Digital Foundry: Arkham Knight Switch, BG3 Patches & More
The Batman Arkham Trilogy on Nintendo Switch
The panel begins with a critical analysis of the Batman Arkham Trilogy on Nintendo Switch, specifically focusing on Arkham Knight. The consensus is that the conversion is notably poor, with the team identifying the port as "trash tier" due to severe performance issues, low-resolution textures, and a frame rate that frequently drops into the teens.
• The game appears to be pushing Unreal Engine 3 well beyond the capabilities of the Switch hardware.
• Comparisons are drawn to other challenging ports, with the team suggesting Arkham Origins might have been a more suitable candidate for the platform.
• The visual cutbacks, including the total removal of important post-processing effects, make the release feel barely functional.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Performance Update
Moving to Baldur’s Gate 3, the team discusses the significant improvements brought by Patch 5. While Act 3 remains the most challenging area of the game, players are seeing substantial frame time improvements and a roughly 22-25% increase in average performance.
• The team explores the curious gap between DX11 and Vulkan, with the former maintaining a performance lead on current NVIDIA hardware.
• There is an ongoing debate regarding the necessity of the Xbox Series S as a baseline for optimization.
"It’s a hell of an optimization to do if your output to the screen is basically the same."
Retro Experiments and Hardware Discussion
The episode highlights a fascinating way to unlock 60 FPS for The Orange Box on modern Xbox consoles via config file manipulation, though it comes with significant caveats regarding save game compatibility. Additionally, the team discusses the surprise discovery of legacy cheat codes for Gran Turismo PSP 14 years after its release, praising the title as a technical feat that still holds up today.
VR Updates and Industry Trends
The final segments cover:
• Steam Link support on Meta Quest, which provides a promising albeit slightly stuttery alternative to Virtual Desktop.
• Anticipation for Dragon's Dogma 2, noting that the RE Engine is producing stunning visuals but may face severe performance challenges upon release.
• A deep dive into Evercade’s Duke Nukem collection, specifically praising the use of the Rigel engine to enhance Duke Nukem 1 & 2 to 60 FPS while lamenting the loss of original licensed music.