Skip to main content

‘Doom’ Nintendo Switch update finally adds motion controls

DOOM Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch version of Doom is a pretty remarkable achievement, with the campaign and multiplayer fully playable in the palm of your hands. The game originally didn’t ship with the option to aim with motion controls, however, and a new update has answered fans’ requests.

“With today’s update, we’ve added motion aiming to Doom, a much-requested control option that allows you to utilize the built-in gyroscope of the Joy-Con for more precise aiming,” said Bethesda community manager Jason Leavey in an update post.

Related Videos

In a similar manager to other shooters on the Nintendo Switch, as well as the PlayStation Vita, players will be able to use the motion controls in conjunction with traditional analog sticks. This should help to compensate for the smaller sticks included on the Joy-Con. There’s even an option to use inverted motion controls, if you’re a monster.

Additionally, a new party system should make it easier to find multiplayer matches through the Switch’s somewhat barbaric system, and a number of technical fixes are in the update. These include a fix for an audio bug that caused nearly all sound to completely cut out until the player restarted a previous checkpoint, as well as a crash caused by the BFG weapon, texture issues in multiplayer, and unresponsive controls in the main menu. The average resolution has also been bumped in certain areas of the game — when playing with the system docked, it’s noticeably blurrier than the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC versions.

Doom released late last year for Nintendo Switch, along with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but Bethesda isn’t done bringing its games to the platform. This year, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will be coming to Switch, and it’s being ported by Panic Button, the same studio behind the Doom port. In an interview late last year, MachineGames narrative designer Tommy Tordsson Bjork claimed it would be “as good” as Panic Button’s work on Doom, and we’re certainly up for bashing some Nazi skulls again.

Doom is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The Switch version doesn’t include the SnapMap editor, but it does feature all DLC from the other versions of the game.

Editors' Recommendations

Resident Evil 4: How long to beat and how many chapters
Leon holding a gun in Resident Evil 4.

Capcom's Resident Evil 4 remake isn't your typical video game double dip. Rather than taking a Dead Space approach and delivering a fairly faithful 1:1 remake, the new version of Resident Evil 4 is a radically reinvented version of the 2005 horror classic. Not only has the gameplay seen a major overhaul, but its story has too. Familiar beats have been entirely reimagined in some cases, which changes a few key things about the original's structure.

You might be wondering how that impacts the remake's length. Yes, there are some changes, especially to its chapter structure. Here's how long it'll take you to complete the remake and how many chapters you can expect.
How long is Resident Evil 4?

Read more
Aliens: Dark Descent: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more
Alien screaming close-up.

In space, no one can hear you scream. While the Alien franchise has been hit-and-miss when it comes to video games, the good ones have been great. Alien: Isolation is the most recent example of a game absolutely nailing the tone, atmosphere, and sense of dread of what it would be like to be trapped on a ship with the most dangerous hunter in the universe. Just like the jump from the first film to the second, though, our next Alien game to look forward to appears to be less about the horror and intends to mix in a healthy dose of action.

Aliens: Dark Descent is the newest game to drop us into the nests of the Xenomorphs. However, unlike most other games that used this license, it isn't a straight-up horror game, nor is it a first-person shooter.  This is one of the most beloved franchises in film history, so if you're at all curious about diving into Aliens: Dark Descent, we'll use our motion tracker to guide you along safely.
Release date

Read more
Miasma Chronicles’ critical hits might be the deadliest of any video game
miasma chronicles preview gdc

Just when I think there are no new ways to make a tactics game, something like Miasma Chronicles completely blows that notion apart. Developed by The Bearded Ladies, the upcoming tactical RPG is something of a continuation of the studio’s previous project, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. It’s another post-apocalyptic adventure that has players freely exploring large worlds and stopping to battle monsters in traditional turn-based tactical battles. Don’t expect the exact same experience, though; the old dog has learned plenty of new tricks.

Miasma Chronicles | Pre-Release Alpha Gameplay: Video 01 [ESRB]

Read more