Kirby Air Ride: Frame Rate & Resolution Tech Analysis
▼ Summary
– Kirby Air Riders targets 60 FPS and 1080p-1152p resolution when docked, with Top Ride mode reaching closer to 1440p.
– In portable mode, resolution is more variable, commonly 900p but can drop to 720p or go up to 1080p during intense moments.
– The game uses a new engine called SOL-AVES, and NVIDIA RTX was likely used offline for baking GI probes, not for real-time ray tracing.
– Frame rate drops occur regularly in City Trial mode and during four-player split-screen, with multiplayer often running in the 40s and 50s FPS.
– The HDR implementation is criticized for looking washed out, and distant animations in City Trial can appear decimated.
The recent arrival of Kirby Air Ride on Nintendo Switch has prompted a detailed technical breakdown, focusing on performance metrics like frame rate and resolution. This analysis provides a clear picture of how the game runs across different play modes, offering valuable insights for players curious about its visual fidelity and smoothness.
A popular fan theory suggesting the game utilizes real-time ray-tracing has been debunked. The visual effects observed are more likely the result of NVIDIA RTX technology being used in an offline capacity to pre-calculate global illumination data, potentially for lighting dynamic objects within the environments. The game is also confirmed to be running on a new engine named SOL-AVES.
In terms of core performance, Kirby Air Ride aims for a solid 60 frames per second. When playing on a television with the dock, the resolution typically ranges between 1080p and 1152p. The Top Ride mode pushes this further, often approaching a 1440p target. The experience in portable mode is more dynamic, with the resolution frequently settling around 900p. During less demanding scenes, it can reach 1080p, but very intense moments may cause a drop down to 720p to maintain performance.
The game’s HDR implementation has been noted as a weak point, with some reports of it looking somewhat washed out. The City Trial mode is identified as the primary area where the frame rate can struggle, regularly dipping below the 60 FPS target. In this expansive mode, you might also notice that animations for distant non-player characters appear simplified or reduced.
Performance takes a more significant hit during local multiplayer. In four-player split-screen, particularly in busy sections, a substantial number of frames are dropped. The frame rate in City Trial during multiplayer sessions often hovers in the 40s and 50s, which is a noticeable departure from the smoother single-player experience.
For a deeper dive into these technical aspects, including frame rate analysis and resolution comparisons, a dedicated video provides a comprehensive exploration.
Kirby Air Ride is available now on the Nintendo Switch platform.
(Source: Nintendo Everything)
