Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen can be played on the Switch. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann says: Change a setting and FireRed/LeafGreen sounds much better right away.
Nintendo recently released the old classic Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen for the modern Switch. This allows you to experience the old games on modern hardware for 20 euros.
I myself have invested many hours of gameplay on my old Switch in LeafGreen and have been surprised by how much a single setting can change.
With stereo sound, even the 20-year-old Pokémon LeafGreen sounds much better
If you played FireRed/LeafGreen back then on the Gameboy, your sound was certainly set to mono. Even on my new Analogue Pocket, FireRed was set to mono.
The Gameboy could only play mono sound through its built-in speaker. However, stereo sound was also possible through the headphone jack, as the built-in sound chip could play sound over multiple channels. But for that, you needed headphones that had to be connected via a plug.
And honestly: Who played with headphones on their Gameboy in the schoolyard 20 years ago? Probably hardly anyone.
What does this have to do with playing it on the Switch? If you are now playing the remastered version of FireRed/LeafGreen on the more modern Switch, you essentially get the old technology just as a port for the newer console. In spot checks, I found that the sound settings are always set to mono.
My tip: Be sure to change the sound from mono to stereo and definitely play with headphones or in-ears. FireRed/LeafGreen sounds immediately worlds better, you get a much wider sound image with much more detail. Currently, I am using the Soundcore Liberty 5 (for the test) on my Switch when I play.
If you are wondering: Can it really make such a difference with a 20-year-old game?
, then I can only reply: Yes, it does!
With stereo, you get a much wider sound image than when you play in mono, even with an ancient Pokémon game.
This is not just a subjective feeling, but can also be proven technically: With mono, you get “only” one audio track that is played on both headphone halves. In contrast, stereo gives you two different audio tracks that allow for spatial audio effects.
Or as one user aptly describes it on Reddit: “Nice to hear that so much emphasis was placed on details in sound design.”
Pokémon Pokopia on the old Switch? Yes, it works, albeit with a workaround. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann tried it, but the limitations are significant. You can read more about it on MeinMMO: I played Pokopia on my old Switch and was repeatedly surprised
