So here's what today's announcement tells me. Remember as far back as mid-July when we were speculating about Nintendo was going to do the rest of the year? Well, around that time the rumor of the day was Nintendo was going to have 2 Direct-like events in August and September. A smaller one for August and the alleged really big show in September. Those who were banking on that rumor are looking more and more right today. Thanks and until next time I am out!
@BlueOcean Absolutely agree about the real numbers. So, which of us needs to get Digital Foundry the heads-up on this one? Thanks and until next time I am out!
I too backed the Kickstarter. It's interesting about my situation because the game comes out May 19th it seems but Kickstarter tells me my physical Switch copy (I guess because it comes with a musical soundtrack [The Wonderful Physical Game + OST]) won't get here until November. Does that mean my entire package doesn't get here until November or do I get the game in May and the rest in November? They're not quite clear about that. Out!
Of what I can say on the Smash Bros Ultimate netcode situation let me start by saying @Wargoose's commentary is quite on point. I've always known that the game's MP system was based off of a region-based Peer 2 Peer (P2P) Networking system. I wasn't aware of the delay/rollback netcoding debate points. So again, @Wargoose, thanks for that.
I agree though. The netcode needs massive adjustments (read: netcode rewrite) because with P2P Networking alone, it's Achilles heel is that if you have say 4 players together and you have 3 good quality connections and 1 bad. The bad connection is going to be the one that spoils the game for the other 3 because compensation is needed to allow effective gameplay and delay netcode just doesn't provide that. Rollback netcode could be what saves Smash or at least makes it tolerable.
My initial thought about Smash netcode was because you have a company like Bandai Namco working on the game why not transplant Tekken or Soul Calibur's netcode into Smash? However; if both games mentioned there use delay over rollback netcode I'm not sure that would make a difference.
Sakurai made a great point before the game launched to use wired Ethernet with Smash but Sakurai didn't realize that for many households wired Ethernet for Switch just cannot be done based on how the network architecture in many homes around the world are setup. Many homes are Wi-Fi centric in their network architecture and don't have setups that have wired Ethernet going through the walls with either Ethernet wall jacks or cables going through the wall room for room to plug into a room's network switch.
Also in my experience, do not think wired Ethernet is a solution here either everyone. For some it is (as known in the medical world as) a placebo. I've played Smash with wired Ethernet on my side of the connection and not only has play quality been atrocious but Smash itself blamed ME for the bad connection. I checked what my Switch was pulling down for download/upload speed and the numbers were awful! That was using the official Switch LAN adapter off the dock. I'm using a more powerful LAN adapter now (and even upgraded my room's Ethernet switch) but am hesitant to try it in Smash Online. Maybe I'll do it this weekend. We'll see. I know that was long but I wanted to make sure to add necessary nuance to my thoughts on the subject. Thanks and until next time I am out!
@carlos82 Most interesting. According to PR videos featuring games running Unreal Engine 4 provided by Epic, it showed MK11 in the video. I guess the video was a lie or someone tried to hype MK11 to the stars. In any event, there are many games on Switch running UE4 and while their resolution doesn't usually make it past 720p most of the time at least they run and are playable.
Back to @kobashi100: while I might've been wrong on MK11's engine and you make a good point that they've been working on Season 2 DLC for the game instead at one point you did make that producers said, "It simply won't run on Switch" I can look at and tell you, "They never even tried to make the attempt". The fact that it only runs at 720p on XBox One and 900p on PS4 isn't to me enough of an motive to justify the claim of, "It simply won't run on Switch". When I see XBONE and PS4 running at 720p and 900p to get 60FPS (and PS4Pro and XBONE running at 1080p and 1440p respectively) that tells me 3 words as someone who studied video game design when I was younger: Poor engine optimization. I sense during development they got it to a point of playing at 60FPS, looked at the resolution it took to get there and simply left it there. They could've got a lot more out of it but chose not to either because they didn't have time to optimize further or just got it where they wanted as a milestone dev goal and again simply left it there. I could tell you that other devs who have used UE4 since its inception have used the engine and gotten a lot more out of it. Take Street Fighter V for example. Yes it's only on 1 console platform (PS4, not counting PC/Windows) but that runs at 1080p and at least offline mostly stays around the 60FPS (between 59-60FPS) mark. Online? Is another story. Even so, if Bandai Namco would put the effort to at test SC VI with Switch and bring in a port specialist (Shiver, Virtous, etc.) I think they could get it to run similar to MK11. Again, won't look pretty but if it is at 720p docked and 600-720p handheld (like MK11) as a huge Soul Calibur fan I could live with that. That is all from me and until next time I am out!
@kobashi100 I see it this way: look at what NetherRealm and Shiver did with Mortal Kombat 11 for Switch. The game's max resolution docked is 720p with higher resolution cutscenes. Yeah it runs lower than 720p handheld but it's still at 60FPS at nearly all times on both docked and handheld during the action. Now, if NetherRealm and Shiver can do that for Mortal Kombat 11 running on Unreal Engine 4 and it sells big on the Switch platform, what reason can't Bandai Namco do the same thing for Soul Calibur VI with the same Unreal Engine 4? If MK11 taught me anything, it's graphical look doesn't need to reflect a beautiful meadow in a forest to be successful. That's what I got and until next time I am out!
Oh my. This is just silliness from the producer Okobu. When I was at E3 2018 I even told Bandai Namco to not forget about us in The World of Nintendo when it came to this game. Now, Okobu's just making excuses. 3 things make this Switch capable: 1. Game runs in Unreal Engine 4. 2. Even with all the DLC currently the game file size on my PS4 is less than 16GB. Pop it all on a 16GB game card and get on with it. 3. Last time Bandai Namco put a mainline Soul Calibur game on a Nintendo platform (Soul Calibur II on Gamecube) what happened everyone? What happened? Gamecube version individually outsold the PS2 and XBOX by a good margin. Somebody get me Okobu's number because I sense I got to make a call to remind him of the 3 things I mentioned here. Out!
@rushiosan Reason there isn't? EA owns the rights to those 3 titles. Those came with their contract with Disney. It's up to EA to release them anywhere and if I know EA they'll never come to Switch. They'll likely remaster them in Frostbite, remaster them in 4K and then release them to PS5 and Project Scarlett as launch titles. It's too bad EA still won't get over the John Madden Football debacle on SNES that started their bad blood between them and Nintendo so many years ago. Any software support has EA provided The World of Nintendo so far is merely token support only. I know they're R&Ding Frostbite on Switch but...I think that'll never reach past the experimental stage I'm afraid. That's all I got and until next time I am out!
There's actually a 2nd headset one can use for the Nintendo Switch Online voice chat everyone. It's the Steelseries Arctis 3 Bluetooth headset. Here's how it works: Connect the Arctis 3 BT to your phone's Bluetooth, open the Switch Online app (it will detect and use it) and then plug the audio cable from the headset to the Switch headphone jack. 1 Wire. Easy voice chat. I've tested it. It works. I advise all of you to check it out. Also, I don't work for Steelseries but I am a satisfied customer of this product. Thanks. Out!
Comments 60
Re: Nintendo Indie World Showcase Announced For Tuesday 18th August
So here's what today's announcement tells me. Remember as far back as mid-July when we were speculating about Nintendo was going to do the rest of the year? Well, around that time the rumor of the day was Nintendo was going to have 2 Direct-like events in August and September. A smaller one for August and the alleged really big show in September. Those who were banking on that rumor are looking more and more right today. Thanks and until next time I am out!
Re: The Outer Worlds Publisher Reveals Performance And Resolution Of The Switch Version
@BlueOcean Absolutely agree about the real numbers. So, which of us needs to get Digital Foundry the heads-up on this one? Thanks and until next time I am out!
Re: The Wonderful 101: Remastered File Size And Other Details Revealed
I too backed the Kickstarter. It's interesting about my situation because the game comes out May 19th it seems but Kickstarter tells me my physical Switch copy (I guess because it comes with a musical soundtrack [The Wonderful Physical Game + OST]) won't get here until November. Does that mean my entire package doesn't get here until November or do I get the game in May and the rest in November? They're not quite clear about that. Out!
Re: Frustrated Super Smash Bros. Fans Get #FixUltimateOnline Trending On Social Media
Of what I can say on the Smash Bros Ultimate netcode situation let me start by saying @Wargoose's commentary is quite on point. I've always known that the game's MP system was based off of a region-based Peer 2 Peer (P2P) Networking system. I wasn't aware of the delay/rollback netcoding debate points. So again, @Wargoose, thanks for that.
I agree though. The netcode needs massive adjustments (read: netcode rewrite) because with P2P Networking alone, it's Achilles heel is that if you have say 4 players together and you have 3 good quality connections and 1 bad. The bad connection is going to be the one that spoils the game for the other 3 because compensation is needed to allow effective gameplay and delay netcode just doesn't provide that. Rollback netcode could be what saves Smash or at least makes it tolerable.
My initial thought about Smash netcode was because you have a company like Bandai Namco working on the game why not transplant Tekken or Soul Calibur's netcode into Smash? However; if both games mentioned there use delay over rollback netcode I'm not sure that would make a difference.
Sakurai made a great point before the game launched to use wired Ethernet with Smash but Sakurai didn't realize that for many households wired Ethernet for Switch just cannot be done based on how the network architecture in many homes around the world are setup. Many homes are Wi-Fi centric in their network architecture and don't have setups that have wired Ethernet going through the walls with either Ethernet wall jacks or cables going through the wall room for room to plug into a room's network switch.
Also in my experience, do not think wired Ethernet is a solution here either everyone. For some it is (as known in the medical world as) a placebo. I've played Smash with wired Ethernet on my side of the connection and not only has play quality been atrocious but Smash itself blamed ME for the bad connection. I checked what my Switch was pulling down for download/upload speed and the numbers were awful! That was using the official Switch LAN adapter off the dock. I'm using a more powerful LAN adapter now (and even upgraded my room's Ethernet switch) but am hesitant to try it in Smash Online. Maybe I'll do it this weekend. We'll see. I know that was long but I wanted to make sure to add necessary nuance to my thoughts on the subject. Thanks and until next time I am out!
Re: SoulCalibur VI Producer Still Not Sure About Porting The Game To Switch
@carlos82 Most interesting. According to PR videos featuring games running Unreal Engine 4 provided by Epic, it showed MK11 in the video. I guess the video was a lie or someone tried to hype MK11 to the stars. In any event, there are many games on Switch running UE4 and while their resolution doesn't usually make it past 720p most of the time at least they run and are playable.
Back to @kobashi100: while I might've been wrong on MK11's engine and you make a good point that they've been working on Season 2 DLC for the game instead at one point you did make that producers said, "It simply won't run on Switch" I can look at and tell you, "They never even tried to make the attempt". The fact that it only runs at 720p on XBox One and 900p on PS4 isn't to me enough of an motive to justify the claim of, "It simply won't run on Switch". When I see XBONE and PS4 running at 720p and 900p to get 60FPS (and PS4Pro and XBONE running at 1080p and 1440p respectively) that tells me 3 words as someone who studied video game design when I was younger: Poor engine optimization. I sense during development they got it to a point of playing at 60FPS, looked at the resolution it took to get there and simply left it there. They could've got a lot more out of it but chose not to either because they didn't have time to optimize further or just got it where they wanted as a milestone dev goal and again simply left it there. I could tell you that other devs who have used UE4 since its inception have used the engine and gotten a lot more out of it. Take Street Fighter V for example. Yes it's only on 1 console platform (PS4, not counting PC/Windows) but that runs at 1080p and at least offline mostly stays around the 60FPS (between 59-60FPS) mark. Online? Is another story. Even so, if Bandai Namco would put the effort to at test SC VI with Switch and bring in a port specialist (Shiver, Virtous, etc.) I think they could get it to run similar to MK11. Again, won't look pretty but if it is at 720p docked and 600-720p handheld (like MK11) as a huge Soul Calibur fan I could live with that. That is all from me and until next time I am out!
Re: SoulCalibur VI Producer Still Not Sure About Porting The Game To Switch
@kobashi100 I see it this way: look at what NetherRealm and Shiver did with Mortal Kombat 11 for Switch. The game's max resolution docked is 720p with higher resolution cutscenes. Yeah it runs lower than 720p handheld but it's still at 60FPS at nearly all times on both docked and handheld during the action. Now, if NetherRealm and Shiver can do that for Mortal Kombat 11 running on Unreal Engine 4 and it sells big on the Switch platform, what reason can't Bandai Namco do the same thing for Soul Calibur VI with the same Unreal Engine 4? If MK11 taught me anything, it's graphical look doesn't need to reflect a beautiful meadow in a forest to be successful. That's what I got and until next time I am out!
Re: SoulCalibur VI Producer Still Not Sure About Porting The Game To Switch
Oh my. This is just silliness from the producer Okobu. When I was at E3 2018 I even told Bandai Namco to not forget about us in The World of Nintendo when it came to this game. Now, Okobu's just making excuses. 3 things make this Switch capable: 1. Game runs in Unreal Engine 4. 2. Even with all the DLC currently the game file size on my PS4 is less than 16GB. Pop it all on a 16GB game card and get on with it. 3. Last time Bandai Namco put a mainline Soul Calibur game on a Nintendo platform (Soul Calibur II on Gamecube) what happened everyone? What happened? Gamecube version individually outsold the PS2 and XBOX by a good margin. Somebody get me Okobu's number because I sense I got to make a call to remind him of the 3 things I mentioned here. Out!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Christmas? (Special Edition 2019)
For my something else game I am going to be greatly catching up and pouring some hours into a classic: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Out!
Re: Limited Run Partners With Lucasfilm To Re-Release Classic Star Wars Games
@rushiosan Reason there isn't? EA owns the rights to those 3 titles. Those came with their contract with Disney. It's up to EA to release them anywhere and if I know EA they'll never come to Switch. They'll likely remaster them in Frostbite, remaster them in 4K and then release them to PS5 and Project Scarlett as launch titles. It's too bad EA still won't get over the John Madden Football debacle on SNES that started their bad blood between them and Nintendo so many years ago. Any software support has EA provided The World of Nintendo so far is merely token support only. I know they're R&Ding Frostbite on Switch but...I think that'll never reach past the experimental stage I'm afraid. That's all I got and until next time I am out!
Re: Guide: The Best Nintendo Switch Wired And Wireless Headsets
There's actually a 2nd headset one can use for the Nintendo Switch Online voice chat everyone. It's the Steelseries Arctis 3 Bluetooth headset. Here's how it works: Connect the Arctis 3 BT to your phone's Bluetooth, open the Switch Online app (it will detect and use it) and then plug the audio cable from the headset to the Switch headphone jack. 1 Wire. Easy voice chat. I've tested it. It works. I advise all of you to check it out. Also, I don't work for Steelseries but I am a satisfied customer of this product. Thanks. Out!