An open-world FPS as chaotic asBorderlands 4running on Nintendo Switch 2 is an impressive feat, going to showjust how far handhelds have come in the last decade. But it isn’t without concessions.
When asked on Twitter if the game will run at 60fps,Randy Pitchford explained(viaInsider Gaming) that “It was important to us not to cut anything and to support cross-play with other platforms. So, no. It’ll be mostly around 30fps, with some dips in some intense moments, heavy combats, or if hosting a multiplayer game in handheld mode, etc.”
It’ll be mostly around 30fps, with some dips.
If you’ve ever played a Borderlands game, you’ll know that a lot of the experience is “heavy combat” and “intense moments”, with enormous shootouts against swarms of enemies who explode into a viscera of colourful loot. It’s also best enjoyed with friends, given that it’s a co-op looter shooter first and foremost, so if you’re hosting in handheld, you’ll have to face the brunt of these “dips” — don’t expect a steady framerate, basically.
“Please Consider A Performance Mode”
While many fans “appreciate” the honesty from Pitchford, there are already calls for a performance mode so that the game can at least hit an average of 30-40fps, compromising on graphics for a smoother experience. After all, that’s whatCyberpunk 2077offered,a similarly ambitious open world portthat cut as few corners as possible to show off the Switch 2’s prowess.
While that is a solution for handheld, whichDigital Foundrysaid was the “smoothest way to enjoy the game”, Cyberpunk 2077’s performance mode isn’t nearly as stable when playing docked. Simple interiors reliably hit 40fps, but shootouts and driving often cause the game to drop to 30fps, if not lower. Without VRR support during docked play, these “drops stick out obviously to the naked eye”.
Pitchford revealed last night that Borderlands 4 will launch on October 3 for Switch 2. Hopefully, the “dips” he mentioned are sparse, but with how frenetic the series has been in the past, and with an ambitious open world this time, even a steady 30fps sounds out of reach.
