NetherRealm Studios latest hit Mortal Kombat 11 is available on every major console from this generation, with the Nintendo Switch making its Mortal Kombat debut.
When looking at the wide range of console hardware the game runs on it’s interesting to analyze and compare each, but just how well does the game run on each platform, and is there a significant difference that should influence your purchase? Digital Foundry made an in-depth comparison of said consoles with some interesting and surprising results.
First of all, let’s take a look at the resolution difference. The base PS4 runs native 1080p with the occasional dynamic resolution, but this is not a common occurrence as it tends to stay around 1080p pretty consistently according to the video.
As for the more beefy PS4, the PS4 Pro runs cutscenes at 1800p, with the resolution ranging from 2240 x 1260 to 2560 x 1440p, with 1400p being the highest resolution you’ll get.
On Microsoft’s side of things, the Xbox One runs with a resolution of 1080p maximum dipping to a dynamic resolution and tends to run mostly dynamic – which is a step down from the base PS4 but still pretty solid performance.
Again, the Xbox One X vastly improves on this, giving more of a 4K experience with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 in some cutscenes/intros and animations. In general gameplay, the resolution ranges from around 2880 x 1620 to 3200 x 1800 at best, so you aren’t seeing full 4K all the time.
The most interesting port to analyze is the Switch, as its resolution ranges from 1280 x 720 to 960 x 540, a resolution much lower than its bigger brothers. This lower 540p resolution usually occurs during fatalities or opening moves and is less common, but is still something to be aware of if it matters to you.
Portable play is where the difference in Mortal Kombat 11’s performance really occurs, with a resolution range of 854 x 480 to 682 x 384. This worst-case resolution usually occurs when the Switch is really being pushed, and overall presents an impressive resolution for a handheld nonetheless, especially considering it is an Unreal Engine game which maintains 60fps with the occasional screen-tearing – an issue which occurs rarely on some platforms.
The removal of motion blur on the Switch version is quite a noticeable difference, especially when comparing the versions side-by-side as presented in the video, though this is likely one of the cuts NetherRealm had to make to keep that smooth 60fps experience.
When it comes to required storage space, the Nintendo Switch download is around half of the PlayStation and Xbox file size – and you can get the download sizes for these platforms here.
Digital Foundry’s video on the subject details that this is the closest Nintendo Switch port from Xbox and PlayStation to date, with the game looking really similar and giving a stellar performance while doing so.
You’ll be pleased to hear every version runs at 60fps during gameplay; which is important particularly in an intricate fighting game where timing is everything. If you own all consoles, Mortal Combat 11 runs well across all of them, so your decision should lie with what you value more.
Better visuals and performance would be with the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, but you probably already knew that. Digital Foundry’s findings can assure you that you won’t suffer too badly when opting for portability over your more powerful home console.
Digital Foundry did a great performance deep dive on their YouTube channel which details all the things you need to know about visual and performance differences. For a visual reference and more in-depth details on the likes of motion-blur, screen-tearing, and the Switch’s other missing visual features, check out their comparison and analysis:
