Nintendo Switch Is Getting Control And Hitman 3 Via Cloud Streaming

The Nintendo Switch's hardware might not be powerful enough to run games like Control or the upcoming Hitman 3, but that's where the cloud can help. Both games are coming to the Switch via cloud streaming, marking the first time we've seen the feature leveraged on the hybrid console in North America.

Announced during the latest Nintendo Direct Mini, Control: Ultimate Edition - Cloud Version is available right now, and it requires a Nintendo Account as well as a high-speed internet connection. Before you purchase the game, you'll have the chance to test your setup to make sure it will run smoothly. After confirming this, you'll be able to purchase an access pass.

The game is the first on Switch to support ray tracing and it includes both expansions. With ray tracing enabled, it runs at 30 frames per second, while a performance mode pushes that to 60 frames per second but disables ray tracing.

Hitman 3 - Cloud Version will function similarly, though it doesn't yet have a release date on the Nintendo website. The latest game from IO Interactive once again puts Agent 47 in several enormous sandbox environments to take out his targets with creativity and skill.

Prior to this, cloud streaming has been used in Japan for certain Nintendo Switch experiences, including Resident Evil 7. However, it was never used extensively, and with newer console hardware pushing what's technically possible in AAA games, streaming could allow Switch players to keep up with the latest releases.

Those games were far from the only ones to get new information during the presentation. We also learned that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has a demo that's available now, and Bravely Default 2 was delayed to 2021.