Sure, here you go:
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So, here’s the thing. Mario Kart World on the new Switch 2? Yeah, there’s some hot gossip about it sorta messing up the whole HDR thing. Tech folks are throwing around words like “fake HDR,” and I’m just sitting here like, “What even is that?” Anyway, a tech guru named Alexander Mejia – who, by the way, knows his HDR stuff – says they used some kinda “SDR-first” way to make it, slapping on HDR at the end. I dunno, sounds like putting ice cream on a waffle and calling it a sundae. But what do I know?
Here’s where it gets kinda dicey. They’re marketing this game as a 4K60 HDR masterpiece. Sounds fancy, right? Except Mejia reckons even top game makers (lookin’ at you, Nintendo) aren’t really getting HDR. Like, at all. Honestly, it’s like they’re trying to bake a cake but forgot the flour. HDR’s weird, though – even Mejia says so. His big advice? Start using HDR from day one. Not when you’re about to hit the store shelves. Makes sense, I guess. Not that I’d know, my cakes always crumble.
There’s a section you might like – or I just think so ’cause I’m a nerd for this stuff.
Okay, picture this: big ol’ graph of brightness nits. What’s a nit? Heck if I know, but sounds science-y. Mejia went all Sherlock Holmes on his Switch and found Nintendo’s test isn’t even hitting 500 nits. And yet they promise “10,000 nits peak.” It’s why trust issues exist, right? Even if you crank the console all the way up, it just doesn’t hit those highs. The game’s a riot of colors, but stuck in SDR land. You know, like using crayons when you’ve got a box of fancy markers.
Get this – there’s a comparison with Godfall on XBOX. But I won’t torture you with more numbers and screens, unless that’s your thing.
Bottom line, what I’m really feeling is, maybe even the best game makers are still juggling with HDR blindfolded. If you’re a developer, give Mejia’s consultancy a call. Apparently, he’s got the secret sauce for HDR pipelines and other tech magic. And yeah, this is me plugging in his deal because, well, it’s in the notes.
Before I go off the rails any further, catch Tom’s Hardware on Google News if you like keeping up with the latest tech tidbits. No promises on HDR nits, though.
