A new software update for the Nintendo Switch appears to have improved its N64 emulation, specifically targeting The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Nintendo has added the ability to play through some classic Nintendo 64 catalogs as part of the Nintendo Switch online expansion pack, though performance has been hit-or-miss so far. Fans looking to revisit some of the classics from the past soon encountered issues, such as input lag and audio issues.
Not the best start for a service that had quickly come under fire over its price for expansion. However, it looks like Nintendo has decided to address the issues, albeit quietly. A new software update was recently rolled out, along with the addition of Banjo-Kazooie to the service.
A speedrunner took to Twitter to share graphics comparisons between the pre-updated version of Ocarina of Time and the current version. They did mention, however, that input lag was still an issue, albeit slightly improved.
NSO N64 app update cleaned up the infamous black link wet room (though still not perfect)
also slightly reduced input lag (still bad, but better)
Fog issues still present. pic.twitter.com/F7puLDyf9c
—CLG ZFG (@zfg111) January 21, 2022
It seems that the fixes weren’t made to the games themselves, but rather to the emulator. The graphical issues that players had previously encountered appear to be stemming from a breakage along the way, which according to dataminer @LuigiBlood in a statement to KotakuNintendo “may not have had enough time to fix”.
I finally have the N64 NSO update data.
So whatever fix they made to Zelda Ocarina of Time, it was not added as a hack, seems like a real emulator fix.— Yakumono (@LuigiBlood) January 21, 2022
While it’s safe to say that more improvements could definitely be made to the service and the emulator in general, these fixes should help improve gameplay slightly.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is expected to be added to the service in February. While the ordeal with Ocarina of Time may have deterred some players from revisiting the cult classic, perhaps the latest emulator improvements could make the experience smoother.