Switch 2 devs are already bleating about performance issues — Donkey Kong Bananza director reveals challenges
This game went through a particularly interesting development phase, as it was pushed from Switch to Switch 2 due to game engine demands.
Nintendo Switch 2 game developers are already bumping up against the constraints imposed by the new console’s hardware. In an interview with Spain’s La Vanguardia newspaper (machine translation, h/t WinFuture), Donkey Kong Bananza director, Kazuya Takahashi, admitted “performance may drop,” due to the extravagant use of 3D voxel technology in the game’s destructible environment. This is quite an admission from a Nintendo exec behind a flagship first-party title. Takahashi explained that this performance-second decision was given the green light as the team “prioritized fun and gameplay.”
Donkey Kong Bananza journeyed down quite an interesting path to the Switch 2, which could partly explain the performance wrinkles. This smashing new 3D platformer and Switch 2 exclusive was originally destined for the Switch. However, this first 3D Donkey Kong outing since Donkey Kong 64 goes all-in on destructible environments to deliver its gameplay thrills.
Destructible environments in this game are extensive, in a kind of sandbox exploration way, where DK can smash his hulking fists through walls, can dig tunnels, and tear off environmental bits and bats for weapon or platforming tool use. It sounds like explosive fun, indeed, but the 3D voxel engine behind the environment is demanding. That’s why the game was pulled back to be prepared for the new Switch 2.
A La Vanguardia reporter asked Takahashi about their experience of “frame drops at certain times and levels,” in what is expected to be the shipping version of Donkey Kong Bananza. “There are several factors to consider. First of all, we intentionally used effects such as hit stop or slow motion to emphasize the impacts. On the other hand, when using voxel technology, there are times when there are big changes and destruction in the scenery,” said the game’s director. “We are aware that in these moments the performance may drop a bit. However, as you say, overall the game can be enjoyed smoothly, and at points where large-scale changes occur, we have prioritized fun and gameplay.” (DeepL, machine translation)
Clearly, there may be a few stutters experienced when the game engine begins to reach its boundaries on the Switch 2 hardware. With Nintendo being aware of this potential issue for gamers, and the always-connected nature of today’s consoles, we hope optimizations will eventually arrive to iron out any startling wrinkles. Or they could just turn up the DLSS knob.
For clues regarding the faltering performance of the Switch 2 in its maiden year, check out our in-depth Switch 2 review and hardware analysis from June.
We note that 3D environment voxel engine games were seen on PC as early as 1992, with Comanche: Maximum Overkill. That game’s proprietary Voxel Space engine was apparently written entirely in assembly language for the best performance.
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Nintendo’s unruly new 3D platformer is due to launch this Thursday (July 17).
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
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usertests https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleatReply1a: to make the natural cry of a sheep or goat
That's one hell of a headline. https://archive.is/qiOR0
also : to utter a similar sound
b: whimper
2a: to talk complainingly or with a whine
b: blather -
helper800 Reply
3 years? Try 9 years out of date.John Nemesh said:Unsurprising, you have a console that was 3 years out of date on launch day.... -
bigdragon I feel like I'm the only one who can't stand games that use the "hit stop" effect. I find it to be an annoyance and distraction rather than a way to emphasize impact.Reply
I'm sure the performance issues of Donkey Kong Bananza could be resolved if Nintendo directed less money towards their legal department and more towards their development studios. -
qwertymac93 "Or they could just turn up the DLSS knob."Reply
That wouldn't help what is surely a CPU bottleneck. -
DS426 Nothing like brand new hardware already being crushed from practically day 1.Reply
Frame rate drops? Meh, just insert fake fake frames. Yes, I used fake twice for a reason. :P -
thestryker It's obvious that Nintendo is spending just enough to get a minimum viable SoC for their hardware. Even with this relatively anemic hardware had they been using a 5nm class manufacturing node they should have been able to get much higher clock speeds in the same power envelope. I think the additional hardware will entice more developers to want to put games on the Switch 2, but they're likely still looking at something with the CPU power of PS4/XBO.Reply -
helper800 Reply
The switch 2 silicon is 8nm as far as I know. If they put that same ampere and ARM architecture on 5nm it still would have been half a decade slower than what we have now.thestryker said:It's obvious that Nintendo is spending just enough to get a minimum viable SoC for their hardware. Even with this relatively anemic hardware had they been using a 5nm class manufacturing node they should have been able to get much higher clock speeds in the same power envelope. I think the additional hardware will entice more developers to want to put games on the Switch 2, but they're likely still looking at something with the CPU power of PS4/XBO.