Zelda patch improves frame-rate on Switch
UPDATE: Digital Foundry weighs in with new performance tests - and do Wii U users get the improvements too?
UPDATE 4/3/17 6:45pm: Apologies from Digital Foundry for not getting to this one sooner - the team were attending EGX Rezzed last weekend. The good news is that the performance boost with the latest Zelda patch is confirmed for Switch owners, with many frame-rate dips removed, and entire stretches of 20fps gameplay improved.
However, the game's most intensive areas - like Korok Forest - only see a smaller bump to the game's fluidity. In-game visuals appear identical to the pre-patch version, and dynamic resolution scaling acts in the same way - there's no graphical downgrade here, it's a pure optimisation improvement.
The bad news is that the Wii U version doesn't benefit much - if at all - from the new patch. Gameplay performance here is effectively identical. Areas that caused issues on both Switch in docked mode and Wii U are improved on the new machine, but left as is on older hardware. We can also confirm that the handheld Switch configuration still remains the smoothest way to play Breath of the Wild, followed by the docked mode, with Wii U exhibiting the biggest frame-rate drops.
Original story: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild just received its first post-launch patch on Switch and it improves the game's frame-rate.
In true Nintendo form, the full v1.1.1 patch notes are amusingly vague and consist entirely of the following line:
"Adjustments have been made to make for a more pleasant gaming experience."
Our tech experts at Digital Foundry will provide a full analysis on just how much this patch improves things early next week. In the meantime, I can say anecdotally that it definitely makes a difference in denser areas like the Korok Forest.
YouTuber ElAnalistaDeBits captured a few of the game's choppiest areas before and after the patch, as you can see above.