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From SDR to 'Fake HDR': Mario Kart World on Switch 2
Nintendo's Switch 2, launched with Mario Kart World, suffers from inadequate HDR implementation despite industry standards. The game qualifies "fake HDR," using SDR-first methods that limit color and dynamic range. Developers must prioritize HDR from the outset to truly leverage its potential and enhance visual quality, avoiding static tone mapping pitfalls.
This can happen due to lower bit-depth precision when blending this texture, or utilizing R9G9B9E5 as a back buffer to reduce memory bandwidth which requires extra care like dithering needed to cover up these transitions. Technical Artists have to compromise, usually in a rush by making a single static tonemapping curve for HDR, and lock the color gamut to Rec.709 intentionally bringing their game look closer to SDR. Competitive titles are raising the bar – Games like Call of Duty Warzone, and Godfall: Ultimate Edition are exceeding 1,000 nits peak brightness and have wider color gamuts.
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