Put Pikmin 4 aside for a moment because Digital Foundry has just released their technical analysis of Pikmin 1+2 for Nintendo Switch.
Yes, in case you missed it, Nintendo made these classic titles available in June before the release of the fourth game. So how do the HD versions of these games compare to the original GameCube experiences?
As the dataminer pointed out OatmealDome (via Digital Foundry ), these titles appear to use a “similar hybrid emulation system” to the Switch re-release of Super Mario Sunshine, which was part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars bundle. It gives accurate results while opening the game with “some decorations”.
Digital foundry: “It’s the same technology at its core. Pikmin 1 and 2 run on an emulator called ‘hagi’ – Nintendo’s own proprietary GameCube and Wii emulator, which emulates the GameCube’s GPU functions, while the CPU side is compiled to run natively on the Switch.”
As for resolution, both Pikmin 1+2 have a native resolution of 1080p in docked mode and 720p in manual mode. The original releases on the GameCube and Wii versions ran at 480p. The downside of this is that anti-aliasing is not applied on these new versions and the textures remain mostly intact. Thankfully, the menus and UI have been upgraded, and the pre-rendered scenes are seemingly “AI enhanced by Nintendo” as well.
Framerate wise, both Pikmin 1+2 on Switch run at a “locked” 30fps and barely misses the frame. Digital Foundry admittedly admits that it was a “missed chance to push it to 60fps” and notes that modders have previously achieved this frame rate with upgraded textures, shaders and more.
Pikmin 1+2 on Switch was summed up by DF as “essential plug-ins” that recreate the authentic experience. If you want a second opinion or just want to know more about Pikmin 1+2 on Switch, be sure to check out Nintendo Life’s reviews:
