Hogwarts Legacy Switch visuals look too good to be true for eagle-eyed fans

It’s been some time since Hogwarts Legacy launched, its launch inspired the disclaimer you'll see just a few lines down this page.

With the game coming to Nintendo Switch in what feels like a feat of technical wizardry, fans are a little skeptical - especially in the light of some other rough Switch ports over the years, and they're determined not to get burned again.

Disclaimer: While the creator of the Harry Potter franchise was not directly involved in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy, their comments on social media around transgender people are hurtful and dangerous given the size of their platform. 

We’d implore you to read our explainer of the controversy so far, and consider supporting trans rights charities where possible.

• UK:
  • Mermaids
  • Switchboard
• US:
  • The Trevor Project
  • Trans Lifeline

Hogwarts Legacy on Switch footage has leaked

Footage for the port of Hogwarts Legacy on Switch has made its way online, and for the most part, it looks as though it runs pretty well.

Reuploading a video of the footage that was once deleted by its original Twitter poster, YouTube creator Jose Morales Ros has shared footage of Hogwarts Legacy being played in handheld mode on a Nintendo Switch console, and for fans' money, it looks good.

Fans had already expected some kind of graphical downgrade, as is the case with practically every Nintendo Switch port out there, but compared to some of the worst offenders (we’re looking at you, Alan Wake Remastered, you let us down) it looks pretty good.

But some fans are pointing out that this footage seems pretty intentional in its choice of area to show off.

Fans are nervous about Hogwarts Legacy’s open world on Switch

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Avalanche Software

It has been noted that the gameplay captured in the footage takes place before the player actually reaches the open world in and around Hogwarts, and fans have become suspicious that this area has been chosen for a reason.

There is a high expectation that the game’s framerate with suffer greatly from the step into the open-world section, with huge chunky framerate dips appearing on the menu.

Until we get footage of the open world running on Switch, we simply won’t know if it works or not - but for now, players are still skeptical. Here’s hoping it’s worth the year-long wait.