How Super Mario Odyssey scales across docked and handheld modes

[Administrator]

Mario Odyssey is the Switch game we've been waiting for, a key technical showcase from one of Nintendo's most talented development teams. The template of Mario Galaxy's full 3D exploration is in place - and in many ways it feels a direct successor to those two Wii classics - but it goes one step further: Odyssey expands on Galaxy's core mechanics with more exotic, wilder stages that could only be realised on more powerful hardware. Already, we've seen a more realistic New York environment from its E3 2017 reveal. But the latest demo we've had access to offers us the chance to analyse three new levels - the Cappy Kingdom, Luncheon Kingdom and Seaside Kingdom - with some exciting findings.
From a technical perspective, the headline point is this: Mario Odyssey's resolution has increased in Switch's docked mode since we last saw it. On the big screen, it goes from the lacklustre 1280x720 output at the E3 build, to a more satisfying 1600x900 in the latest build. It's only been a few months in between, but this represents an impressive 56 per cent increase in pixels pushed by the Switch. As the shots on this page demonstrate, the result is far more flattering for the docked HDTV experience, and even without any anti-aliasing to speak of, the game looks superb. It breaks some new ground too: at 900p it's the highest resolution 3D Mario title to date, and crucially, that doesn't impact performance.
This follows a curious trend with other first party Nintendo Switch titles in the run-up to release. Earlier builds of Splatoon 2 also ran at 720p while docked, before getting a boost with dynamic resolution scaling added towards the end of development. And it makes sense: 720p is the resolution it uses while in portable mode, the area most in need of tight optimisation. Clearly this is part of Nintendo's development process; using the handheld mode's 720p as a starting point in development, and working upwards for the docked, TV experience nearer release. In Mario Odyssey's case, 900p would be a decent turnout if this is what we end up with.
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