The latest Zelda impresses once again with a big world, lots of creativity and flair. But it could all be even more beautiful if the hardware would play along.
Since its release in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has firmly established itself among fans, as if its failed predecessor, the Wii U, never existed. Nevertheless, it is slowly but surely time for a successor – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom proves it.
The Switch is at the end of its rope
Six years is a long time for hardware in consoles and rumours of a “Switch Pro” with improved hardware have been doing the rounds for a long time. Despite all the insider buzz, however, there was only the OLED Switch, which had no upgrades in 2021 except for the improved screen.
Thus, Switch players in 2023 are still waiting for 30+ FPS in most games. It didn’t hurt many games, but still, the age of the console is now a real mortgage for developers.
So the technical disaster surrounding the launch of the latest Pokémon is certainly still well remembered by all.
Good games that could be even better
Nintendo’s latest hit, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, has thankfully not delivered any horror stories about technical problems so far. Instead, players are full of praise for the massive game world and the new puzzles and abilities in the Breath of the Wild sequel.
So good gameplay doesn’t necessarily need the best hardware to keep fans happy, but even a success like Tears of the Kingdom could be even better. So there is already a mod for the new Zelda with impressive 60 FPS and in 4K graphics.
Hey! Listen! Wait, wrong game
📣 Attention All 📣
🔥 Tears of the Kingdom is playable in yuzu
🚀 Full speed on most hardware!
✨ Experience in 4K or higher!
🚫 No hacks needed!🎁 60fps, cheats, & more with mods
Experience the best way to play, today:https://t.co/cmwPNpop7G pic.twitter.com/SBmpsqE9ch
– yuzu (@yuzuemu) May 13, 2023
The screenshots shown give fans a look at how good Nintendo games could look with more modern hardware.
Is the Switch 2 coming next year?
After persistent rumours of an alleged Switch Pro were officially denied by Nintendo, fans have now turned their attention to reports of a successor console.
The latest quarterly report from Japanese display manufacturer Sharp in particular has made fans prick up their ears. During the presentation of the quarterly figures, CEO Robert Wu let slip that the company has been working with a console manufacturer for displays for quite some time.
While no names were mentioned, there are not that many consoles with displays in development and the inference to Nintendo is obvious. Sharp plans to start production for the said displays this year.
If these are indeed planned for a Switch 2, the console should probably launch next year.
