Digital Foundry just released a short tech analysis video for DOOM on the Nintendo Switch, and these guys were seriously blown away by what they played. You can check out the video above to see and hear their impressions for yourself but, despite their glowing impression, the internet has decided to zero in on the fact that DOOM is running on the Nintendo Switch at 30 frames per second, instead of 60 fps. The hyperbole has been mind-boggling, with several people wondering why anyone would play DOOM on “last-gen settings with an unplayable framerate.”
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If you can’t stand 30 fps first-person shooters, then that’s fine. DOOM on the Switch is not for you, and neither is Destiny 2 on PS4 or Xbox One. For most people, games at 30 fps are perfectly playable, and Panic Button’s port of DOOM really does represent something very special.
Look, DOOM is playable on the Nintendo Switch, which is basically a Nintendo branded tablet, and that’s a miracle of modernity. DOOM is hands-down one of the best-looking (and fastest) shooters we’ve ever played, and it’s also one of the most technically demanding. While the game looks great and runs at 60 fps on a base PS4, it should be noted that all of the graphical settings are pretty much set to ‘medium,’ and it still makes the console scream, with fans running at full-blast. The fact that Panic Button has been able to recreate a satisfying experience on a console that is about 1/6 the size of a PS4 is insane, and that’s the exact sentiment that Digital Foundry is echoing in its analysis video.
For those of you who don’t own a Switch, you need to truly appreciate how compact this machine is.
Look How Small This Thing Is!
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When we say it’s 1/6 the size of the competition we’re not exaggerating. Look at this picture from GameSpotย showing a Nintendo Switch stacked on top of an Xbox One S (the smallest Xbox model you can buy):
Even that picture doesn’t do the difference in size justice, since the Joy-Con were left on either end. Slide each of those Joy-Con off and you’re left with a tablet that can fit in the palm of your hand, and that is the entire console. There are no extra processors, or memory, or fans, in the Switch dock. DOOM is running on that sleek little thing, and the fact that it’s blowing away the media, even at 30 fps, is something that should be taken into account before lighting up a comments section to complain.
This is DOOM on the go, people! This is DOOM on an airplane; DOOM in the car; DOOM in the waiting room. And, yeah, this is DOOM on the toilet.
We’re in. Are you?
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