Though it will also be available on the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild looks like it will be best played on the Nintendo Switch, not just because of the console’s control options, but also its increased horsepower and higher-resolution output. Speaking to IGN, Nintendo has outlined all the improvements and differences you can expect to see on the upgraded version of the game, including improved audio.
The Wii U version of Breath of the Wild will be at 720p resolution, while the Nintendo Switch version will be rendered at 900p. Both consoles are technically capable of running games at 1080p resolution.
Both versions of the game will also run at 30 frames per second, and producer Eiji Aonuma was adamant that the Switch would not see an advantage in this department — though loading times on the Switch would be reduced due to its cartridge-based games.
The claimed parity in frame rate could be a point of contention, as pre-release videos of the Wii U version appeared to show some slowdown and other hiccups not seen in any Switch demonstrations.
One curious difference between the two versions of the game is sound quality. The Nintendo Switch has “higher-quality environmental sounds” that give a more realistic feel to the water, grass, and other surfaces that Link will come across.
Regardless of which version you decide to pick up, you’re going to want to make sure there is some spare storage space on your system. The physical Wii U version will still require about 3GB of free space, while the digital version is 13GB. On Switch, the digital version will take up 13.4GB, but it doesn’t appear that any extra data will have to be stored on the system’s flash memory.
Both versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will release on March 3. A special edition and “Master Edition” for the Switch will also be available, but the Wii U will only receive the standard edition.
