Nintendo Switch Online Players Report Graphical, Performance Issues With Nintendo 64 Titles

Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack launched yesterday, bringing various Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles to the online service. And though many fans are excited to finally play some of their favorite N64 games on Switch, reports are emerging of certain graphical and performance issues plaguing many of the ported titles.

Over the past 24 hours, some players have taken to social media to express dissatisfaction with certain Nintendo 64 titles that have been added to Nintendo Switch Online, with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart 64 mentioned specifically. A thread on ResetEra, for example, has compiled many of the common complaints leveled at the N64 ports, including input lag, sound delay, framerate issues, texture issues, and controller layout issues. Based on the reports, the severity of these problems seems to vary from game to game.

Players have specifically reported many of these issues, including graphical irregularities and input lag, in Nintendo Switch Online’s version of Ocarina of Time. Most immediately evident from screenshots of NSO’s version of the game are problems with Ocarina of Time‘s in-game fog and draw distance. In some areas, the fog is considerably reduced and does not extend far enough to obscure distant objects as it did in the original version, thus making the game’s limited draw distance more noticeable.

 

Additionally, it seems certain textures are not rendered correctly either.

 

Players have also reported input lag within Ocarina of Time on Switch Online, as button inputs do not produce in-game actions as quickly as they should.

 

The reported input lag has led some in the Zelda speedrunning community to label Ocarina of Time on NSO a less-than-ideal version of the game, as speedrunners often rely on precise inputs — frame-perfect, in certain cases — to complete a game as quickly as possible.

The emulator being used for Nintendo Switch Online’s N64 games is reportedly the same one used for the version of Super Mario 64 included in Super Mario 3D All-Stars. The emulation in last year’s Mario collection was generally well-received, which makes NSO’s current emulation problems all the more curious.

Zelda Dungeon team members who have played Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch Online have not yet experienced noticeable amounts of input lag or any other performance issues. So, while the service’s version of the game may not be ideal for members of the speedrunning or tech analysis communities, it still might satisfy casual gamers looking to simply indulge in their nostalgia. We will continue to report on this situation as it develops.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack annual memberships are available now for $49.99 USD.

Have you played Ocarina of Time or any other Nintendo 64 titles offered through Nintendo Switch Online? Have you experienced any graphical or performance issues? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: IGN

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to more accurately describe Ocarina of Time’s graphical issues on Nintendo Switch Online. 

Comments
Sorted Under: Games, News, Nintendo News, Ocarina of Time, Zelda News
Tagged With: No tags were found for this entry.