Topic: Switch 2 urgent help needed with display issues when game is in performance vs resolution mode

Ok, I have looked everywhere for help and I haven't found the right answer. I have taken abuse on a couple places but just have a question I don't understand. It may be a silly, easy question but I just need a hand.

I have a 4k Samsung TV. I am playing Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac Switch 2 edition. I currently have my Switch 2 set to Auto resolution. My TV says the dock is outputting at 4K. I play Pac-Man and choose performance vs. resolution mode. However, when checking my TV Game Bar display or just the info setting on my TV it still says outputting in 4K but as I understand performance mode runs in 1080P. If I put my dock manually into 1080P on the dock itself the TV says it is now 1080P.

Is the game supposed to change the dock's resolution to output 1080P as opposed to 4K when you change the setting in game? I'm just not seeing or understanding where the 1080P aspect comes into play.

The nearest I can figure is the Switch 2 upscales so when I play in resolution mode it's pure 4K but in performance mode the game is set to 1080P but the Switch 2 displays it as 4K but not pure?

My TV and Switch 2 are under warranty and I doubt this is a hardware issue but I'll be darned if I can't figure this out. If I put my dock

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

@figureguy I wouldn't confuse the console video output signal with the game's resolution. Just because the switch 2's output signal may be 4k, the game is only going to run at the resolution that the developers set it for.

In nintendolife's review for Pac-Man Re-Pac switch 2 edition, it says the game's quality mode is 30fps 4k, while performance mode is 60fps 1080p. https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch-2/pac-ma...

edit: On rare occasion it is true, sometimes the switch's output resolution doesn't always match the tv, a flaw of the switch system. The switch is supposed to sense the tv's resolution, but every once in a while, someone may post that switch system may select a lower resolution than the tv's resolution. So far, there isn't a way to force a higher resolution output if it's not visible in switch settings.

(forgive me if I misunderstood your post)

Thank you for responding.

In your edit, you say switch but for clarity did you mean Switch 2?

I don't think you misunderstood at all but I have had a hard time asking exactly what I am looking to understand.

I read the review about performance vs. resolution on here.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to be clear as I'm not sure. Basically the Switch 2 says it's running at 4k but the game is actually running at the setting I set it to in the menu? The game is the true indicator, not the system? That would make sense but I thought by changing the game's setting the system menu would reflect the new resolution and not just keep saying 4k because you can change it manually. I thought the game had the control to change the system itself. Because I was looking to the TV or system to confirm that changing the setting actually took effect.

I was also confused because in my research all 4K TVs enable some sort of upscaling, so I didn't know if the upscaling of the TV kept having it say it was 4K even if it wasn't pure but an upscale.

@figureguy It's true for both switch 1 and 2. For the sake of performance, many games are being rendered at resolutions lower than what the console is outputting.

Thank you for answering. So if the game has performance or resolution mode, set it to whichever I prefer and ignore the numbers side of it? Don't worry about the TV or Switch 2 Dock for what resolution says? Sorry if I am having a hard time wrapping my time around this I don't mean to waste anyone's effort. It just bugs me that I can't confirm what I'm actually outputting at. The TV is new and well researched and so is the Switch 2 and I figured if there was an issue with either hardware I am covered.

Basically you can see it as the the switch taking whatever resolution the game uses and stretching each pixel to output 4K anyway.

Okay I think I understand now. When you chose performance mode at 1080P I thought the dock should change it's output to 1080P. But I don't think that's possible and that is what I thought the game might be able to do. The game scales down itself through the software to 1080P and then is output by the Switch's 4K at a 'pseudo' 1080P. Then resolution mode just displays regular pure 4K. Is that right?

Return to Best Buy and Samsung sells some QLED 32 inch 1080p 60fps TVs. As much as we were sold DLSS and upscaling native resolution still looks the best. Accept this reality and you will be a happy person. Reject it like me and my 98 inch 4k 120fps tv and you will become angry and bitter at people telling you it’s “good enough” and “vote with your wallet”. Vote with your wallet for sanity purposes is buying a 32 inch QLED 1080p TV.

Thanks for reaching out.

I can't return it, I bought it online at ABT.com on a HECK of a deal. Price Match for my employee discoutn program that includes Samsung, promotional discount, $50 Samsung Trade in deal without actually having to trade in anything and a 5 year warranty. I can't reject it based on the cash perspective.

My first 'premium' gaming TV purchase was a Panasonic 37" Viera 1080P. Loved that TV until l ran out of HDMI ports as it only had two. Now I not only have all 4 used (DVR, Fire TV, Switch 2, Soundbar) but the soundbar has 2 HDMI inputs so I have my BluRay connected through that. But I was so happy with that and it was a simpler time. None of that there phone 'app' nonsense and game systems still used component inputs.

Stupid upscaling should just have an 'off' button. Period. I found a guideline on line late last night for how to 'turn down' the upscaling as best as you can. It's gonna have to be enough and I did it all. Fingers crossed.

It's important to understand that you cannot completely disable upscaling on a 4K TV like the Samsung S90D when feeding it a lower resolution signal (like 1080p or 1440p) from a video game system. The TV must perform some form of upscaling to fill its entire 4K screen.

However, you can effectively minimize the TV's processing effects by ensuring you are using the optimal settings for gaming:

Use Game Mode (Essential):

Action: Go to Settings > All Settings > Connection > Game Mode Settings.

Effect: Game Mode automatically disables most of the TV's intensive picture processing and "AI" features, including the more advanced, latency-inducing parts of the upscaling algorithm (like motion smoothing or noise reduction), to achieve the lowest possible input lag.

Turn Off Advanced Picture Enhancement Settings:

Even in Game Mode, check the Picture Expert Settings and ensure features that can interfere with the picture are disabled:

Sharpness: Set this to 0 or as low as possible. Higher sharpness is essentially over-processing and can make the upscaled image look unnatural.

Contrast Enhancer: Set to Off.

Motion Smoothing (Game Motion Plus): Ensure this is Off for the lowest latency, especially for fast-paced competitive games. If you're playing a slower, cinematic game, you can experiment with this, but it will increase input lag.

Disable "Intelligent Mode" and "AI Customization":

The S90D uses the NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor, and its advanced AI Upscaling is usually tied to the TV's "Intelligent Mode" or "AI Customization Mode."

Action: Go to Settings > General & Privacy > Intelligent Mode Settings and ensure Intelligent Mode and AI Customization Mode are set to Off. This prevents the TV from applying dynamic, AI-based enhancements that are part of its most aggressive upscaling.

By enabling Game Mode and turning off these other image processing features, you ensure the TV is using its most basic, fastest upscaling method, which is necessary for a good gaming experience.