Rocket League on Nintendo Switch makes graphics sacrifice for framerate

One of the biggest announcements to come out of Nintendo's E3 2017 showcase was that Rocket League will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. Switch owners have been asking for a Rocket League port since the console first launched, and now they'll be getting their wish. The big question now is "how will Rocket League run?"

We know that Switch visuals top out at 720p when the console is used in tablet mode, though for some games, we can get a resolution of up to 1080p when the console is docked and playing on a TV. For Rocket League, however, the game will run at 720p regardless of if the Switch is docked or being used in tablet mode.

There's a good reason for this, as developer Psyonix is trading graphics fidelity for a consistent frame rate. Psyonix told GameSpot that the game will run at a consistent 60 frames per second because of these sacrifices, which is ultimately a good thing. In a game as fast as Rocket League, having a steady frame rate as close to 60 fps as possible definitely benefits players.

Psyonix also said that it will need to pare back graphics in other areas in order to hit its goal of 60 fps gameplay on the Switch. At this point, though, the company either doesn't want to talk about what those compromises are or simply doesn't know what changes it'll need to make. The message is clear, though: don't expect Rocket League to look as pretty on Switch as it does on other platforms.

Of course, with the Switch hardware being more comparable to the internals of a tablet than standard console hardware, most Switch owners expect that developers will have to make compromises in bringing their games over. We're guessing that the vast majority of Switch players will just be happy to see Rocket League make it to their platform. Are you worried about these graphics cut-backs Psyonix needs to make? Head down to the comments section and let us know!

SOURCE: GameSpot