When Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds landed on Xbox One, PS4, and PC last year, it was applauded for its fascinating narrative, branching story and gameplay, and refined FPS mechanics. It’s been known for a while that the game would get a later release on the Nintendo Switch, and while it was suspected that it wouldn’t perform quite as well, a new preview illustrates that the Switch port may be less than recommended for those with other consoles.
As per a preview from Kotaku, The Outer Worlds on Switch apparently leaves a lot to be desired. Opposite the game’s decent performance on other consoles and PC, the Switch version has blurry visuals and has an overall inferior performance.
An image comparing The Outer Worlds on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One X can be seen below.
The image paints a clear picture, pun not intended, of the graphical differences between the 2019-released version of the game and the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Colors appear drabber, textures are far less defined, shadows are nearly nonexistent, and there is no depth-of-field.
A gameplay video by Digital Foundry displays the differences at greater length. The game plays surprisingly smooth, although the frame rate is notably hampered in the Switch’s handheld mode. However, The Outer Worlds for Nintendo Switch is severely crippled by a presentation that nearly mimics last-gen graphics. Appropriately, its graphical quality is closer to that of Fallout: New Vegas than Obsidian Entertainment’s latest effort on other consoles.
Ultimately, the decision to purchase the Nintendo Switch rendition is up to the player. While the game’s story is intact, The Outer Worlds’ various locations are a huge draw for the game. Given the port’s disappointing presentation, it’s wise to either know what you’re getting into or look into one of the game’s 2019 versions, should you have the ability to play them.
Credit still goes to developers for trying to bring over other console experiences to the Switch. Other examples include the BioShock franchise, the first three Borderlands titles, and Burnout Paradise. However, The Outer Worlds may be one of the console’s more disappointing ports.
Source: Kotaku
