Apex Legends is finally available on Switch as of March 9 (or March 10, depending on your location), and the developers behind the Switch version, Panic Button, have confirmed some of the important technical details, like frame rate and resolution.
Panic Button also developed the Switch ports for other games like DOOM and Rocket League, always managing a stellar job.
But Apex Legends provides a uniquely challenging task, with the combination of fast, first-person gunplay alongside lots of abilities and three large maps.
Ensuring the experience is up to par is especially important because cross-play is enabled on Switch at launch, meaning players on the handheld device could play against players on console and PC.
Apex Legends FPS on Nintendo Switch
Speaking to Famitsu, Panic Button’s technical director, Andy Boggs, confirmed that Apex Legends will run at 30 frames per second (FPS) on Switch, both in handheld and docked modes.
Although 60FPS would have been much preferred for players, it, no doubt, would have proven very difficult to manage this, at least consistently, as action in the game can get intense. A locked 30FPS should provide a consistent frame rate, but when playing cross-play, could put you at a serious disadvantage against players on other platforms.
Apex Legends resolution on Nintendo Switch
The resolution actually changes depending on what mode you’re playing on. When in docked mode, you’ll play at 720p, but once you move to handheld, this will drop to 576p. Regardless of the resolution, the 30FPS limit will remain.
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When playing in the handheld mode, Panic Button has developed a new UI that will be easier for players to see and use.
Apex Legends on Switch runs on the exact same engine as the other versions, and every feature available in the console and PC version is also on Switch. This includes all Legends, weapons, maps, skins, and clubs.
Can you turn off cross-play?
Yes, just like the console versions of Apex, you can opt-out of cross-play on Nintendo Switch. Boggs explains: “If enabled, it will match with people who have cross-play enabled, and if disabled, it will only match with other Switch players.”
What about cross-progression?
Unfortunately, there’s still no news on cross-progression for Apex Legends. Respawn have said it’s a feature they want to have, but at the moment, it’s still a long way off. This is because Apex wasn’t built with cross-progression in mind, and adding it later is a challenge, according to Respawn.
We’ll keep you updated with any news about cross-progression in the future, but for now, you’ll have to start a new account on Nintendo Switch.
