Due to its innovativeness and the handheld convenience it offers, the Nintendo Switch has become one of the bestselling consoles in the history of the gaming industry. But despite its popularity, which is either surprising or expected depending on your standpoint, the Switch has a problem: a lack of third-party games. Thankfully, this hindrance is slowly being overcome, as the console’s massive sales have managed to entice some third-party titles. One such title is Rocket League, and with now one of the most popular online multiplayer sports-esque games on the market today, on a console that can double as a handheld, a new niche has been created. And yes, you can take the Switch anywhere and play Rocket League split screen with a friend.
Psyonix, We Have A Problem
Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch has another problem. Unlike its Sony and Microsoft counterparts, the console churns out less impressive graphics as a result of the tradeoff of hardware power for convenience and versatility. In order to overcome this detriment, Psyonix, Rocket League’s developer, decided to give the game a bit of a visual bump-up.
For the uninitiated, Rocket League is a game where players play football as cars. Yes, cars kicking, or rather, pushing the ball until it reaches the goal. Unlike FIFA, aside from having vehicles instead of people, there is no system that assists players in dribbling and “kicking” the ball to the goal. Instead, everything is done manually.
It is exactly those mechanics that have made Rocket League, despite not having the best graphics ever, a popular and a simple yet deep, enjoyable, and challenging game. Just because the focus is on the gameplay doesn’t mean Psyonix should just leave the game’s performance where it is now.
Two-Mode Solutions
Currently, Rocket League’s maximum resolution for the Switch is capped at 720p and can even dip down to as low as 576p according to Digital Foundry. To solve this, Psyonix will give the Switch version an update that will include two modes that will affect the resolution. There’s Quality Mode, which will boost the game’s resolution to1080p while docked and 720p while handheld, and Performance mode, which will put the game at 900p while docked and 720p while handheld. In addition to that, regardless of whether the console is docked or handheld, Performance Mode will have 60 frames per second and will have infrequent dynamic resolution scaling, a feature that will ensure that the game’s resolution will constantly scale in order to ensure that the game stays at that framerate all the time. Quality Mode, on the other hand, will be locked at 30fps.
Good for the Players
The update is slated to come out at around either March or April. That means there’s going to be a bit of a wait for the Rocket League players on Switch, but this huge improvement will be worth the wait. While it won’t put the Switch version on par with the PS4, Xbox One, and most definitely not the PC, it will nevertheless give Switch players either a much smoother or a more gorgeous Rocket League experience. The update would also be beneficial for Rocket League players who will be getting a Switch and would like to try out the game on that platform, as it will make the game more palatable to those that have become used to more powerful systems.
Graphics are definitely not everything in a video game, but anyone who says that they don’t matter is definitely lying. That is why this upcoming Rocket League visual update is such an important and welcome move. Kudos to Psyonix for that.
