NBA fans who own a Nintendo Switch better make sure they have enough memory on their handheld console, as "NBA 2K18" for the Switch will reportedly be a resource hog.
Made by developer Visual Concepts, "NBA 2K18" is the sequel to "NBA 2K17" and was released on Sept. 19. Dual Shockers has speculated that the basketball simulator, with all its bells and whistles in the Switch version, will consume a staggering 107 percent of the handheld console's memory.
As per Nintendo's memory breakdown for "NBA 2K18" on the Switch, the initial software download will consume 6.8 gigabytes (GB), an additional software update consuming 16.1 GB, and 5 GB of system memory per save file. All in all, this adds up to about 27.9 GB of memory consumed, assuming the players only have one save file. This is bad news for players who do not have a secure digital (SD) card since the Switch only has 25.9 GB of available system memory.
This is why Nintendo notes that one of the requirements for the basketball game is an SD card for both the digital and physical versions.
Beyond the memory requirement, the Switch version of "NBA 2K18" is confirmed to run at a frame rate of 30 frames per second (FPS), compared to the smoother 60 FPS on its home console counterparts. Apart from the frame rate, there is not much difference in terms of features between the Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 (PS4) versions of the game. It is important to note that the Switch version will not be supporting the amiibo functionality.
Of course, players on the Switch will have to expect that the graphics on the handheld version will not be as good as its console counterparts, with the Switch hardware being weaker.
While "NBA 2K18" for the Switch has digitally launched alongside the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game, the physical copy of the game for Switch will be released on Oct. 17. The Switch version will also have the "NBA 2K18 Legend Edition Gold," which will cost $150, or half the price of the handheld console itself.
