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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

zelda.com

541–550 of 782 posts

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#541

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a big problem with any switch upgrade plan: Current GPU architectures are too different to the original Maxwell GPU arch, so it is impossible for Nintendo to make a better console that is hardware compatible to the switch. The games themselves include low level GPU driver stuff, so they won't run in any other GPU architecture without an emulation layer. In the past, Nintendo either forgone backwards compatib…

Would it be possible to just put an entire Switch in the Switch 2? (see: PS3)

That is an option I haven't considered. It would be possible, but a bit pricy. I don't think Nintendo would go this route because they like their hardware cheap, but I don't completely rule out either. Yes, if they go this route, will be much later in the Switch lifetime. They would wait until the Switch sales start showing the end of its life before pulling such a radical upgrade.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#542

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Switch combines lower powered A57 (a soc from..2012 on a 20nm process) with a Maxwell GPU (9+ years old at this point) Honestly this is the time to start working on a Switch successor, they could easily more than double the current compute capabilities while keeping the same or lower power envelope. That doesn't even counts the untapped bonuses from much higher memory speeds. I would instantly buy this, we would…

All they have to do to keep me and my kids as customers through the next gen is commit to back compat with our Switch library and build something that can run their big-budget first party titles like Zelda at 720p60 handheld / 1080p60 docked. So sort of 2.5x what we’ve got now. Spend the rest of the TDP budget on pushing out the battery life. Hardware upscaling for bonus points only. Job done. This is Nintendo though…

I 100% agree. This is what I was hoping they would maybe surprise-announce just before TotK's release, but my hopes were too high. I'm excited to play it, but $70 for a game with PS3-era visuals at 30fps while everything else has modern visuals at 60-120fps with various techniques is a tragedy.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#543
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would put a lot of it down to Japanese craftsmanship coupled with relatively experienced engineers (average age in their Kyoto office is 40 IIRC). Their selection process is notoriously rigorous too and goes far beyond the usual LeetCode questions you'd get at a FAANG company.

> coupled with relatively experienced engineers I disagree. Nintendo has good engineers but so does many of the other studios. For me what sets Nintendo apart is not their code or technology, but their game design and game direction. The way they seem to craft their game-play and game mechanics to have everything it needs but nothing more, and then couple it with the perfect match for game aesthetics with unmatched c…

Do Nintendo keep their teams together longer?

You usually can’t get a great engineering team by throwing a bunch of good engineers together, it takes time and work.

I don’t know much about the game industry but from what little I have heard it seems there is a lot of churn.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#545
post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I owned a PS4, then PS4 Pro, then PS5 and a laptop capable to play games. And couldn't agree more with you. Make sure to get also Super Mario Odyssey. This game is just such a joy. It feels like a trip to a funfair every time. And sure, Mario Kart 8 for some multiplayer fun. 6 years in, and the Switch is still the most used console in my family with 3 kids.

3 kids you say? Boomerang Fu. You are welcome. It's a silly, simple, utterly un-put-downable game in our house.

Boomerang Fu occasionally goes on sale for $2 on the eShop. Even at full price it's one of the better cost/fun ratios of any game I've played with the kids.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#546

I was listening to a gaming podcast last week and they were talking about how this release was pirated and available for the last week or so on torrents. That in itself wasn't surprising, but the interesting point they talked about is that the game is much more enjoyable when played on PC with an emulated copy because modern gaming PC hardware is much smoother and higher resolution than the stock Switch. It really ma…

Nintendo makes very confusing business decisions very often. They seem to succeed despite all their business decisions, largely due to having IP that people love, and people are constantly thinking about how great they could be.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It has aged incredibly well. A Link To The Past is still almost as fun to play as it was back then.

I also think it still looks great

And sounds great! The soundtrack contributes perfectly to the overall vibe, didn’t notice that 30 years ago. It really is a work of art.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#548
post #524

I was listening to a gaming podcast last week and they were talking about how this release was pirated and available for the last week or so on torrents. That in itself wasn't surprising, but the interesting point they talked about is that the game is much more enjoyable when played on PC with an emulated copy because modern gaming PC hardware is much smoother and higher resolution than the stock Switch. It really ma…

I've a really good pc under my TV that I pretty much only use for emulation. So I'm not anti emulation by any means (it's allowed me to put all my real hardware in a cupboard and not have a big mess of wires in my living room)! But what these videos never show is that emulation is a pain in the ass. There's always a nagging feeling that game isn't quite right. I end up spending more time tweaking settings than playin…

Out of curiosity, what is your setup? I'm guessing windows 10/11, hdmi plugged into your TV? I have a windows box in my home office but and an Nvidia shield attached to my TV but it has always been a pain to play games via steam link. I mean, it's doable, I just figure there's a way to make it as convenient as console gaming and I'm missing something.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#549

I cannot describe in words how impactful Ocarina of Time was to me as a kid, how intensely I got sucked into that world to the point that I even wrote some (bad) fanfic set in that universe back in the days. When Majora's Mask came out I was almost bursting with excitement until I was actually able to play it and was again totally blown away by a unique experience. When I played Breath of the Wild, I felt ... nothing…

I think "as a kid" is the operative phrase here. Nothing will ever live up to that nostalgia. That's not to discount the criticisms or "feel" you get from the game, but it's worth noting that nothing lives up to our childhood favorites.

Agreed. My niece loved Breath of the Wild and has been eagerly anticipating Tears of the Kingdom since it was announced.

Re: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release

#550

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All they have to do to keep me and my kids as customers through the next gen is commit to back compat with our Switch library and build something that can run their big-budget first party titles like Zelda at 720p60 handheld / 1080p60 docked. So sort of 2.5x what we’ve got now. Spend the rest of the TDP budget on pushing out the battery life. Hardware upscaling for bonus points only. Job done. This is Nintendo though…

I 100% agree. This is what I was hoping they would maybe surprise-announce just before TotK's release, but my hopes were too high. I'm excited to play it, but $70 for a game with PS3-era visuals at 30fps while everything else has modern visuals at 60-120fps with various techniques is a tragedy.

30fps, lol. Its goes down much below that, sadly.
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