The Nintendo Switch 2’s HDR support has been a topic of interest ever since its announcement, with both handheld and docked modes promising enhanced visuals. However, the reality doesn’t quite live up to the expectations. Although it’s great that HDR is included, its implementation has proven to be subpar, with multiple issues affecting the gaming experience.
The handheld’s edge-lit LCD display struggles with HDR due to its limited peak brightness of just 450 nits.
While it’s not an OLED screen and thus lacks the benefit of infinite contrast that OLED panels are known for, the display’s HDR capability ends up feeling mediocre at best.
When docked, the Switch 2 can display HDR more effectively thanks to the external display. However, problems arise in the calibration settings, making it harder to fine-tune the visuals. Vincent Teoh from HDTVTest, a highly respected display expert, has recently pointed out several flaws in the HDR calibration on the Nintendo Switch 2, adding further criticism to its display performance.
According to Teoh, effective HDR calibration relies on the user’s TV supporting HGIG or source-based tone mapping. Unfortunately, the Switch 2’s calibration options are overly complicated, with too many adjustment steps compared to other consoles like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. This makes fine-tuning the HDR settings a hassle for gamers who just want the best experience out of their hardware.
One key issue highlighted by Teoh is that the default ‘paper white’ setting on the Switch 2 is brighter than the recommended reference white level of 203 nits for 1000 nits HDR10 content. This creates a flat image where the midtones are too high, negatively affecting dynamic range and diminishing the impact of HDR highlights. On top of that, the paper white setting changes depending on the max TML (tonemap luminance), adding another layer of complexity to the process of achieving accurate HDR.
So, what can be done to improve the Switch 2’s HDR presentation? First, make sure you’re using an HGIG-compatible display for better accuracy. If that’s not possible, setting the max TML to 1000 nits and the paper white to around 200 nits should help to reduce clipping while preserving contrast. Additionally, switching the console to dark theme mode can reduce the influence of Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) on OLED displays, helping to maintain more consistent brightness and contrast.
Lastly, it’s recommended to set HDR output to ‘compatible software only’ to avoid forcing HDR on non-HDR content. And if you’re using a modern OLED display, disable the screen burn-in protection feature as it’s redundant and unnecessary for these displays.