Earlier this month, Hello Games released its space-exploration RPG No Man's Sky on the Nintendo Switch.
The tech experts over at Digital Foundry have now taken a closer look at the game's performance on the hybrid system, summing it up as "comprised but playable".
The game uses temporal anti-aliasing, but it's coverage "isn't great" according to DF when matched with the resolutions on Switch. In docked play on Switch, the resolution is 1152x648, and in portable mode it drops to 896x504.
Here's the rundown (via Eurogamer):
"No Man's Sky uses TAA, but the coverage isn't great. Many screen elements, particularly those that intersect with certain effects, showcase sharp jagged edges. Making matters worse, the image seems to flicker at all times, with distracting pixel movement on geometric edges. The TAA doesn't seem to do much for the game's textures either, which are awash in aliasing when viewed at an angle. At higher resolutions on other platforms, No Man's Sky's TAA works fine, but as you might expect, the render targets here are pretty limited. In docked play, we're looking at an 1152x648 resolution, while portable mode drops down to 896x504.
"Predictably, the docked mode fares worse here, with an unstable underlying image exacerbated by a low-res treatment with unexceptional TAA. On a large television the results don't hold up well at all, with the game looking in line with some of the worst offenders on Switch. A tablet-sized 720p screen minimizes these issues to a degree but I didn't find portable mode especially visually compelling either. In certain scenes, the reduced resolution really makes the flicker go into overdrive in mobile play, producing a rough-looking result. Outside of image quality the two modes do seem to be identical."
As for the game's frame rate on Nintendo's hardware, it's a "30fps target" with a v-sync cap and some dips going all the way down to the "mid 20s". This was "about the same" in portable mode, with similar drops across similar scenarios.
"Performance-wise, we're looking at a 30fps target with a v-sync cap, as you'd expect. Generally, while just walking around you can expect a 30fps update most of the time. However, there are relatively frequent frame-rate drops. Often, these occur without a clear cause - short spikes around 100ms or extended dips to the upper 20s. Slightly more complex scenery can pull frame-rates to the mid 20s, even while simply walking around. More complex actions, like firing at creatures or blasting away terrain, can cause similar issues. You'll also see some pretty hard stuttering at times when transitioning between planets and space. When No Man's Sky drops frames here the frame-rate cap does tend to break, making the stuttering feel more pronounced.
"For the most part though, that's as bad as it gets. It's not so much that the frame-rate is generally poor, just that the game feels unstable, with an FPS drop popping up about once every minute or so even in sedate areas."
Despite these comprises, Digital Foundry still considers this version of the game to be a "serviceable" entry. You can get a second opinion in our Nintendo Life review:
Have you tried out No Man's Sky on the Nintendo Switch yet? What are your thoughts so far? Tell us below.
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[source youtu.be, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 49
This has to be the most negative Digital Foundry review I've seen for a game NintendoLife rated 9/10. If I were to buy it I would play it on a tv, so the fact it's worse on a big screen worries me a bit.
It's great that the devs managed to put the game on Switch, and given how popular the console is, it makes sense. But for my money, I'm glad I had the option of getting NMS for Steam Deck instead, on which it plays beautifully.
Considering I played the original launch version of NMS on PS4, this one is much better than “serviceable”.
I’ve been having a blast with it, it’s a MUCH MUCH better game than it was when it first released on ps4
@FishyS A lot of Switch games fare worse on the big screen. If that's how you primarily play your games, it might be worth investing in a home console for the third party stuff.
@Ralizah I always found that odd. Switch does function a whole lot better as a portable console in many ways though, unless you’re playing local multiplayer.
@Ralizah That's why I'm not quite agree with the term hybrid console. It's perfect for my 15" portable monitor, but for 40" TV and above...
Imagine judging games on graphics alone. So sad
@GrailUK another person of culture I see! I played Witcher 3 and it’s dlc 100%, a task I hadn’t been able to get myself to do on PS4 or Xbox…. Graphics are nice, sure, but hardly make the game. Some of the best games made don’t run at 30 fps or even have polygons. *shrug
This analysis does make me question Nintendo Life labelling NMS as one of the best third-party ports yet. Still, it’s incredible that Hello Games got the full game running on Switch at all.
[EDIT] I’m not saying this isn’t a good port. It clearly is. I’m simply saying, well, asking I guess, is it really one of the very best Switch ports we’ve seen yet? Simply that. No more, no less.
‘Serviceable…’ that’s a real insult to the team that made this happen.
They saw some jaggies and their day was ruined. RUINED I TELL YA!
This is the reason why I tend to ignore DF analysis. They deliberately overlook the most important aspect: FUN! I've got over 30 hours logged so far, and am enjoying it greatly.
@FishyS my problem with digital foundry is that others end up treating their (fantastic) analysis like a video game review.
@GrailUK pixel counters also seemingly only rate games that hit 60fps or more
@The_Pixel_King when you see what people comment about this game, I think it's the other way around.
It if my favorite game on Switch right now. Sunk way to mutch time in it I really love this game on Switch. Can't wait to gat a switch Pro and see the no man's sky update they make for that system
You just can please some people and for some it’s all about graphics over gameplay.
As an old gamer who started playing games on Intellivision and Pong gameplay is the primacy over graphical fidelity.
To me this games is brilliantly immersive, addictive to the point I haven’t wanted to put it down and lost the most hours in one session than I have ever done on any game on my Switch.
Yes it’s not going to look like the PC version or the PS5 or XBox but that’s an acceptable compromise in my book for the developers/porters to retain 90% of the core gameplay.
They don’t state which version they tested. I already commented on their YouTube channel and I think this is a completely unfair and unrealistic review. Of course if you judge it just by comparing it to hightech consoles and PC the Switch version will fall behind. Still I played 500+ hours on PlayStation and now more than 50 hours on Switch and it’s a blast. Yes there are pop ups and visual glitches, but they are by far not as bad as they described. And their stress test is unfair. I built a huge base on my PS4 and when I enter te base it takes a lot of time for the base to visualize and every area I enter has major pop-ups.
@agrazioli Well its about the technical side not gameplay so what do you expect?
@BadPlayerOne One S and PS4 they compared it to, its stated in the video.
@FishyS I mostly dislike the fact that DF calls this a review to begin with.
It is a technical analysis, but yes the video was quite negative, but I am used from that guy to have a zillion of nitpicks about performance in games.
And on Switch with such ports, that is sadly a given.
You can blame weak hardware.
@WallyWest I said hightech consoles.
A bit too negative i feel but they aren't wrong. You can tell they aren't really players of the game as there's a fair few things cut back or removed that they didn't touch on. Its a good port and is great for handheld play but handheld play is the only reason i feel to get this version.
@BadPlayerOne You think One S and PS4 are high tech? They really aren't. Yeah they compare versions to highlight the differences and changes.
I went into NMS completely blind - I never played it previously and didn't watch any video of gameplay.
I'm now 16 hours in and I'm not entirely sure what all the fuss is about. The possibilities are endless in this game - but that doesn't mean the game is some crazy impossible thing to port to a Switch. Its quite the opposite actually. The game uses various repetitive tactics and transitions to essentially create an illusion.
It's actually really similar to the way FIFA creates the illusion of you having complete control of the football when the reality is there are a limited number of options every time you try a button combination and an algorithm decides the outcome.
NMS for me is actually very disappointing. I think the game looks dreadful on Switch. BotW, a launch title on Switch, generates a better looking world than NMS has - so far (I have not visited every world in NMS 😉)
The gameplay gets very tedious very quickly. I'm 16 hours in and I'm at a point now where I'm like... hrmm OK so the story and "main quest" has been written dreadfully and makes absolutely no sense, sentinels are kinda cool to explore about but actually if I ignore them they pose no threat, I have a base that does everything I would deem necessary to "survive" on a planet that is perfectly habitable. I have very little "hope" of finding anything else remotely interesting/needed by exploring further.
Or am I missing something...?
Also, regarding the Switch port - I've had 9 crashes in those 16 hours. Fortunately the game does save very frequently so I've lost nothing except 2 minutes of my life waiting for it to load up again.
@The_Pixel_King Then you need think about why they said that, and not just about how well the anti-aliasing works.
@WallyWest compared to Nintendo Switch yes they are. And no they aren’t compared to PS5 and Xbox series x and for sure not compared to PC. But Nintendo Switch yes they are.
@TheCrabMan @TheCrabMan Actually no, but that doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything they say and do. And they can also be wrong from a player’s standpoint.
Normal people: This is fun. I love it!
DF: This is fine, I guess?
@WallyWest In this case, such a comparison is detrimental. You may get fence-sitters making their decision based on this information. There's already a comment here questioning NLs high rating of the game based on this video.
The game was released for hardware which already exceeded Switch specs, a year before the Switch was even released.
It would be like reviewing a 6-cylinder Dodge Charger and coming to the conclusion that it won't perform as good as a Hellcat.
I have the game, also had at launch on PS4. The things they mention are very noticeable on Switch at first, the short draw in for grass and shadows, the clouds looking extremely blocky on some planets, the low frame rate for other characters animation, even when they are very close to the player. PS4 wasn't stable, but the image quality was a lot better.
However, playing on the OLED, I'm still finding the Switch port has renewed my interest and have been playing the game a lot since launch, I'm certainly enjoying No Man's Sky on Switch despite the limitations.
The lack of online multiplayer is a huge deal breaker. That aspect alone is what keeps me coming back to the game. Graphically, it doesn't look good, either; the very low draw distance is very noticeable and off-putting.
Mark this as one "impossible Switch port" that remains impossible.
I'm having a blast with NMS on Switch, the only problem is that along with multiplayer (which I don't care), they completely removed access to Nexus, so you cannot do neither the missions in solo mode. Hope they will add them at least in a future update.
@GrailUK
It is a tech review meaning they are reviewing the technical aspects, though when it comes to things like performance that can have a big affect on gameplay, same with things like draw distance.
Its one of the reasons why when games give a choice that i choose the "performance" option over the "visual" one
@nocdaes NMS was seen as an “impossible port” because it generates everything on the fly via algorithm. This is very CPU-intensive, a known weakness of the Switch.
An unusually downbeat Analysis from DF, it looks pretty impressive to me and they normally love the Switch. Definitely a game I fancy trying at some point though, seems like something I’d rather have portable.
Lot of fan boy hate directed at DF in here. I was waiting on this analysis to confirm my suspicions. The limited gameplay shown prior to release had me concerned. Glad I waited.
@FishyS TBH I never understand those reviews - I played entirely through The Outer Worlds and didn’t experience a single game breaking glitch or jarring visual pop in - I also 100%’d Kirby & Forgotten Land in co-op with a 7 year old on a Gen 1 switch docked and never had any noticeable frame drops or freezes - I can never recreate these nightmarish visual issues I hear about (I never got Ark tho lmao)
@FishyS me too, as I noted elsewhere the text is far too small for me on oled portable, so my only hope is the big screen..
.
@The_Pixel_King because it IS a good port at the end of the day. Even Dfoundry admits it’s a good Switch port for something like this on the switch for people that actually watched the full video.
As long as you don’t care about Multiplayer/Settlements not being in the game atm, the obvious image quality cutback anyone rationale would knew was gonna happen, and you are not trying to break the game by making your base obnoxiously huge that tanks the FR [applies to other platforms of game too] then it’s very much playable as the big takeaway besides occasional FR dips when a bunch of chaotic things are happening at once or when you get off spaceship.
Over half the analysis was talking about the visual cutbacks/missing content we all knew about. The rest was about performance. Which they admit was a overall stable 30 “unless we specifically did this this or this” that doesn’t reflect the majority of gameplay experience
Have not played it yet, but as long as it is better than THE OUTER WORLDS, then I will pick it up. That game was rough for me to play; had to put it down.
That pop-in is too distracting for me.
Having it on both modern console(s) and switch, yeah, no **** it will look worse on older hardware. With that being said, I don't think the graphics comparison is the draw for a majority of people who want to play it conveniently in an armchair. In fact, even with it looking worse and missing MP, I've put more mileage in on the Switch version than any other.
Wait for a sale it is, then.
Not bashing DF and their methods, but their footage of the game seems way more degraded than I've seen on reviews everywhere else, which to me seems strange, suspect at worst.
All the reviews I've seen so far just make me want to get it all the more, graphical niggles be damned. This is what I've basically been wishing for all this time: Starbound on the Switch!
The most recent NMS update just came out yesterday. It has resolved some of the graphic issues I had since launch. I am sure DF was analyzing an earlier build given the timing.
The developers have been very responsive to Switch issues I have reported. I hope they continue to work out the kinks. Perhaps DF can do another analysis further down.
I'm honestly just so impressed that Hello Games jerry-rigged a version of their MASSIVE and GRAPHICALLY INTENSIVE space explorer game onto the tiny Switch hardware. If it feels like it's been jerry-rigged, I'm totally okay with that! The NL review shows that the fun of the game isn't compromised, and the skittish graphics on the margins just shows how little they matter to the actual enjoyability of the gameplay!
Honestly I could care less about the state of the graphics and the jaggedness of some of the edges while playing
What's been (somewhat) frustrating to me is having to wait a few minutes for assets in my base to load (ie the save points, refinery, etc). But aside from that I've been enjoying every passing moment in my playtime
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