19 May 2023
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - not the way Nintendo wants you to play (pic: YouTube)
A reader obsessed with frame rates and resolution contemplates pirating Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, to play as an emulated version on PC.
Before the release of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom I had anticipated the hours I was going to lose to the game itself. I had not anticipated the hours I would lose to working out a moral conundrum that my experience with the game left me battling with. To emulate or not to emulate? I’m sure that this argument will only resonate with the quiet minority of performance snobs out there such as myself.
The silent sufferers, working with overpriced rigs, running benchmarks, and cursing whatever deity they hold dear for every lost frame. I understand that I am likely the exception and not the rule when it comes to my core values as a gamer, and my unerring pursuit of a minimum 60fps at all costs will certainly draw some ire from the purists among you and I am willing to accept that.
The first few hours with Tears Of The Kingdom were not marred by performance issues, but the first major frame drop that I experienced planted a seed in my mind that would grow into a fully-fledged problem. It was jarring but, like many a plummeting Korok, I shook it off and went right back to that same spot and awaited someone to move me once again.
A few more dips and I thought maybe playing handheld would help the situation, I undocked the Switch and ventured forth. A few more drops here and there, each one more disruptive than the last; they became akin to nails on a chalkboard or the grinding of teeth. A shooting metallic volt in my mind with ever increasing severity, I was becoming concerned that it was going to launch me into a fugue state.
I thought perhaps it was just my machine, which has recently started making a churning sound when booting up most software. A quick Google search and there were a lot of reports of solid performance, it must be noted, and a fair amount with stuttering performance similar to my experience, especially when using Ultrahand.
I placed the Switch aside for a time and started watching some YouTube videos on the game, when I came across emulator gameplay running at 1440p 60fps near flawlessly. I knew of the existence of Switch emulators for some time but I had never any real reason to look into the possibility of using one. I started researching, my main concern was obtaining the software to run on an emulator. Having an emulator is a bit like owning a gun (in places where that’s allowed), illegality only comes into question once you shoot someone with it.
By downloading a pirated copy of Tears Of The Kingdom, was I metaphorically putting one right between the eyes of our beloved Zelda? I had bought a copy on day one, I had the Switch and I’ve got my subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. They’ve got all the money they’re going to get out of me for the month at least.
The devil on my shoulder had the more reasonable arguments, the angel on the other was frantic and hyperbolic. Ultimately, I decided not to do it, though I wanted to. Maybe it was the ‘you wouldn’t steal a car ad’ echoing through my psyche from when I was a child… not that it stopped me in my teens.
Through all the deliberating and research, I ended up not really playing all that much for a few days. It is Nintendo’s software and they are well within their right to select the delivery system of that software. It is just a true shame that the best way to experience the game can only be achieved through piracy.
Does Nintendo have a responsibility to ensure that they offer the premium way to experience their own content?
We all know a Switch 2 is coming, which I’m sure will yield some much needed improvement in the realm of performance. It will, however, still be a handheld device and there are always going to be limitations.
When your technology struggles to keep up with your flagship titles, you have to question: could you be doing something differently?
By reader Michael Byron
The reader’s feature does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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‘The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom’ Emulator Use Surges As Fans Dodge Switch Hardware Limits
Paul TassiMay 15, 2023
Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is sailing toward what appears to be an inevitable Game of the Year win. But for some players, six year old Switch hardware with low resolution and often sub 30 fps is too much to take after years playing on PS5, Xbox Series X or PC. And as such, emulator use for Tears of the Kingdom is on the rise.
This is not encouragement, nor instruction on how to emulate Tears of the Kingdom, but just a statement of fact, as my Twitter feed and YouTube recommendations are full of emulated gameplay extolling just how much better the game looks and runs while using emulators.
Switch emulators are as old as the Switch itself, but as one the ultimate “must-play” games of this generation (well, the Switch is so old it’s essentially spanned two generations now) the concept is now front and center.
Emulators are running Tears of the Kingdom up to 4K, 60 fps on PC, and really well on Steam Deck, as well, if the player wants to retain that portability. You can see what that looks like in footage below. It’s not going to like, completely overhaul the graphics and engine of the game, but the difference is certainly stark:
The Nintendo Switch is six years old and when it debuted it was already less powerful than PS4 and Xbox One. Now, it’s a solid generation and a half behind PS5 and Xbox Series X, and miles behind PC, and many gamers don’t have the patience for it.
Or of course, they want it for free.
I do know some players that have shelled out $70 for the Switch version of the game, then put it on a shelf and downloaded an emulator to actually play it. Nintendo gets their well-deserved money, the player gets a much smoother, better-looking version of the game. I guess it’s a bit like shoplifting from a store then buying the same item online from the same store later? That’s uhh…somewhat murky I guess. And I doubt that the vast majority of people emulating the game are giving Nintendo $70, which in that case it’s…very much just stealing.
Everyone expects Nintendo to release fully new hardware, some sort of “Switch 2” in the next year or two, where no doubt an upgraded version of Tears of the Kingdom taking advantage of the new tech would be sold. But for now, Switch tech is so old that it is driving some to seek alternatives, however I very much doubt that Tears of the Kingdom will have trouble selling an incredible amount of copies regardless.
