The Nintendo Switch 2's display has sparked some criticism for poor motion and questionable HDR. We ran our own tests to see how it stacks up, and found some surprising (and not so flattering) results.
We Tested the Switch 2 Display - Is It Really That Slow?
- Thread starter Scorpus
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Trash hardware again. This is a big part of the reason why I didn't get one.
dangh
Posts: 1,542 +2,459
I am more and more happy with the rise of handheld pc we are seeing right now, so I have absolutely no use case to buy this switch 2 failure.
Vulcanproject
Posts: 1,816 +3,558
Screens are critical because for a device like this as many are using the display most of the time. It's all about profitability for Nintendo. Using an old 8nm process keeps costs down and yields up, but leads to poorer power consumption compared to say TSMC 5nm. That knocks on further inside the machine, like this screen issue potentially caused by lack of overdrive.
You could also be cynical and say Nintendo need to offer some mid life refresh worthy of the name. Everyone knows it'll be some kind of OLED and chipset shrink....
You could also be cynical and say Nintendo need to offer some mid life refresh worthy of the name. Everyone knows it'll be some kind of OLED and chipset shrink....
Yup, they're intentionally gimping this to increase the profit margin for the next 12 months, after which time they'll wait for the hardware costs to decrease. Soon as that happens, they can put those savings towards releasing an OLED version - whilst keeping or increasing that profit margin.
VariableSpike
Posts: 429 +536
Its Nintendo, so they know they can release something with poor hardware so long as it just about plays well because of the exclusive games, the later pokemon games ran like dogwater on the switch 1 and yet people still got one and it still sold tons, Nintendo's first party title pull is at the point where all the hardware department has to do is make a console without critical issues, not much else
amghwk
Posts: 1,713 +1,726
Nintendo is the Apple of consoles - Charging higher prices for lower specs.
But that doesn't stop the zombies from forming the queue and camping the night before release, outside the stores does it?
But that doesn't stop the zombies from forming the queue and camping the night before release, outside the stores does it?
For me, this just highlights how bad 60hz is even with a good monitor. 120hz is SOOO much better and should be the current standard.
GhostLegion
Posts: 172 +175
I’m hardly an Apple-Stan but there are areas where Apple destroys their competition. Feel free to dunk on them for shipping 60hz panels on their phones, it’s deserved. The SOC inside murders Android. You could just as easily point to the AppleTV4K, exceptionally expensive but is widely regarded as the premier streaming box both from a hardware and software perspective.
This switch though…Lordy, it really would be better to just buy a Steam Deck or other handheld console. It’s what I’m going to do for my wife anyways.
Hassanabi
Posts: 58 +89
Can't they simply release a firmware update that increases the voltage and thus fix the slow screen issues? Perhaps even a modder can simply fix this.
Just add it to some high(er) performance preset and lower voltage at battery saver presets.
The HDR part is unlikely to be solved with changes to firmware though.
Just add it to some high(er) performance preset and lower voltage at battery saver presets.
The HDR part is unlikely to be solved with changes to firmware though.
Brutal. No glass on the screen either.
This thing can't keep up with my phone.
This thing can't keep up with my phone.
I purchased it and am quite happy with it. The general consensus over the years from those who enjoyed Switch 1, and even the dissenters, was it needed an upgrade or a pro version. Enter the Switch 2. It's upgraded in, admittedly nearly, every way. I was quite fond of Zelda's, and the 60fps enhancement was quite welcomed. The screen is a bit worse, but not to the point of unplayability.
This won't be everyone's take, I'm sure. But we more or less got exactly what we asked for: A wanted upgrade in hardware abilities. A bit high in price but certainly not the worst console pricing we've seen. I've let go chasing hardware numbers and just enjoy the games on whatever screen, console or hardware they run on. I no longer desire "the best" in all aspects.
As kids, we all have fond memories of games that ran on very dated hardware, TV's, setups, etc, so the Switch 2 is just fine, provided they make good on delivering entertaining software. The launch line up, if anything, is what deserves the real criticism. I'm thankful for upgraded versions of Zelda, but it was certainly lackluster. Again, no day one Mario is disappointing, considering this was once how they defined launches.
This won't be everyone's take, I'm sure. But we more or less got exactly what we asked for: A wanted upgrade in hardware abilities. A bit high in price but certainly not the worst console pricing we've seen. I've let go chasing hardware numbers and just enjoy the games on whatever screen, console or hardware they run on. I no longer desire "the best" in all aspects.
As kids, we all have fond memories of games that ran on very dated hardware, TV's, setups, etc, so the Switch 2 is just fine, provided they make good on delivering entertaining software. The launch line up, if anything, is what deserves the real criticism. I'm thankful for upgraded versions of Zelda, but it was certainly lackluster. Again, no day one Mario is disappointing, considering this was once how they defined launches.
techstrike
Posts: 121 +92
Stoly
Posts: 125 +78
actually, what this shows is that display specs matter, response times and gray to gray are as important as refresh rate.
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YSignal
Posts: 57 +51
Fact is most people don't care about any of this stuff. I do and will not be purchasing this, but most people are fine with the display even though it's kinda crap in 2025 even for an lcd. Appreciate these critical articles though for people like myself that don't call criticism of the S2 "hating"
Except Apple doesn't charge more. Especially when you factor in the 8 years of support, which you'll almost never get on a PC or an Android, let alone with the noname Chinese OEM cr@p galore that cheapskates like to call "good value" with their built-in Chinese spyware and zero support.
I respectfully disagree.
Almost everyone who has normal vision is going to care about excessive motion blur on a device that is designed solely for gaming. This isn't something that only trained eyes will notice.
Agreed.
Every iPhone user I know complains about their phone overheating massively and even shutting down while video chatting. Apple's hardware only performs spectacularly in synthetic benchmarks only.
Sadly I disagree. You can clearly see from the comments here that Nintendo acolytes will buy anything Nintendo spit out, just like Apple addicts will buy anything Apple spew out.
Cracken
Posts: 49 +63
Typical respons, and no offence but it's ignorant to think they do this to increase sale of next upgrade.
Have you calculated loss of sales of this gen and the next due to bad rep and bad reviews due to slow respons time on this LCD screen ? You gotta get that into the conspiracy theory calculation.
There is no way Nintendo is having benefit from bad press like this. Some will avoid the switch and go buy another handheld from a competitor I instead.
Bad choices, overshights, mistakes due happend all the time in electronics, this one is no different and no its not good for sales.
GhostLegion
Posts: 172 +175
Never been a problem for me or those I know. I think the overheating issues are wildly overblown and I had an iPhone 15 Pro. If FaceTiming were really causing shutdowns…that’s be news wouldn’t it? You can hardly say it only performs in synthetic benchmarks only when the MBP and MBA are just so damn good on battery life and performance. Yeah, you pay the Apple tax and I don’t care for MacOS so I’ll never own a MBA/MBP unless Asahi moves beyond Alpha quality but I don’t doubt the quality of the hardware from when I have been forced to use it.
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