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[Digital Foundry] LEGO City Undercover : PS4 vs Switch vs Xbox One

L

LordKano

Member
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-lego-city-undercover-face-off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1ErZ8YuzQ
The comparison is very interesting and has some surprising twists, especially in the way Traveller's Tales upgraded their game from the Wii U version.

In a nutshell :
PS4 version : native 1080p at all times, locked 30fps while outside but caps at 60fps when you're inside closed areas (note : the original Wii U version never got higher than 30fps)
Switch version : native 1080p at all times (except obviously undocked mode, which is native 720p), but 30fps (with some drops in larger areas) no matter if you're inside or outside. It has some more noticeable dips when you're playing in portable mode, but DF couldn't provide footage.
Xbox One version : running at sub-native horizontal pixel count (1300 to 1400x1080p), and has the same framerate difference as the PS4 one.

On the visual aspect :
For the most part, Switch dials back on some visual elements - as you would expect from a less powerful piece of hardware. However, the developer mixes and matches level of detail settings, so while PS4 and Xbox One are typically richer from a visual perspective, there are some surprises - mesh fences draw in sooner on Nintendo's machine, for example.
Click to expand...

On the upgrade in general :
Lego City Undercover's 2017 revamp also gives us some indication of how far the engine technology has moved on in the last four years. The lighting system is completely revamped, with a move to physically-based rendering. The effect on the game is transformative in this respect, and the inclusion of more refined ambient occlusion adds subtle depths to the nooks and crannies too. The effects pipeline, the quality of the shaders, the detail in the core art assets and normal maps - everything gets a substantial upgrade. With Lego City Undercover essentially re-architected for a more modern engine, there are other enhancements too: moving out of the centre of Lego City, more of an attempt has been made to show far-off detail in the game areas.
Click to expand...

And on the Switch version overall :
The good news for Switch owners is that most of the upgrades bestowed by the more modern engine are all present and correct in their version of the game. Looking at the comparison footage, it's remarkable to see how well it holds up in motion next to the PS4 and Xbox One versions, with only strategic nips and tucks here and there.
Click to expand...

There's way more in the link and in the video.
 
W

weekev

Banned
1.21Gigawatts said:
Isn't Xb1 quite a bit more powerful than Switch? How can this happen?
Click to expand...

Sounds like they optimised for the Switch because the assumption would be that more people would bu yon Switch than XB1. Dont think they are wrong and seems like a sensible decision on the developers part.
 
B

Blackleg-sanji1

Banned
weekev said:
Sounds like they optimised for the Switch because the assumption would be that more people would bu yon Switch than XB1. Dont think they are wrong and seems like a sensible decision on the developers part.
Click to expand...
"Don't think they are wrong " What?! Don't put the game on that system than?
 
B

Branduil

Member
So we have two multiplats with which to compare Switch against its older brothers now, Snake Pass and Lego City, and in both cases it seems to hold up remarkably well. There are some obvious downgrades, but it's not at all a Wii/HD Twins situation.
 
G

GhostTrick

Banned
Branduil said:
So we have two multiplats with which to compare Switch against its older brothers now, Snake Pass and Lego City, and in both cases it seems to hold up remarkably well. There are some obvious downgrades, but it's not at all a Wii/HD Twins situation.
Click to expand...



That's an expected trend for smaller scale titles indeed.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Boy, that sure is a surprising conclusion. I wonder what the hell happened with the Xbox One port, since it should be able to crush a game like this with relative ease.
 
T

TheBaldEmperor

Member
I played this on Wii U but would still like to pick it up eventually. Once we get a My Nintendo % off or the game gets a price cut.

Sounds like Switch version isn't bad.
 
S

SomTervo

Member
shiyrley said:
Bought super cheap for PC but kind of regret it seeing that the Switch port is basically perfect
Click to expand...

It's most definitely not perfect. Visit the OT for one minute. You'll see loads of people complaining heavily about the frame rate. Several people have called it unplayable.

The fact that it's a full £50 on Switch is a bit of a joke imo. Think imma get it on PC where is 1/4 the price.
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
Switch having the same graphical featureset should not be underestimated. That's part of the whole look itself to make it visually similar to the other versions.

Wii U did not even have DX11 support or any support for current gen level shader support, similar to how Wii lacked even basic programmable shader support of 7th gen.
 
M

moltonasty

Member
tumblr_n0wj61hiNg1slik4to1_400.gif


Switch port seems pretty well done.

Still can't decide between physical or digital though..apparently digital copy has 33% faster loading times but physical is cheaper. The struggle is real.
 
L

LordKano

Member
SomTervo said:
It's most definitely not perfect. Visit the OT for one minute. You'll see loads of people complaining heavily about the frame rate. Several people have called it unplayable.

The fact that it's a full £50 on Switch is a bit of a joke imo. Think imma get it on PC where is 1/4 the price.
Click to expand...

There's a framerate comparison in the OP and nowhere I see an "unplayable game". The biggest drop on Switch is one part where it gets to 25FPS for two secs.
 
Xcell Miguel

Xcell Miguel

Gold Member
Certinty said:
Higher resolution on Switch than Xbox One?

What a joke. I hope no Xbox One owners buy this crap.
Click to expand...

1.21Gigawatts said:
Isn't Xb1 quite a bit more powerful than Switch? How can this happen?
Click to expand...

Xbox One and PS4 use better quality DOF and reflections, they also have HBAO and the Switch don't.

Thus the Switch can handle 1080p with lower settings, where the Xbox One has to drop the resolution a bit to keep the almost same quality settings as the PS4.
 
B

Bjoern the Smexy

Member
Looks pretty good to me.

Will definitely get the Switch version for "on-the-go" gaming.
I'm honestly surprised the Switch version looks the way it does, with full 1080p and all. I did not necessarily expect that.
 
S

Seik

Banned
Wow, the Switch version holds up quite well. :O

Glad to see that it's such a good port after all the misprint shit it went through pre-launch, it ended up being the best scenario.
 
S

Skittzo0413

Member
Interesting, Switch continues to punch above its weight in comparison to XB1/PS4 multiplats. Should be very interesting to compare if/when any AAA multiplats release on all three (such as AC or CoD).

GhostTrick said:
That's an expected trend for smaller scale titles indeed.
Click to expand...

Honest question, is Lego City Undercover considered a smaller scale title?
 
B

Bjoern the Smexy

Member
1.21Gigawatts said:
Isn't Xb1 quite a bit more powerful than Switch? How can this happen?
Click to expand...

The Xbox One version does otherwise look pretty much the same as the PS4 version, though.
Switch has some effects missing, like Ambient Occlusion, and has also lower resolution shadows, reflections and textures, but a higher draw distance than either PS4 or Xbox One.

Xbox One is basically indetical to PS4 except for resolution and the occasional framerate hiccup in 60fps areas. But the Switch version has the occasional framerate hiccup in the overworld as well, and it's capped to 30fps anyway.

I mean, it's obvious that the PS4's the clear winner here in terms of overall image quality and performance.
But both the Xbox One and especially the Switch versions look pretty damn good for what they are.
 
L

LordKano

Member
My take is that while they bothered to optimize the Switch version, they didn't care about the Xbox One port and bruteforced the PS4 one into it, thus the resolution downgrade so it could run at the same framerate.
 
G

GhostTrick

Banned
Skittzo0413 said:
Interesting, Switch continues to punch above its weight in comparison to XB1/PS4 multiplats. Should be very interesting to compare if/when any AAA multiplats release on all three (such as AC or CoD).



Honest question, is Lego City Undercover considered a smaller scale title?
Click to expand...


Depends on what you call a smaller scale title. In term of budget, I dont think so. I'm talking here strictly in term of being demanding or in term of performances needed to run.

This is an open world game, but one designed to run on Wii U era hardware. Even then, it wasnt what you'd call a game that was pushing the hardware.
 
S

Skittzo0413

Member
GhostTrick said:
Depends on what you call a smaller scale title. In term of budget, I dont think so. I'm talking here strictly in term of being demanding or in term of performances needed to run.

This is an open world game, but one designed to run on Wii U era hardware. Even then, it wasnt what you'd call a game that was pushing the hardware.
Click to expand...

That's fair, I understand that. It's not going to be the most technically demanding multiplat, probably even this year, but I'd still consider it fairly large in scale/scope.

Something like Assassin's Creed will provide a better analysis of the Switch's comparative grunt I guess. If it gets made, which it probably will.
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
There's footage out there that shows that the framerate is absolute trash while undocked on Switch. Shame DF wasn't able to analyze that, because it looked rough.

Good to hear that these problems are mostly solved while docked though.
 
C

Christberg

Member
I own both Wii U and Switch versions and yeah, the upgrade here is huge. Glad to see it confirmed.

After seeing this comparison, definitely glad I went Switch over PS4. I prefer the little bit of extra shimmering over the more intrusive DoF, and having some story mode missions take place in 60 FPS instead of 30 would be annoying because of the control fidelity jumping around. Plus it's portable.

Too bad about the shadow quality though. Kinda gross.
 
S

SomTervo

Member
LordKano said:
There's a framerate comparison in the OP and nowhere I see an "unplayable game". The biggest drop on Switch is one part where it gets to 25FPS for two secs.
Click to expand...

I never said it was unplayable. I said people in the OT did.

I read the OP and it sounds decent but I'm going on the multiple impressions from users in the OT which are a LOT less positive.

Edit: oh and iirc the dips are worst in portable mode (which isn't in the video?)
 
L

LordKano

Member
SomTervo said:
I never said it was unplayable. I said people in the OT did.

I read the OP and it sounds decent but I'm going on the multiple impressions from users in the OT which are a LOT less positive.

Edit: oh and iirc the dips are worst in portable mode (which isn't in the video?)
Click to expand...

They can't capture portable mode yet. They mention that dips are more noticeable on portable mode, but is still an enjoyable way to play the game.
 
C

Christberg

Member
moltonasty said:
Switch port seems pretty well done.

Still can't decide between physical or digital though..apparently digital copy has 33% faster loading times but physical is cheaper. The struggle is real.
Click to expand...

Physical version is fine. The initial load sucks, and entering/exiting the police station isn't that great. But load it up, leave it in sleep mode and it's fine. There's no reason to go back to the police station until very late in the game to clear out a few items and buy some gold bricks, anyway.

Mission loads are usually just a few seconds or masked by a cutscene so you don't really notice it nearly as much.
 
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