Switch port of 2019 horror game has an important eShop disclaimer - it runs at 24 FPS
The Switch port of The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is out now, with one bizarre caveat: it only runs at 24 FPS.
Today's launch was a surprise, especially considering that the original game launched on PS4, Xbox One, and PC way back in 2019. The narrative-first horror game, like other recent titles from developer Supermassive, puts a big emphasis on its photorealistic cast, and given the limitations of the Switch hardware, it would be fair to expect some compromises.
But I don't think anyone could have expected to see a disclaimer warning that "the Nintendo Switch version runs at 24 FPS" right there on the eShop page (opens in new tab) (as noted by Wario64 (opens in new tab)). It is admittedly buried way down at the bottom of the store page alongside the copyright information and photosensitivity warnings, but it is at least visible on the console store page, too.
It's not unusual to see Switch games running at 30 FPS and frequently dipping below that target, but it is unusual - in fact, it's unheard of, at least as far as my hearing goes - to see a game on any platform actively targeting 24 FPS. And while I haven't played this port myself, that frame rate sounds like a bad time.
Most modern TVs display 60 images per second, so games tend to target either 30 FPS or 60 FPS, because in either case there's a nice, even supply of frames to the TV to run. A 30 FPS game would show each one of its frames exactly twice, for example. If a game deviates from that target, one frame might be shown three times, and another frame four times, leading to what video nerds refer to as 'judder.'
A single instance of judder is effectively imperceptible, but sustained judder over the course of several seconds, or longer, leads to a
Read more on gamesradar.com
