Video: Digital Foundry’s Technical Analysis Of Portal: Companion Collection

Sniper


Glados
Image: Valve

The news that Portal: Companion Collection would shadow drop shortly after the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase made us nearly wee our pants with excitement. After all, Portal and Portal 2 are two of the finest games ever created, and we can now enjoy them either at home or on the go – wonderful!

In our review of the title, we said that “if it weren’t for the frequent load screens punctuating the experience, we’d have absolutely nothing to complain about” and gave the collection a solid 9/10.

Now, Digital Foundry has provided its own technical analysis on the release, diving head first into the nitty gritty to give us its take on the game’s resolution, frame rate, and how it stacks up next to the original Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release, along with general performance on the Steam Deck.

First off, DF clarifies that the games – particularly the first Portal – are not especially graphically intensive, relying on simple, flat textured walls and repetitive art work. Given that the first game was developed by an exceptionally small team, this is to be expected. The sequel improved on its predecessor significantly, however, adding foliage and natural light to the environments.

With the Switch version specifically, it visually looks nearly identical to the original Xbox 360 release, but with much improved resolution; the original release ran at 720p, whereas the Switch rerelease clocks in at 1080p while docked, putting it very much in line with the Steam Deck. In terms of performance, both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game ran at 30FPS, which was perfectly fine for a puzzle title at the time, but the Switch doubles this to run at a super smooth 60FPS.

DF did note that frame rate can take slight hits when shooting portals, or looking directly through a portal; after all, doing so essentially means the game needs to render the same room twice over, so it’s natural to expect some minor disruption here. All in all, however, the general consensus is that Portal: Companion Collection is a fine way to experience two classic puzzle games, Switch hardware limitations be damed.

What do you think of Portal: Companion Collection on Switch? Did you notice the technical improvements? Let us know!