The latest update to the Nintendo Switch firmware gives the console a huge speed boost to specific games.
The Switch doesn’t have much to offer in terms of raw performance compared to its bigger brothers, but the handheld hybrid has been making strides in terms of performance lately. Nintendo does make some of the best games on the planet, as given by their sales numbers over the holidays. Even with limited hardware, they make some of the best-looking games, such as Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild.
The latest update to the firmware, version 8.0.0, will easily boost game improvement for a few games. Some users reported that the update allowed the CPU to overclock to 1.75GHz in specific situations, over its 1.0GHz speed.
This update seems to apply to a few games, namely BoTW, Super Mario Odyssey, and a few more. The list is unknown and we just have a few updates in loading speeds overall.
Users from GBAtemp posted the following load speeds for BoTW:
- Loading save file: 31 seconds -> 21 seconds
- Fast travel: 19 seconds -> 11 seconds
- Entering shrine: 10 seconds -> 7 seconds
The overclocking does allow for some basic performance increases. While it’s nothing to really do with gameplay or graphical enhancements, loading times being reduced can help with game immersion. So yeah, it’s pretty cool.
The updates are now live after numerous reports of the new Switch models coming out soon. The slimmer Switch is speculated to release this Fall with a Pro version also with faster performances. Of course, this is just speculation for now.
Writer and journalist for almost a year. Doing this for fun. Learned a lot along the way. I’m interested in businesses and the moves they make, tech and how it changes the world, and of course, enjoy playing some video games! I enjoy console and PC, but mostly RPGs, FPS, and League of Legends.