The Witcher 3 arrives on a Nintendo Switch near you tomorrow and, as you may already know if you've checked out our review, anyone who has yet to sample the delights of The Continent is in for a treat. The Switch version might not hold up to direct comparison with other versions on more powerful, non-portable consoles, but considering when taken on its own merits, it's another brilliant 'impossible' port to add to Switch's growing collection.

Of course, if you've got even the slightest interest in the changes between the existing versions and this new Switch port, you'll want to check out the above video courtesy of our friends over at Digital Foundry. Thomas Morgan has put 'Switcher 3' up against the PS4 version and given us all a good idea of just how much of the experience has made the jump to Nintendo's portable hybrid.

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In general, docked mode aims for a dynamic 1280x720 resolution with the lowest recorded figure Thomas measured coming in at 960x540. In Handheld mode, that figure is the maximum, with a low of 810x546. It's safe to say that static screenshots aren't too flattering on old Geralt on Switch, although in motion the visuals hold up much better. Make no mistake - if you've got a PS4 sitting under your telly and you're not interested in playing Witcher 3 on the bus, the Switch version makes some dramatic cutbacks across the board. If you're a Switch-only gamer, however, you're still getting a fine interpretation of a brilliant game.

NPC counts are more or less the same as on more powerful hardware, although their framerate is halved in the distance. Thomas is also enthusiastic about the water effects retained in the Switch port, with screen space reflections and ripple physics just like the other versions.

Switcher
Docked mode is undeniably blurry, but portable play hides a multitude of sins.

On the negative side, cutscenes feature plenty of pop-in and textures and audio suffer from compression in order to squeeze the game onto a 32GB cart. The framerate is another area where compromises are evident. 30fps is the target, but in busy areas it can drop into the low 20s.

Overall, though, Thomas seems impressed by the work Saber Interactive has done on CD Projekt Red's original and recommends that Handheld mode is arguably the best way to play, with the system's smaller screen (even smaller on Switch Lite) helping to hide resolution changes and framerate hiccups.

Will you be tucking into The Witcher 3 on Switch? Have you played it elsewhere before? Let us know your opinion on the Switch port with a little comment below, and check out our Switcher review for the Nintendo Life verdict (spoilers: we like it quite a lot).

[source eurogamer.net]