When the Nintendo Switch first launched, some prospective owners were sceptical of the console's ability to run games at high resolutions with stable frame rates. Breath of the Wild's release alongside the Switch in March 2017 proved that this power gap did not matter.
Some four years on from the Switch's release, and Breath of the Wild is still one of the best-looking games released on the console. The vast, rolling tundras of Hyrule set alongside a hauntingly beautiful minimalist soundtrack created an open-world experience like no other.
Following the latest Nintendo Direct, which included no update on Breath of the Wild 2, fans are still eagerly awaiting any information as to the upgrades the sequel could bring. We still don't know much about BOTW 2, but with the Switch Pro rumoured to be in production, we'd expect the game to make use of the 4K upgrade the Super Switch may allegedly support.
If you're looking for a sneak preview of just how stunning Breath of the Wild, or its sequel, could look on the Switch Pro, this footage of the game in 8K may be of some use...
Breath of the Wild in 8K/Ray tracing
In a recent video, the YouTube channel Digital Dreams has uploaded footage of BOTW running at 8K with ray tracing enabled. As you'd expect, it looks amazing.
With ray tracing enabled, the lighting and water effects make Hyrule look gorgeous. When combined with the 8K resolution, it's hard to see this as anything other than the best-looking render of Breath of the Wild ever released. I mean, just look at that grass.
It's worth noting that this footage of BOTW is not running natively on a Nintendo Switch console, but using the CEMU emulator. While the Switch Pro is unlikely to support such high resolutions and ray tracing, we're still excited to see what Nintendo brings to the franchise with 4K and maybe even DLSS support.
You can check out the full video below:
Latest Nintendo Switch Pro rumours
Currently, the Nintendo Switch only supports 1080p resolutions when docked, and 720p in handheld mode. The Switch Pro is set to upgrade this, offering 4K gaming when docked with NVIDIA's DLSS. The upgraded screen will allegedly keep the 720p resolution, but should offer improvements with the 7-inch OLED screen from Samsung.
Aside from the graphical upgrades the Switch Pro will offer, the latest rumours suggest that the console may receive some exclusive games. Before you go selling your base Nintendo Switch, however, if these rumours are true then it's likely that these exclusives will only be third-party titles unable to run on the base model.
Of course, Nintendo has yet to announce or confirm any official plans for the Nintendo Switch Pro. It's worth keeping in mind this when looking at rumours.
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