Now that Team Sonic Racing has been out for a few weeks, the technical experts over at Digital Foundry have been able to test out the game on each platform. The Switch version is "basically" the same as the other versions – with matching content, lighting and effects on display. In docked mode, the Switch resolution is 1600x900 and is comparable to the Xbox One S version side-by-side. In portable mode, the game is 1280x720 and is quite possibly “one of the best-looking" games in handheld mode, thanks to the sharp picture.
Although each version of the game looks similar enough, the performance is drastically different. Compared to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 releases which strive for 60fps, the Switch iteration is capped at 30fps in both docked and portable mode. Across all versions, the game has a habit of dropping in more detailed sections of tracks. Most of the time, though, the Sumo Digital game manages to maintain 30fps on Nintendo's hybrid device – which oddly makes it more playable than certain other versions because of its consistency. In saying this, the PS4 Pro is still considered to offer the definitive Team Sonic Racing experience on console.
Get the full explanation in the video above and tell us in the comments if you're still enjoying Team Sonic Racing on the Switch.
[source youtu.be]
Comments 69
I came to this conclusion on my own from playing it. Sadly, too many people depend on the opinions of others to justify their own.
Well it's still better than nothing right. If it runs fine go for it
"the PS4 Pro is still considered to offer the definitive Team Sonic Racing" ... In the video, they literally state, "PC aside", before they said that.
I found the Switch version to actually be the most consistent version I've tried. The fact that it's nearly locked at 30fps while other versions fluctuate regularly makes it that much smoother to play, despite the lower frame rate. That said, I haven't tried the PC version yet, so perhaps that really is the definitive edition as DF suggests.
@JaxonH Wait what? Let me google if that is true..
Apparently it plays better than on the Xbox One S in docked mode, it has a more consistant framerate.... When I played the adventure mode from start to finish it seemed fine.
They also praised the portable mode gameplay going as far to say its in the top few games they have played.
It runs at 720p which looks great on the screen.
@yuwarite Yep, PC aside, DF thinks the best console to play this game on is the PS4 Pro.
I owned the switch version for a couple of days before I sold it on eBay. I had no fun with it at all, felt like the track was moving rather than the kart. No feeling of speed compared to other kart games out there.
Interesting video. It's fun to find out these details about how games run on all the different systems available. I don't like Switch being left out in the frigid Waters of 30 fps though! MK8 run at a perfect 60 fps throughout 1 and 2 player modes. To me the graphics in Sonic Team Racing are not better than Mario Kart 8. I wonder if there are actually more polygons being pushed in one versus the other? I would assume MK8 is pushing more just because it has double the frame rate on Switch. Like how many polygons per second... Oh well, it sounds like a fun game. I'd like to play it on PS4 Pro and Switch at some point.
I guess this is what happens when you have a jack of all trades that is master of none, like the Switch. And that is not a criticism.
While games like Team Sonic play OK on the handheld, the small screen looks cluttered. On a large TV it looks good, but the sacrifice is that the Switch is not the PS4 and the Switch will never look as good.
Nintendo games are made with the small screen in mind and will look as they should. Games like Team Sonic and most third party games are built for the PS and Xbox and not with the handheld in mind.
If you own one of the other consoles as well as a Switch, don't worry about playing this on the go, go for the better Version.
@USWITCH64 I hear you. I've had a mixed response to Sonic racing games in the past. Sometimes I find MK8 to be dull. For me I think it can depend on mood, and just simply how things come together or not during a race. I get it that you didn't find the game fun.
It's a good game. Not great but cool cart Racer. Could have went with PS4 version but I need that portability in my life and the 30fps is fine. Visuals look great in handheld mode.
Remember people on Nintendo life were telling me this game was a mess and gonna have low Res visuals. Sumo put out good effort for switch hardware.
@USWITCH64 why do you comment this on every article related to this game?
@HammerKirby because they didnt like it. Duh.
@HammerKirby Because this is the comment section, and they want to comment.
Good decision to go with a locked 30fps. No point in aiming for 60 then not getting it (even on XB1X?)
When I get this, I now know it’ll be the Switch version. Portability is key but knowing it offers a consistent, high quality experience in both modes makes it a very easy decision.
@60frames-please Sonic is DEFINITELY a more visually complex game than MK8. It makes sense that the framerate in Sonic is lower given how much more is being pushed out. It's also worth mentioning that MK dips down to 30 when 3 or 4 people are playing.
I am hoping for a sub-native-4K performance mode on Xbox One X. The PS4 Pro version is not 4K but it is smoother.
@Indielink You say “definitely” but what are you actually basing that on? What this person is saying is that our perception is based on visual interpretation of surface-level details and not on the actual stress that’s being put on the system, which we obviously can’t see just by looking at the game in motion. Seems like a pretty reasonable statement.
Still enjoying Team Sonic Racing, for me personally, framerate really hasn't bothered my enjoyment of this one. Love racing on the tracks as Amy, also playing team racing more than I was expecting to.
30fps is great if you love image doubling
Personally I was very excited for this game (long time Sonic fan) and although a Sonic R remake would have been nice, I felt this game was just okay. It didn’t leave me wanting more... when I got bored I just changed the game out. Am I upset I spent the money on it? No. Would I have liked more? Sure but hey it is what it is.
@HammerKirby sorry, next time I have a comment to make I will run it by you first
@BAN I'm basing it off of screenshots and video. Sonic simply has more happening in its environments than MK8 does. It's a pretty reasonable assumption to believe that the more densely detailed environments are why the framerate is not higher.
@Indielink So you’re just going to keep repeating the same thing then? Cool. Good conversation.
I’m enjoying it but it’s clear from the moment you boot it up and start it that content is lacking.
@BAN I'm not sure what else there is to say. You asked me what I based my statement on and I told you.
I was HOPING you’d concede that just looking at screen grabs of a game doesn’t provide enough evidence to support a conclusive statement about the number of polygons it’s pushing, the actual strain it puts on a given system, or its potential to be further optimized for the specific platforms it runs on. But I’m not surprised I didn’t get that, since this is the innernet and not irl.
And again the Sony / MS fanboys of DF compare the Switch to the PS4 / XBOX ONE. The Switch will never run a modern game as good as a PS4 or XBOX ONE. It's not made to do so. Just like a laptop is never going truly replace a desktop pc.
For Nintendo games you don't really need a TV only console, all Nintendo games run great on the Switch. For third party games you are going to have to choose. Pick it up on the Switch: less powerful, but portable. Or pick it up on a different console / pc. More powerful but not portable.
@Indielink Yeah, the drop to 30 fps in 3 and 4 player modes is the most disappointing thing about MK8. Nintendo could easily reduce polygon counts on the characters and tracks and/or reduce the resolution and texture map quality to achieve smooth gameplay in 3 and 4 player modes. Also, MK8 looks just as good if not better than Sonic Team Racing. They're very comparable.
Funny how the five year old MK8 runs at 60fps and this game can't.
@JR150 MK8 is purely optimized and designed to run on the Wii U and Switch. This game is not.
@60frames-please MK8 doesn't drop to 30fps, the game still runs at 60fps in (3 / 4) multiplayer modes. It only alternates the frames of the top 2 player with the bottom two players.
@sanderev Nice thinking
Framerate dips pretty badly in this game especially online. You get too many cars and action on screen at once it it drops to the teens. It’s brief and mostly consistent, but it definitely drops noticeably here and there.
The problem I have with this game though is that you can’t join friends online. The stupidly behind this omission is beyond baffling.
@sanderev this is what so many people don't understand. It's not as simple as saying well Mario kart 8 runs at 60fps on switch so TSR should. Porting a game from the Wii U is whole lot easier then porting from a game built for PS4.
This is all gonna come up again once CTR is released.
@60frames-please I think MK is still a VERY pretty game but Sonic has better lighting and much more happening in the world around it.
@kobashi100 that's exactly what I said...
@sanderev
“the Sony / MS fanboys of DF compare the Switch to the PS4 / XBOX ONE”
Give it a rest. They’re fulsome in their praise of the Switch version. They often are. They love the Switch.
So all the claims of "racing games running at 30fps are unplayable" are more or less hyperbole? Figured as much.
@electrolite77 It's just so pointless, a Switch game isn't going to look better than a PS4 / XBOX ONE game. So comparing it and responding to every dropped frame makes the Switch artificially look bad.
This happens for most games that get treated like this. The games usually still run fine though.
@sanderev you are missing whole point of DF. The idea they are trying to bash the switch is ridiculous
Problem you have is that you are reading the YouTube comments
DF doesn't bash any console. They do detailed analysis of games and make conjectures about what's going on if anything isn't smooth or nice looking. I can't think of any game related videos I find more interesting. Always great stuff!
@KryptoniteKrunch 30 fps games are playable, and some people don't mind them at all, but some people vastly prefer 60 fps. On PS1 with Ridge Racer and Namco's 60 fps "turbo mode" disc included with Ridge Racer Type 4 it is clearly awesome looking to have the game running at 60 instead of 30. Same with HiFi mode on Gran Tourismo 1. It looks awesome racing on PS1 at 60 fps. A game immediately looks cheap and low quality when I start it up and see it runs at 30 fps or less. I think many people don't know what happening, but have a poor emotional response to low frame rates (especially juddery visuals like "bad frame pacing" as DF calls it) and it affects their enjoyment of the game and how much they want to play it. Having said all this, Breath of the Wild is my favorite game and I only play it on Switch or Wii U, not emulated with a frame rate boost to 60. I just play it exclusively in docked mode and my TV boosts the movement to 60 fps with a small amount of input delay (that doesn't ruin the game for me in this case).
@Indielink Yeah, I've watched a few races on YouTube and Sonic is a pretty racing game. MK 8 is as well. I still think it looks great on Wii U. But then I still think Super Mario Kart looks great! Running at 60 fps in two player split screen it still looks really good while playing perfectly, even if it is harder for beginners than more modern versions.
@JaxonH - But Muh Validations!
Seriously, you can tell you concerns over this simply watching some of their activity obviously more active when the title of the article has "tech analysis" in it.
Anyone else think most of the tracks are a bit too similar to MK8 tracks?
@sanderev Ding. Ding. Ding. There's the problem.
Someone needs to poach a Nintendo staffer.. compared to MK8 with all the players, with all the graphics, scenery, ect ect that game is silky smooth. Every other dev struggles to get there. (I'm not a game maker so I'm sure it's hard but I still scratch my head about it)
I've debated about this game, which system to get, PS4 or Switch. I'll go for Switch now. Consistent framerate is the issue, and I've never really had an issue with 30FPS games, whether that's current Mario Kart on 4P mode or other games.
@yuwarite Define a "PC"? The hardware is so variable that technically, if you have the money, a PC will always be better graphically than a dedicated console.
@BAN The system has been out for near two and a half years now. We all have a pretty good idea of what strains the system by this point. No I cannot give you a conclusive number of polygons based on a screenshot but Sonic has far more objects on screen and they are more detailed. Sonic also has more realistic lighting and more detailed textures which are two of the first things on any chopping block for any multiplat Switch game.
Also feel free to cut it out with the condescending, "since is the internet," crap, I would have said the same thing if you were right in front of me.
I prefer my games to have a movie feel, so 24fps is perfect...
Loving the look of Sonic, and the added bonus of an adventure mode means I'll pick this up shortly. Still waiting for a Diddy Kong Racing sequel though...
Yes, on Switch this game is closer to the Sonic movie in frame rate. On PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, this game looks too much like a video game.
DF pretty much trips over itself to paint the Switch versions of games in the best possible light. The youtube community that flocks to the comments section of its video is toxic, of course, but that's not really DF's fault.
@JaxonH Watch 60fps suddenly not be a huge deal for racing games when the base PS4 version of CTR runs at 30fps.
@yuwarite so you're completely ignoring the end of the sentence are you? Let me fill it in for you: "the PS4 Pro is still considered to offer the definitive Team Sonic Racing experience on console"
Notice that bit at the end where it says ON CONSOLE?
@mist said "30fps is great if you love image doubling"
Truth is, you have to be Mr. Data from Star Trek to actually be able to see image doubling at 30fps. I imagine that with your hyper vision you cannot even stand watching movies since they run at 24 fps.
@mist what does that mean? I read a lot of tech stuff, and "image doubling" is not a term I've ever heard
This game is just great, and I'm quite impressed at how it looks and plays undocked.
I’d rank the versions I have: Switch handheld, XB1, Switch docked. The Switch version is very impressive as a handheld experience but not in docked so when I want to play on a TV I use my XB1 version.
@sanderev
It’s not pointless. It’s relevant, these systems exist in the same market and can all be used as Home systems. Of course to anybody with any sense the Switch versions ruining worse isn’t news but it’s still relevant to see how close or otherwise it gets. Clearly there are people interested. If you aren’t, don’t read it.
But I must say when it comes to the Switch, DF are almost cheerleaders. They’re constantly praising it and totally get how impressive it is to have a such compact hardware with such a low power drain and portability doing what it does. They get it more than a fair few commenters on this site.
@60frames-please
Agreed. The actual DF videos are as balanced as it gets. Just ignore the Comments under the videos.
It looks pretty good on the switch. I have not played it but the physics engine has been tweaked so much the higher frame rate looks unrealistic on higher speeds. The draw looks better on the Switch albeit lower.
@JR150 Yeah, and the fact that MK8 never drops frames makes it even more impressive. Running at 30 and then dropping below here and there is just terrible performance. I just wish devs would keep graphics more simple so games could always reach the smoothness of 60 fps. It looks and feels so much nicer!
the switch version is more consistant abbeit the abysmal framerate issue in splitscreen, which can drop below 20fps past three players.
Still, a racing game at 30fps is a no go for me, no matter how it looks. i'm not ready to play racing games at cut-back framerates.
@yuwarite on console*
@60frames-please I agree. I love Transformed gameplay and circuits but Team Sonic Racing at 60 fps (Xbox One X and PS4 Pro) feels much better. Mario Kart 8 has some nice visuals but they are simpler than Team Sonic Racing. Nintendo usually create simple visuals and effects and no antialiasing for their Wii U/Switch games so they can run smoothly on weaker hardware.
Yep, Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World still look and play great as 2D games, better than most modern 2D games.
@Indielink Well said!
@Indielink "No I cannot give you a conclusive number of polygons based on a screenshot but Sonic has far more objects on screen and they are more detailed. Sonic also has more realistic lighting and more detailed textures which are two of the first things on any chopping block for any multiplat Switch game."
These are precisely the points I'm talking about. I think you're pulling these conclusions out of your (thing I can't say on this site without getting banned). You might be right, but I don't think you can state those things with any degree of certainty without an actual comparison, which is what the original comment that started this thread was saying. And you might in fact be way off base.
I mean, have you played Mario Kart 8 recently? Because it really seems like you haven't and are confusing it with previous games in the series. It has some flat textures, but it's not like it's lacking in geometry or on-screen objects compared to Sonic Racing, and it has a damn good/sophisticated lighting engine and alpha and particle effects up the wazoo, and it's running at 1080p and locked at 60fps even with two-player split-screen. So for you to say that Sonic is DEFINITELY more graphically demanding is questionable.
As for the "it's the internet" comment, that doesn't mean that I think you wouldn't argue the same points in real life, it means that I generally expect to encounter circular/dead end/pointless arguments online much more frequently than I do in real life.
@BAN I play MK8 fairly frequently. It's a go to game in my house. I've put a couple hundred hours into it between the WiiU and Switch versions. I'm not pulling these statements out of my bottom. I'm basing these off of observation and knowledge of other games on the system. MK has many textures that aren't flat but Sonic still has more detailed, sharper textures even with the slightly lower resolution. Mario has a lot of scenery but Sonic still has a greater number of objects and the lighting in Sonic does an incredible job of actually reflecting the colour of those lights on to objects.
Mario can run at 1080/60 BECAUSE it is a less demanding game. You can make an argument that optimization plays a role here but given Sonic's performance on other platforms it looks like Sega did an okay job. It could definitely be better but this was not a quick and dirty hack job. Would be curious to see what would happen if the code was handed off to Nintendo programmers but I doubt even they could push Sonic to 60 with the current visual settings.
I cannot say HOW MUCH more demanding Sonic is but I am confident that it is more demanding than a 2014 WiiU port.
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