Skip to main content

‘Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ will get better audio on Switch, same frame rate

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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
I wish Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom had Breath of the Wild’s item degradation
Key art for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

I’ve been having a good time with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but a glaring problem has reared its head just a few hours in. The user interface for sorting through Echoes leaves a lot to be desired. By the time I cleared my first few dungeons in Echoes of Wisdom, I already felt overwhelmed by the amount of Echoes available, and I didn’t have adequate ways to sort them. As a result, I'm already finding myself relying on the same couple of Echoes rather than experimenting with each new one I come across.

Echoes of Wisdom is at its best when I can use new Echoes, or a unique combination of them, to solve puzzles or navigate dungeons in clever ways. However, the clumsy UI and overwhelming number of options with Echoes sometimes get in the way of those glorious moments. That has left me yearning for a controversial feature present in both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: item degradation.
Weapon durability and degradation in 3D Zelda games
Breath of the Wild might not have featured an Echoes mechanic, but the game was still built around players exploring every inch of Hyrule and adapting to whatever they find. To encourage continued exploration and interaction, Nintendo introduced a weapon degradation mechanic. Common in survival games, this kind of durability mechanic makes tools or weapons break after a certain number of uses.

Read more
After The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it’s time for Zelda Maker
Key art for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

We almost had a The Legend of Zelda video game where players could create their own dungeons. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which launches later this week, lets players obtain "echoes" of items and enemies, which they can explore, fight, and solve puzzles with. A new Ask the Developer interview from Nintendo revealed that this gameplay idea came from the original concept for Echoes of Wisdom: an "edit dungeon" concept where "players could create their own The Legend of Zelda gameplay," according to Grezzo game director Satoshi Terada.

Ultimately, the team went in a different direction after recognizing the potential of the echoes mechanic created for the "edit dungeon" concept. While I'm still quite excited to play Echoes of Wisdom, part of me is disappointed that we aren't getting a The Legend of Zelda dungeon maker game. It's OK that Echoes of Wisdom went in a different direction, but this is an idea Nintendo should certainly return to in the future.
The Zelda dungeon-maker game we didn't get
It's not uncommon for game developers to experiment with different gameplay concepts or ideas early on in development to find what works. Terada explained that in one of these early concepts, "Link could copy and paste various objects, such as doors and candlesticks, to create original dungeons." Later in the Ask the Developer interview, Nintendo director Tomomi Sano said that this "concept involved copying various things during your adventure out on the game field, then bringing them back to create a dungeon in a dedicated place."

Read more
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more
Key art for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Every new Zelda game feels like an event, and yet Nintendo managed to keep a new mainline entry hidden almost all the way up until its release. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is not the same size and scale as the 3D entries like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom -- it's actually the long-awaited continuation of Zelda's 2D titles. The last game we got in this style was 2019's The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which was a remake of the 1993 Game Boy title.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom caught the attention of everyone at the June Nintendo Direct where it was announced for many reasons, chief among them being Zelda taking on the starring role instead of Link. The perspective and style might look familiar, but there's a lot to learn about Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom before you jump back into Hyrule.
Release date
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be released on September 26, 2024.
Platforms

Read more