Ok, we did it. With the sale of the old site, we’ve upgraded a few things at Dying Art Media. One of those upgrades, is getting a Nintendo Switch 2, before the hardware prices rises.
Hoping to get ahead of the rumoured Ocarina of Time Remake, too.
Being honest, the Switch was always my Zelda machine, and the Switch 2 is just that, too. Thanks to the fact you can play upgraded versions of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom!
As someone that actually played through all of Breath of the Wild on the Wii U, I’ve been able to really see the changes in generations. First up to the Switch, and now to the Switch 2.
Switch 2 – Zelda Upgrades
The transition to the Nintendo Switch 2 marks a monumental shift for both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
While the original hardware pushed its limits to deliver these massive open worlds, the new console provides the overhead necessary to realise the original vision of the developers without technical compromise.
On the original system, both titles were locked to thirty frames per second and frequently suffered from drops during intense combat or complex physics interactions.
The Switch 2 hardware enables a rock-solid sixty frames per second. This increase in frame rate does more than just make the image look smoother; it fundamentally alters the feel of gameplay.
Link moves with a fluidity that makes parrying Guardian beams or navigating the sky islands feel more precise. Input latency is slashed, providing a directness to the controls that was previously unattainable on mobile hardware.
It’s unreal. Like new games, again. And that isn’t hyperbole.
Resolution and Visual Clarity
Resolution receives an equally significant boost through the use of modern upscaling technology.
In docked mode, the games utilise a dynamic resolution that targets 1440p, which is then reconstructed to a clean 4K output.
This removes the shimmering and jagged edges that often plagued the distance views in Hyrule.
In handheld mode, the games now run at a native 1080p on the larger screen, ensuring that the portable experience no longer feels like a visual downgrade from the television.
The addition of high dynamic range support allows for much deeper blacks in the depths and more brilliant sunlight across the peaks of Hebra.
Hyrule was always beautiful in these games, but holy cow. The Switch 2 versions are unreal.
Graphical Enhancements and Draw Distance
Beyond raw numbers, the Switch 2 editions feature enhanced graphical assets. High-resolution textures have been applied to the environment, giving stone walls and grassy plains a tactile quality they lacked before.
The increased memory allows for a vastly improved draw distance, meaning that objects and enemies remain visible much further away, which is particularly helpful when scouting from the top of a Sheikah Tower or a Skyview Tower.
The shadow resolution has also been refined, ensuring that the silhouettes of the landscape are crisp and realistic rather than pixelated.
Loading Times and Quality of Life
Functional upgrades round out the experience. The most notable change is the near-elimination of loading screens.
The new storage solution allows for near-instantaneous fast travel, moving Link across the map in mere seconds.
This makes exploration feel more seamless, as the friction of moving between the sky, surface, and depths is effectively removed.
The updated controllers also offer more refined haptic feedback, allowing players to feel the tension of a bowstring or the mechanical hum of a Zonai vehicle with greater nuance.
Overall
The only element that made us balk initially was the fact that we had to pay £7.99 each for the upgraded version of the game on Switch 2.
Having said that, these are two of the best games of all time, sincerely. So if that’s the price to pay to see them in their true glory, so be it.
There’s no other complaints about it. These games now feel like fresh games, and have re-ignited that need to play through them all again. Sure, it might not happen, certainly not quickly. But the game library on Switch 2 is a bit dire (and expensive!), so the real value for now will be playing the best games ever made, but better.
Hopefully all the rumours are true of the Ocarina of Time remake. Supposedly re-made from the ground-up, and potentially in the engine used to make Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Time will tell. But for now, the best versions of the best games ever made are now at our finger tips. The Switch 2 is delivering.
