Doom's 'impossible' Switch port analysed in depth

DigitalFoundry: "We put Doom on the Switch through its paces and come away mostly impressed. Compromises are expected but the results come surprisingly close to matching the original experience. That's not to say everything is perfect - we uncover a few unexpected issues with this conversion."

[Moonman]

It's simply a great time in gaming when we can enjoy a game like Doom "4" portable. What's really awesome is the enemy count is exactly the same (as pointed out by Digital Foundry). Not even one less. Every weapon and level as well.

[mikeslemonade]

People keep saying well it's looks good on a small screen like the switch. Well I will tell you it looks good but then you still can't see as well. Like you will be squinting or straining your eyes to see smaller things on screen.

[Shiken]

I can tell you that your statement is false lol

[Vegamyster]

Just because you can't see everything on a smaller screen compared to your TV doesn't mean your eyes should be straining, there is probably something wrong with your eyes if that's happening.

[hulk_bash1987]

What? I've played the game for over 4hrs now and I have yet to squint or strain my eyes once. You may need to put on some glasses man.

[TheFirstClassic]

Killzone mercenary worked really well on a smaller screen and lower resolution than this.

[Outlawzz]

I doubt this guy has even played the game on switch

[marloc_x]

🥕🥕🥕

[morganfell]

Well they seem to be ignoring the number one and most important fact in evaluation a title brought to a system that does not have the horsepower of its competitors. And this point of evaluation outweighs all others...combined. This central and key evaluation actually applies to any platform and is far more important than any other metric.

Is it fun? Do players enjoy it?

If so take your blah blah missing pixels, squeeze them very tight and tell them you will love them forever...and kindly jump off the nearest bridge.

[Unspoken]

For a portable this is incredible. It also targets a new demographic for Nintendo. What's also interesting is the programing done on ARM architecture and the fact it's being optimized for this SoC. Optimization over brute Force any day.

[ABizzel1]

Quick Analysis:

It's the current-gen Doom (which is impressive alone), but it has a last-gen resolution (sub 720p, with 360p effects), with below low settings textures, lighting, and effects (basically last-gen), allowing it to run well on the Switch (30fps with framerate issues), instead of the solid 60fps on the other versions.

It sounds worse than it is, but overall this is a technical achievement on the Switch, showing it's more powerful than last-gen consoles, but showing its limits as well.

[UKRsoldja]

What's NOT awesome is the game slowing to a crawl when all those enemies are on screen at once in the hard modes. I found it funny that digital Foundry recommended playing it on easy for better performance..

[Featuring_Dante]

Doom: Poverty Version

[Uken12]

I love how people complain when Nintendo doesn't get 3rd party games and then complain when they do.

By your logic every version is a poverty version compared to PC. Some people benefit to it being on the Switch and there is no reason to hate.

[LastCenturyRob]

"reason"???? YOU can't reason with trolls.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Not really.

They could complain about the lack of third-party games and also complain at the lack of quality as well.

I don't know why you thought they could only have one or the other

[The 10th Rider]

@EDMIX,

And Doom is generally regarded as a high quality port, yet here's people complaining, which entirely disproves your point.

[Uken12]

@The 10th Rider

Thank you.

@Edmix
You prove my point even further. So what is your problem with Doom? It isn't broken, it isn't dumbed down and has all of the same content as the other versions. It doesn't run at 60fps or 1080p. But that's because Switch is still a portable. As a portable hybrid, it's pretty damn good. But people complain without realizing that other players get to enjoy a pretty much identical experience on their Switch.

[SR388]

Dude this is n4g, Ninty haters everywhere lol ... I will defo get this but I have to buy a SD card first so it'll be next year :)

[LastCenturyRob]

Dante is just jelly because it will take at least one more year before she is able to save up her allowance to buy a Switch.

[EverydayGuy]

Same gameplay experience across the board.

[DrJones]

Yet it cost $30 more

[Xerneas]

The impossible becomes possible, on the portable beast!

[LastCenturyRob]

Y'know, as far has a handheld is concerned the Switch is a beast!

[Unspoken]

Agreed. Def the go to handheld for gaming.

[LastCenturyRob]

Why does the media label this as an impossible task? The Switch is "almost" as powerful as the base Xbox One. 4gig of very fast ram helped that. IF one can handle that the majority of graphic intense games rendering at 720p they will find the console/hand held is well worth the price of admission. On a side note, seeing they did Doom so well and with the system constantly selling out I can see significant third party support being announced.

[TheFirstClassic]

Ram isn't as important as cpu and gpu, the one is definitely a good bit stronger than the switch.

[UKRsoldja]

Around 3 times stronger, in fact.

[LastCenturyRob]

Yeah, but the one didn't have enough ram/fast enough ram to fully utilize the GPU properly. I enjoy my One but I am just stating overall, the Switch is not all that far off especially if a gamer accepts that the most demanding games on it will be 720p/30fps on the Switch where they will be higher settings on the One/PS4. The One or PS4 will technically still have the superior version, but that shouldn't take away from what the Switch is accomplishing and it really shouldn't overly surprise anyone that the Switch can pull off high end games with lower resolution/fps. Its a great system especially if taken as a handheld.

[UKRsoldja]

Because the Switch is NOT anywhere near the base xbox one. Switch docked is 400-ish gigaflops, 3 times less than xbox one at 1.3 teraflops. The articles that were saying the Switch is 1 teraflop were pre-release rumors. It turned out to be significantly less. The Tegra was downclocked and the 1 teraflop figure was only a theoretical maximum running lower precision math, something the other consoles are NOT rated at.

And if you refuse to believe it, look at Doom on the Switch. It runs at near HALF the resolution and HALF the framerate of the xbox one, and at lower settings too. That's around 3 times less pixels per second than the xbox, from a system that's 3 times less powerful.

Xbox One = 1900x600x60 = 68.4 million pixels per second at medium settings.

Switch 1280x720x30 = 27.6 million pixels per second at low settings.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Exactly

this portable device is not even slightly near the Xbox One.

[Scatpants]

Play the xbox 1 version on the bus then.

[kevnb]

Go away with theoretical performance, tflops don’t really mean anything .

[sk8ofmnd]

I love how you state facts plain and simple and the nintendo parade hit the disagree button...

I knew for DAMN sure when the switch had its official unveiling in jan and nowhere did they talk about power it wasnt because it was powerful. For what you get under the hood the switch should have been 249 with a packed in game and had much more gb for starage. But no, nintendo did what nintendo have been doing since the wii gen... Scaled back on power and traded it for some new gimmick... I want the nintendo from the gc gen prior back but no this is what we get. And up top... Youre damn right we complain when we even get 3rd partys and **esp** when the system cost the same as other systems and the games cost as if they just came out yesterday and the game runs like piss... Yup... Totally unwaranted

[TheFirstClassic]

Any game that runs at 1080p 60fps on ps4 and xbone could probably run at 720p 30fps on switch, but i dont think there will be a whole lot of games like that. Most games wont be able to get ported.

[UKRsoldja]

You're probably right.

[OoglyBoogly]

This is what I've always said. People acting like a game that's not hard to run already being ported means we're in for a flood of ports.

Now, DOOM graphically isn't demanding nor is it CPU demanding. That's why it does 1080p and 60fps on the X1 and PS4. Try to put a game like Assassin's Creed Origins and tell me how it does then with it's dual core 1GHz SoC CPU.

[Father__Merrin]

There's nothing impossible about it. It's a vastly visually cut down version which in handheld mode would be suffice imo I don't see how it's an impossible port

[EddieNX]

Nintendo haters logic

Doom on a Sony handheld 'wow this thing is incredible!!!!!'

Doom on Switch ' Switch is weak!!!!!'

Mobile tech =/= home console/ PC tech

Doom on Switch is one of the best looking portable games out there and you can play it on the TV as well!

[PlayableGamez-]

I'm pretty sure people roasted the Borderlands 2 port on the Vita.
So I don't get the "Doom on a Sony handheld is incredible" claim.

[Prince_TFK]

Except that Doom on Switch run better and has greater graphic than Borderlands on the Vita.

[PlayableGamez-]

My point being is that Doom runs like garbage on the Switch compared to the home console version.
Just like how the Vita version of Borderlands 2 runs like garbage to the home console version.
My point being I don't think the trade off is worth just to play it on the go.

[Scatpants]

I've been waiting for a game that scratches my FPS itch on Switch (Splatoon didn't cut it) This game is perfect and I'm surprised by how well it performs. Highly recommended.

[StrawberryDiesel420]

Is Splatoon a FPS? I thought it was a TPS...Anyway i will probably double dip and get this on the Switch for the portability. Already played it on my Pro which was awesome. Hopefully i can get it on the cheap since i will only be using it for on the go gaming.

[LastCenturyRob]

Black Friday should have some good sales.

[LastCenturyRob]

This will open the door to other high end First Person Shooters being brought out for the Switch I'm sure....Maybe MS will Trade Master-chief for Zelda for a go around! (That would never happen, I know)

[Supernintendo85]

Everyone compares side by side video. I see the lower quality myself, as i own it on xbox one. HOWEVER, when you aren’t watching a side by side game comparison, and just playing the switch version, and haven’t played the Xbox One version in quite some time, i literally smile and am amazed that I’m playing it on the go. Seriosuly great game to have on the console. Arcade mode makes this an absolute fun experience and the graphics are insane. Can’t stress enough how good this game looks. It’s like a portable pc i feel sometimes lol.

[FinalomegaS]

i think DF enjoys stirring up the shit storm.

I think 99% of the people that will shit on anything do not own said system or games. Purely give their opinion on what DF says and multiply the hating with others with similar views.

the people that bought this game are happy with their purchase, can they not be happy with a software that DF did not give their glorified 4K 60pfs,depth of field, AA+, and every other technical ultra high spec praise?

the youtube comment section is so bad, you can get cancer just from reading..

god help us...

[kevnb]

They are trying to make money at the end of the day.

[Sirk7x]

In the end, he did have good things to say about the game. DF is pretty up front about performance, and they've been very supportive of the Switch, in fact saying that Doom is the most impressive looking handheld game ever quite possibly.

[FinalomegaS]

for sure i agree, but i've played through it and it's great in handheld (i use the pro cont even handheld). i can table top game outside. The performance issue isn't that bad. I play MMOrpgs with world bosses or mass pvp...15 fps lol..

[Segata]

Thank goodness this isn't a port like Dead Rising on Wii. The one zombie lol. This port is actually pretty good. Outside of some minor technical things, it's the same game.