Video: Check Out This Side-By-Side Comparison Of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City On Switch And PS Vita

The Vita version honestly looks better overall to me, and it's not even the Switch's fault that its version doesn't look that good.

If I were a dev on this game I'd be embarrassed to see fans nearly outdoing me. Then again if I'm working for Rockstar I'm probably focused on making more GTA Online so people can either grind hours or pay to just access the good content instead of doing anything new and exciting. It wouldn't even be my fault as the dev...players just won't stop playing and spending in GTAO.

This just keeps getting more and more embarrassing for RockStar and Groove Street Games. The game looks debatably better on substantially less powerful hardware and was probably done by a much smaller group of people lol

Shame on you rockstar. think i'll play it on my vita instead

Well, the late pop-in is comparable. I just hoped things would be handled better on a newer hardware. But the problem is a well known one on Switch so what did we expect?

Why does the Vita version other than a couple of frame drops looks way better than that parody of « definitive edition » ??????

"Why does the Vita version other than a couple of frame drops looks way better than that parody of « definitive edition » ??????"
graphical elements. I'd be more concerned with the muddy/blurred look on the switch version.

Boy am I glad that I skipped on buying this "Definitive edition". On the trailer, it doesn't look all that bad and quite serviceable but seeing all those bugs and glitches made me want to skip this even the physical copy. At least until Rockstar fixes all the issue but until then, a big no for me.

Also, that comparison made the Vita mod look far superior while the Switch version looked like a poorly modded GTA game

@icomma I didn't even know there were already Android versions of these games. The decision by RockStar not to use these ports for the Switch version is downright baffling then since the Switch has a processor that's easily compatible to Android games in comparison to other home consoles. There are even hacks showing Android directly running on the Switch. The Switch version should have been given a different treatment from the PS5 and Xbox versions and developed by a different team.

Vita port has the original visuals, so there's no surprise it would appeal to those not fond of the new ones. And until this month, it was definitely THE portable option for the trilogy (I think 3 was ported as well), even though it ultimately didn't tempt me to replay the games either. Partly because of the very factor the new release tries to address with blackjack and checkpoints - for all their awesomeness, every GTA game I've played has a few too many missions I would rather NOT get through ever again. It's not just memetic RC helicopters and damn trains, I've been stumped by even simpler stuff. So again, if I'm ever in the mood to get back to these after all, Switch is currently the only platform it could possibly be on.

This is embarrassing, the Vita version looks better and actually has shadows under the cars. Having played a good bit of the San Andreas 'definitive edition' on Switch, I can confirm it's just awful. I stole a plane and flew around the map at low altitude, the massive pop-in and frame drops make it nearly unplayable. And also the much discussed pop-in of cars while driving is crazy, they can sometimes appear out of nowhere. How a multi-billion dollar company can release this cr*p is beyond me, I'lll never digitally pre-order a game again.

@thinkhector yes porting the android versions would have been better. They're not perfect but they're far better than what we got.

@ATaco @nmanifold I agree in GTA's case, but I think overall, it's a bit more nuanced.

Professional developers and fan developers have different motivations; the pros need to put food on the table so their motivations are more extrinsic, while fans often do this as passion projects (or maybe potential portfolios?) so their motivations can be more intrinsic. The pros need to follow a schedule, and they have only so much time, so they need to compromise and prioritize, whereas fans dedicate indefinite amounts of spare time, with little external pressure.

@icomma the ports of 3 and vice city on vita are ports of the PC version. San Andreas was a Android port. One that actually fixed bugs that Grove street games (fka war drum) never bothered fixing.

Didn't Grove Street (War Drum Studios also make the android version? https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Grove_Street_Games

@nmanifold You should ask for a refund. I think a lot of people have been getting issued refunds considering how messed up this "definitive" trilogy turned out.

The homebrew version of GTA3 on the Switch looks a million times better. Maybe NL should compare that video instead.

just dont buy the new release, please

Am I the only one who's going to point out the switch side was captured at a lower resolution? I don't wanna sound like a fanboy or anything but I own both the (ported)Vita and Switch versions and the latter (in portable mode) is MILES better! Can't say much about docked mode since I own a Lite, but since we are comparing with a Vita I think portable would be the sensible choice anyway.

The old version / Vita version looks stylistically so much better, and so much more evocative. The remasters look awful. Sometimes making everything HD and shiney just doesn't work. Not only that, but they're also full of bugs, especially with the rain effects. Sadly, the best way to play them will remain via obtaining the old PC/Android/6th gen console versions or via emulation.

Gmanlives has so far done one of the best videos covering the visual problems with the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erSm_BXI-mM

Why is the remaster so dark? It's like it's running on an original GBA.

Idk, Switch version looks better to me but that's just my opinion.

Edit: I should preface that by saying I was never overly impressed with how the original games looked so that clearly influences my opinion. Also, the Vita version does look quite nice to its credit.

Edit 2: It's also funny how the same people who used to get mad that Nintendo delayed a game to ensure it plays and looks nice are the same people saying this needed more time in development. Their reasoning for Nintendo releasing games in a state they feel this game is in was that games can be patched. Well, you've gotten your wish and you don't seem happy.

@Bl4ckb100d You don’t ‘own’ the Vita version due to the fact you can’t buy it.

A huge amount of this side-by-side comes down to lighting, and seeing this side-by-side diverge around the 4-minute mark into a difference between night and day (literally!) makes it clear that that wasn't controlled for here.

I'm no defender of this remaster's hack job, but this video's actual value is limited.

@nessisonett Your comment is ironically a bleaker condemnation of capitalism than anything one could find in a GTA game .

Odd how every time an official game like this came out, a fan made one is not far behind. It's like you can't work on something without someone plagiarizing your work. If I work on something and I find out someone else is already copying my work to shame me I would be pissed too. This fan made PS Vita version pissed me off, leave official project alone, work on your own crap. A plagiarize work is as much a garbage as a lazy remastered itself.

@6ch6ris6 got it from skidrow to compare them with the originals with mods & it's embarrassing how low rockstar has stooped Threatening legal action against people that do a much better job that you bother to do because you want some easy cash is just unforgivable

@nessisonett I own the original PC versions, from where I took the files to run the Vita port, happy now?

@Bl4ckb100d Fair enough, it’s just a bit suspect to genuinely say that the Switch version is better while saying off-cuff that you have the Vita version. I dunno.

People threw the same fit when they replaced San Andreas on the Xbox with the mobile port when it became backward compatible on Xbox One.
I mean these mobile versions have been around since the days of the original iPad over 10 years ago.

@nhSnork That's right

@icomma Wrong. I have Gta 3, VC and SA on Vita. 3 and VC were actually reverse engineered by a team, can't recall the exact name, whose work was removed by 2k's crackdown on modders. Playing on Vita requires to purchase steam version. SA is the Android Gta which required to write some kind of loader for Vita written by scene veteran theflow.

Gaming YouTube has been abuzz over this game. Aparently, the PC version isn't much better.

Been playing these on my Vita with the new graphic mods and they truly blow the “Definitive” version out of the water!

@Lusephur
GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition is based on the mobile ports of the GTA games. That's why it shared many of the same issues and bugs as those mobile versions.

It depends on what you think is better, the originals lighting is a lot more colourful but many of those lights just come out of the floor or walls, there is no light source that makes any sense. The new version is more accurate but can be less visually appealing

@nintendoknife it's using a more realistic lighting model that's all, the original has lots of fake lights in alleyways that makes it very bright when there's no actual light source. The remaster appears to have done away with these for global illumination but with no real thought about how that affects every area of the game

Rockstar Leeds should of been in charge of the remasters.

@carlos82 Yep, the lighting changes are interesting. In Vice City the remaster does have more accurate shadows for objects, cars and characters in daylight, which look quite nice, while the origial has square shadows beneath. However, at night (on switch at least) all the shadows seem to disappear, with street lamps, headlights and other light sourses influencing colour in the environment but not casting any shadows. Gives the night time scenes an odd look, like the cars are floating.

I happen to like the new versions, would much rather play these remasters than the originals. As for the android ports I don't know everyone was complaining they were to close to the originals visually and controlled bad so Rockstar make changes and tweak things and now everyone says they would have been happy with straight ports of the originals no wonder developers can't please 'fans' they change what they want every two minutes.

@Ristar24 yeah it seems they had to cull some settings for Switch, from what it sounds like both the original engine and Unreal are running concurrently and that's how they got it to feel just like the originals. Though with Switch and its limited CPU and memory bandwidth it's not the best combination, at least as an educated guess

@carlos82 Yep, the dynamic resolution on switch also seems to fall someway below native at times, giving a very soft image undocked that's reminiscent of Xenoblade Definitive edition.

Pretty sure the vita port of vice city uses the steam files so it's basically the steam version ported to the vita

@Fath agree, I have also found a ton of glitches and issues with the Definitive edition, but this comparison is terrible- the Switch side is such a poor quality- someone just reduced the resolution so it looks closer to Vita ver. The art style and some textures look better on vita for sure, also not a fan of this cartoony look for an adult game. Anyway, shame on Rockstar for ever releasing a game in such poor condition- this should not be tolerated and even allowed. I also demanded a refund- which is disappointing- I was so looking forward to GTA on Switch, but this is unplayable.

also people need to start blaming taketwo on this mess as well since they own rockstar.

Rockstar exposed the switch. 🤣

@Znake Have to say the PS2 versions on PS4 were also quite poor. Bad 50Hz emulation with frame pacing problems and music stations cutting out, weird graphical grid visible on the screen in San Andreas, terrible framerates if you ran them from an external hard drive. Not trying to justify the relatively poor state of the Switch release (I think it has potential but seems unfinished at release), but just that it's disappointing that Rockstar generally don't seem to want these iconic games presented in a way that does them justice.

@Tisteg80 I think we expected a better looking and playing game. GTA Trilogy doesn't even perform well on Xbox Series X, lol

Still think the stylized visuals of the Switch version look better. I don't play fan games or mod my systems, but good on the community for getting PS2 games running on the Vita.

@Znake this is bull****, I tried to give Rockstar a feedback on their web and it’s a loop that doesn’t lead anywhere! So they just dont give a crap, just wanted to make us feel like they are resolving it. I encountered these issues and more: a) random texture appearing duplicated on a wall where it shouldn’t be-like second gate texture on a wall that flickers. B) helicopter lights passing through tunnels-when a helicopter followed me and I couldn’t hide from it even in places where I couldn’t be followed C) shadows of a car multiplied under the car in low res- had like three shadows behind the car that flickered D) the worst is the frame rate- because it’s difficult to sometime control the car that way! E) the day/night cycle creates shades that operate like clock work- few moments later a shade moves like 2m on. F) cars and subject appearing and disappearing at a really close range-sometime if I drive fast, a car appears out of nowhere and I crash, which is terrible. G) sometime I would hit a car, and if it rode across a hill, it would start floating in the air for a while. H) shadows pop in just almost next to the character.I) random sphere light source effect stuck on cars. J) some buildings gave out a huge glare that made me see nothing- like the building would become a gigantic mirror, and for a few seconds an entire street became snow white! And all these things are not all! They should feel ashamed for releasing games in such condition! Atrocious Practice, and even worse for a big company like Rocksteady!!!!!

I watched the video and tried feeling outraged but it just didn't come. Sorry

Which version looks better at the 1:15 mark? I think I'm supposed to say Vita and "shame on Rockstar", but just want to make sure?

How long until the defense force/viral marketer brigade pulls a Sonic Colors Ultimate and starts saying that all the glitches and awfulness in this “definitive” release are the results of people hacking the game or emulating it?

Where can I buy the vita version?

Switch version looks better by a mile, not even close.

@Thatsalie 🤔? Rockstar exposed themselves how cheap and lazy they are.

Hail vita! Still the best handheld of you exclude needing games and stuff.

@Specter_of-the_OLED The mods and Vita fan ports came out quite a while before Rockstar even hinted that they might create remasters, just like AM2R already existed before Nintendo let anyone know that M2: Samus Returns was in the works.

@Slowdive The RenderWare engine's very last game would be Persona 4 Golden for the PS Vita and Steam.

I hope someone can repurpose the reverse-engineered GTA code to reverse-engineer Persona 3 and 4 so we can get fan-made homebrew source ports of Persona 3 (that also includes the best of both FES and Portable) and Persona 4.

I am not sure but Persona 1 and 2's PSP versions may be RenderWare too so they could get similar source ports, especially if we get English translated versions of both parts of Persona 2 that can use saves from the previous game.

We would also need that so that we can finally get more mods and source ports of Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, especially since Shadow the Hedgehog was never ported to PC. I am still waiting for my damn PC port.

I don't get what everybody is seeing when they say the Vita version looks better. I don't think it always looks better, but it certainly looks different. I noticed more slowdown on the Vita than I did on the Switch. Switch seems to have some worse textures, people are cartoonified so their faces aren't as detailed but clothing is more detailed on Switch in some places. It's darker in some places. It's a seemingly weird choice of compromises. I'm not sure I agree that it look worse. I'm gonna buy it anyway because it's been so long since I played a GTA game. I think the last time I played one was the Stories games on PSP.

@Slowdive

Not entirely sure what you mean by that. An engine doesn't make a game, it just facilitates the building and running of any game.

RenderWare is an amazing engine to be sure, Burnout3 looked completely next gen when it came out. But ultimately, it's just an engine, and it's up to each game to supply assets/code/logic/shaders to said engine to really get the most out of it, and make a standout game. Some RenderWare games perform terribly, and some Unity games perform brilliantly. Ultimately it's up to the developer to really get the most out of any given engine or platform.

Check out the list of RenderWare games, it's a pretty random list, just like Unreal/Unity

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_RenderWare_games

@carlos82 Thanks!