Apex Legends for Nintendo Switch is now available and brings with it double XP for the first two weeks, 30 free Season 8 Battle Pass levels and Robot face Limited-time Legendary Pathfinder skin - P.A.T.H. The Switch version of Apex Legends features an optional cross-play feature and will runs at 30FPS.
This was revealed in an interview of Respawn and Panic Button developers with Famitsu and reported by Eurogamer. The game will apparently run at 720p in docked mode and 576p in handheld mode. And both the modes of the game will run at 30FPS.
Players will also be able to use gyroscopic aiming in mobile mode, and the UI apparently makes it clearer up close.
The approach to make the cross-play optional is great considering that the Switch players would be at a disadvantage when competing with players from other platforms.
Players on PC not just have higher frame rates, but more convenient controls as well which means Switch players may not want to compete with them.
The other point of contention here is the higher resolution available for PC players who would definitely get an advantage over the Switch players. The interview also mentions that the Apex Legends engine is the same as the console and PC version. The Nintendo Switch support has been built into the game by Panic Button team which handled this port.
It’s likely you will need an Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play the game, as it’s an online-only experience. However, the possibility of playing one of the best battle royale games anytime, anywhere is certainly appealing.
It'd also be nice to see if Apex Legends receives some Nintendo Switch-specific features, like gyro-assisted aiming to help players line up that perfect headshot. Time will tell, but we expect to hear more about the game soon. As of now the Switch version of Apex Legends is live and can be downloaded.
