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Previously, series producer Eiji Aonuma had stated that the Switch edition would offer the "same experience" as the Wii U version, something we were eager to put to the test, especially in the wake of the lacklustre performance we saw at E3 last year.
WII U GAMES ZELDA FULL
Here's the full low-down from the platform holder:
![wii u games zelda wii u games zelda](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mV9_DFHKRuR8VgfnZHNpieFDWOg=/0x0:1920x1084/1200x800/filters:focal(807x389:1113x695)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52731317/vlcsnap_2017_01_13_00h04m54s056.0.png)
Everything we've seen so far of the Switch hardware suggests that it's capable of handing in experiences very much of the Wii U generation, and on top of that, Nintendo has explicitly stated what we should expect to see in terms of differences between the two platforms. Going in, we didn't expect to see too much in the way of visual differences.
![wii u games zelda wii u games zelda](https://img.ssegold.com/images/items/the_legend_of_zelda_skyward_sword_wii_u_cover.png)
It's worth stressing that these are early results, expedited in order to offer an initial, general overview of the differences between both versions, each updated with the 1.1 day one patch. Lauded as one of the greatest games of all-time, it's a must play, but the question is this: is it worth upgrading from the Wii U to enjoy a better Zelda experience on Switch? Or can you hold fire on a Switch purchase, safe in the knowledge that the Wii U version offers a comparable experience? Original story: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a cross-generational title for Nintendo, released simultaneously on both the discontinued Wii U and the new Switch. The docked Switch configuration follows, but playing untethered still offers the smoothest ride overall. But what's clear is that there are three performance tiers here - Wii U still plays well, but it is at the bottom of the pile. Drops to 20fps can be offputting, but in our experience very rarely get in the way of actual gameplay. Ultimately, getting a complete lock on Zelda performance is challenging - the world is vast and the conditions are ever-changing. Combat in villages is minimal to non-existent by all accounts, so the drop in frame-rate here shouldn't be too impactful on gameplay. This is something you'll encounter in both Switch configurations and is by the the biggest dividing point between the two versions from a performance perspective. This is actually a reversal of the situation found during open world traversal, where a docked Switch has a clearly stutters in a much more pronounced way in certain areas - presumably when new terrain data is being streamed in.īut it's the Kakariko Village stress test that really separates Switch and Wii U - here, Nintendo's last-gen platform can lock to 20fps, while the docked Switch stays much closer to its target 30fps frame-rate with less impactful deviations. However, what's interesting to note is that handheld performance is actually slightly lower compared to the docked experience in these flashpoints. The former sees the Wii U hardware buckle considerably under the load, while the Switch only sees minor disturbances to its frame-rate - it's not really a big issue for gameplay, as the performance drop is fleeting. We identified several points in the game where the graphics hardware is likely to be put under stress - big explosions while Link indulges in combat, along with the area of the title we had the most requests for testing: Kakariko Village.
WII U GAMES ZELDA UPDATE
UPDATE 8/3/17 10:30am: As promised, we've spent a couple more days getting to grips with the performance profile of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on both Switch and Wii U, and while it's still difficult to justify investing so much money in a new console just for one title, what's clear is that aspects of the game that truly stress the GPU can see significant performance advantages for the Switch title - whether you're docked or using the console as a portable.