🤣
Whelp; I guess nows as good a time as any to start this.
I lie. I started; just never left the Great Plateau.
I noticed straight away
During the loading screens, Nintendo increased the clock speed of the Switch's CPU by ~70%. That's why is loads so much faster.
If Nintendo is indeed making a Switch Pro, this could be the standard CPU clock speed rather than a loading screen only thing.
Okay. Less load time
@Volendral If you're gonna use logic with me, I'm gonna have to tell you to go home!
Great news, come to think of it there were some heavy load times in BotW.
5 seconds is a lot. I’m impressed. I’m thinking of getting back into the game again, good stuff.
looks at the comments
You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.
The Tegra X1 SoC used in the Switch is designed to run at 1.9 GHz for the performance cores (power saving cores are disabled on Switch), so Switch is actually running underclocked. Removing some of this underclocking is not overclocking.
Cya
Raziel-chan
Hey, I didn't know the Wii U version loaded faster, and I have both. But the loading times improvement is more clearer in Super Mario Odyssey.
@Heavyarms55 😯 I am home though... Are you a psychic? Do you know something of the Switch becoming unportable? Are we doomed? Is... Nintendoomed? I'm scared...
Even then, are you kidding me that it takes like 12 seconds just to get in and out of shrines in this game (I've only played it for a couple mins on my bro's Switch)!
Man, games these days.
If any game on my SNES Classic took anywhere near that time to load I'd seriously want to smack someone in the fact. It's just absurd how bad certain things are in modern games--and that most people don't even seen to have any real issue with it (because they don't actually realise how bad it is and how much better it has been in the past).
Wait, the switch load times have always been this far behind the wii u?
@Razzy yeah that's true
Overclocking is risky, I myself toasted a nvidia 9600gt once, this is more like just more power management options for the devs
Anyway using 'overclocking' as 'over the stock Switch clock' is not that big of a deal is it
Good, the loading times were atrocious in BOTW. The constant loading is one of the reasons it's my least favorite 3D Zelda.
@Volendral All is doomed... Eventually.
Does that include Wii U?
No one has complained about Zelda's relatively fast 16.6 seconds openworld fast-traveling loading times and now they reduced it to 11 seconds. I mean, wow, that's almost a 33% performance boost. How is it compared to the Wii U version now?
Also, I might check those old glitchy treasure chests (Hateno and beach) again. Are they finally obtainable or are they destined to go into the history of videogame bugs?
@impurekind
Allegedely, the PS5 shall cure us of this curse that has been haunting us ever since the CD-ROM add-on days. I’m really impressed that they made eliminating load times a priority.
@impurekind i can not agree. At least in general. E.g. i find the screen transition time in the original Legend if Zelda way less tolerable than the load time in breath if the wild, since it only happens occasionally.
@SKTTR Just curious. Why does switch version take longer to load then Wii U? Or have I got that wrong.
@tech7 That's probably the case of like one game in a thousand on those old games as compared to sooo many modern games. It IS a problem with modern games; it is NOT a problem with old games.
@PBandSmelly Most speedruns are played on the japanese Wii U version of the game.
It's better when playing at lunch or on the train, means i can get somewhere a little quicker.
Honestly I don't know what to do anymore I got all the shrines don't have the DLC beat the final boss to much so yea rip me..
@hihelloitsme WiiU; the device of 2011 is a better performer than the Switch indeed.
Well the pressure i had to put on my right joycon for the system to recognize it (and to even charge it the last few days) finally snapped it off the bridge portion that slides into the side. Raggedy cheap made garbage. Therefore i won't get to play this to see for a while. I've never bought more than a single console (of the same type) each generation since NES until i bought 5 3ds'. All 5 had loose hinges. Then i get this cheaply made garbage. I passed on Wii U, but owned all other Nintendo systems & were much better quality. I can't believe I'll be forced to buy another switch if i want one that works. Sadly, they seem to mess up right after the warranty is out & tons of people had this same problem. Not sure I'm going to do that until they acknowledge & fix that issue & I'm sure not being a test dummy anymore for these tech companies (willingly, at least). So pissed.
@ShinyUmbreon I really recommend the dlc, it adds a bunch to the game and makes it a lot more challenging.
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