From SDR to 'Fake HDR': Mario Kart World on Switch 2

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Do Players Actually Care About HDR and Graphics?

  • Several commenters argue that typical Mario Kart players prioritize fun, framerate, clarity of track elements, and local play over HDR fidelity.
  • Others say they do care about HDR and visuals, especially since Nintendo explicitly marketed HDR for Switch 2.
  • Some players report never consciously noticing banding or tone-mapping issues; others say the washed-out look jumped out immediately.

Disappointment vs Indifference on Mario Kart World HDR

  • A noticeable subset is strongly disappointed: HDR is described as washed out, hard or impossible to calibrate, and “broken” versus expectations set by marketing.
  • Others find the game “Mario enough,” colorful and readable, and are fine with a conservative HDR approach or plan to just turn HDR off.
  • A few are considering switching back to SDR because they suspect it simply looks better.

Nintendo’s Position on Graphics Over Time

  • Debate over whether Nintendo “never” competed on graphics:
    • One side notes NES–GameCube were often near the top of their generations.
    • Others say that since the Wii (20 years ago), Nintendo clearly optimized for art direction, gameplay, and cost instead of raw power.
  • Some argue hardware constraints and broad family demographics make deep HDR investment low priority.

Technical Critiques of Switch 2 HDR Implementation

  • Common complaints: washed-out palette, muted saturation, poor tone mapping; clouds and some UI elements benefit, but most of the scene is flattened.
  • Some suggest the game appears SDR-first with a minimal, possibly flawed HDR pass layered on.
  • HGIG tonemapping and careful TV settings reportedly improve things but don’t fully fix underlying design issues for some users.

HDR Ecosystem and Display Issues

  • Many note that “HDR” on cheap LCDs is often a gimmick: insufficient brightness, poor contrast, bad TV tone mapping.
  • Browser and OS behavior (especially on macOS and some phones) can cause jarring brightness jumps and confusing UX when HDR media appears.
  • Long subthread debates OLED vs FALD LCD: contrast, peak nits, blooming, VRR flicker, and the lack of a perfect display technology.

Design Philosophy and Personal Preferences

  • Some defend a stylized, restrained HDR for a bright cartoon racer to avoid blinding sun or overemphasized effects.
  • Others argue the current result is not just “tasteful” but genuinely bland, failing to use HDR gamut meaningfully.
  • Multiple commenters habitually disable HDR, bloom, lens flare, motion blur, and even music, reflecting distrust of common visual/audio “enhancements.”

Meta and Writing Style

  • A few readers feel the article’s structure and rhetoric resemble LLM-polished prose and find that stylistically off-putting, while others defend AI-assisted editing for non-native writers.