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Unreal Engine 4 on Nintendo Switch scales more than resolution

When in handheld mode, the tech also adapts other graphical elements.

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Last week we got news that the Switch actually runs differently when in "Docked" than when in "Handheld" mode, as cooling and continuous power supply on the console's fixed base allowed for better TV resolution, for example. Then a couple of days back there was a supposed leak of the final clock speeds extracted from the Switch's specs, pointing at a cut-down of the GPU clock when in handheld mode for the aforementioned reasons, while keeping CPU speeds the same and allowing developers to choose between two memory speeds. Now an Unreal Engine 4 user over at NeoGAF has noticed an update on the engine's settings file, and it means both a new confirmation of the technology support and a bunch of hints at how it will be handling the hybrid nature of the system.

By default, when in handheld mode, and compared to docked mode, UE4 on Nintendo Switch scales down a bunch of parameters, including not only resolution (the 1080p to 720p switch is now pretty much a given) for a much better optimisation. This includes quality parameters for things such as View Distance, Anti Aliasing, Shadows, Post Processing, Textures, and Visual Effects going from High presets to Medium, while Screen Percentage goes, effectively, from 100% to 66%. Now, these are scalability groups with a bunch of options each (for a better run down take a look here) and developers will be able to better customise this default method if they wish to squeeze more out of their games, but this seems like a starting point to work with.

In other words, as an easier to read, but not that technical or accurate reference, all these settings show at level 3 by default on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, while they are set at 2 on Switch console and 1 on Switch handheld (0 is reserved for lower capacity mobile devices). Then again, looking at specific sub-parameters, some are set at the exact same or pretty similar value on both 2 and 3.

As a final, funny note, Nintendo's new hybrid console was previously codenamed 'Wolf' on this option file, with Wolf, WolfSea, and WolfAir sections now renamed to Switch, SwitchConsole, and SwitchHandheld.

Which are the first Unreal Engine 4 games you see the Nintendo Switch getting at launch window? Leave a comment below.

Unreal Engine 4 on Nintendo Switch scales more than resolution


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