Hogwarts Legacy gains lengthy loading screens on Nintendo Switch

Hogwarts Legacy is finally available on Nintendo Switch after several months of delays. Getting this game running on the Switch was no easy feat, as we can tell by the scaled-back graphics. Another cut had to be made to get the game on Nintendo's hybrid console, splitting the game's open world up into loaded zones. 

While Hogwarts Legacy has a seamless open world on platforms like PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5, loading screens were added to the Switch version. The Nintendo Switch has less memory, storage and overall compute power compared to other modern platforms, so it is easy to see why changes to the game had to be made to get it running.

As shown by the YouTube channel SwitchUp, while the game does run reasonably well on Switch, plenty of changes had to be made to get there. Those playing the game on a Switch will have to sit through loading screens when moving to certain areas, with some of them lasting over 30 seconds. This is particularly noticeable when walking in and out of shops in Hogsmeade, which can slow down your preparation for new missions.

The game also obviously runs at sub-HD resolution most of the time and uses heavily dialed-back graphics settings. However, those sacrifices have been necessary to get a number of bigger AAA games running on Switch. The changes are similar to the ones made for The Witcher 3 on Switch.

KitGuru Says: It is a miracle this game is able to run on Switch at all, which once again highlights the need for Nintendo to introduce fresh hardware. Hopefully, the Switch 2 isn't too far off at this point. 

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