Expert Claims Mario Kart World is a ‘Fake HDR’ Title on Nintendo Switch 2 — ‘Even Top Developers Aren’t Taking HDR Seriously’

Alright, let’s dive into this whirlpool of thoughts and insights about Mario Kart World on the Switch 2. So, everyone’s buzzing about this “fake HDR” situation. Yeah, it’s one of those things that tech nerds get super fiery about. If you haven’t seen it, it’s like a digital bonfire over on YouTube. TechTubers doing their thing.

But honestly, I stumbled on this blog by some dude, Alexander Mejia. Can’t say I’ve gone down his rabbit hole before, but hey, he’s got creds from doing that Dolby Vision stuff for Xbox. I guess he knows his electrons from his photons. Mejia’s like, yep, this game’s been feeding us SDR (that’s standard dynamic range) with a crummy HDR slap-on job. Lazy much? I mean, pretending to be HDR without actually, y’know, doing the HDR thing, it’s kinda sad.

Why they marketed this game with 4K60 HDR when it can’t walk the walk? Good question. Mejia’s roasting them saying they’ve got this big fancy dev title, but botched the HDR bit. Oops. Is it just me, or do even the big guys sometimes just… I dunno, wing it?

Okay, rewind. Mejia’s full-on admitting HDR isn’t a cakewalk. No chef uses yesterday’s leftovers and calls it haute cuisine, right? Apparently, if you wanna get that HDR shiny-ness sparkling, you gotta start it right from the blueprint — not just scribble it in last-minute. Makes sense, though — like trying to add glitter glue to a drawing and calling it art. Or maybe that does work sometimes. Whatever.

All the nitty-gritty’s there if you dig testy tech details. Mejia’s test, full gear breakdown, boring until you realize the under-the-hood craziness. And the bright bits? So funny, like, Nintendo’s image peaks at 500 nits. You say 10,000, but give me 500? What a laugh. I remember thinking, if this ain’t comedy, then my grandma bakes pies with holographic crusts. Okay, going off-topic. Focus.

Oh, and those visuals? Locked in an SDR kinda world. Like taking an adventure trip but only visiting the gift shop. Color’s screaming for freedom, but nooo, let’s keep it caged. Mejia’s pics lay the cold, hard truth bare. Sad stuff. Been there with a VHS when I wanted Blu-ray. Seemed like a good comparison at the time?

For anyone drooling over chart details, those captured game peaks? 950 nits tops. You crank console brightness, but this is what you get. It’s like shouting at a brick wall and expecting it to sing. Not vibing with that.

Finally, Mejia, the wise sage of HDR, nudges you to check his consultancy. HDR first systems and all that jazz. Feels like a sales pitch? Sure, but 🤷.

That’s about it. Less of an article, more of a coffee-fueled brain dump on Mario Kart’s HDR mess. Go figure.