Nintendo Switch 2’s display is even worse than previously thought

Even though the Nintendo Switch 2 has been selling like hot cakes, it is not free of criticism and hardware flaws. It was noticed earlier that the display is not all that it was cracked up to be and that the reason why Nintendo decided to go with an LCD instead of an OLED didn’t feel justified. Now, a detailed review of the handheld has revealed even more problems with the screen, making it feel worse than the original Switch.

Digital Foundry posted its in-depth review (see below) of the Switch 2 on June 21 and talked about how bad the display actually is. The response times of the pixels are slower on the Switch 2 which leads to blurring and trailing. This is most noticeable in side-scrollers where fast paced movements are required from left to right. John Linneman from Digital Foundry noted that the response times are worse than the original Switch, which shouldn’t be the case.

Furthermore, HDR was also found to be lackluster due to the brightness limitations of the display. This was noted in an earlier display review as well since there is a backlight that washes out the blacks and ruins the contrast ratio. The difference between HDR on and off in games is minimal at best.

The reviewers found that VRR and LFC (Low-framerate compensation) does work, at least in the Welcome Tour. Upon testing Hitman World of Assassination, it was found that there was jerkiness and frame drops to the 30 to 35 FPS range, suggesting that VRR isn’t working properly with LFC under 40 Hz, despite what the Welcome Tour shows. Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky had a similar story.

There is some good news though. The implementation of VRR can be improved which could lead to a more consistent experience in more demanding games. So can the motion blur issues with the help of something like ‘Overdrive.’ But as it stands now, the Switch 2’s display is worse in some cases than the original Switch and the Switch OLED.