Nintendo Apologises For "Error" With Mention Of Switch 2 VRR TV Support

So these arcade archives games won’t be available on regular switch?

It's so refresh( rate)ing to see Nintendo actually embrace new technology, rather than being stuck on PS3-level power since 2012.

Remember when the Wii U was considered powerful? Yeah, me neither.

@HotGoomba it didn’t need to be powerful to run this. The original switch could.

I wish this game could come to the regular Switch

@sixrings I am not referring to Ridge Racer. Ridge Racer can probably run on a toaster oven. I am not shocked that Ridge Racer can run on Switch 2. Not publicly, at least.

I'm taking about Variable Refresh Rate, as it's the feature talked about in the article. Ridge Racer is just used as an example.

@sixrings They did an ACA2 release of King of Fighters 98 recently that was exclusive to PS5 and Series X/S.

You can bet they're going to do this with these 3D Arcade titles.

@HotGoomba
Two things. Firstly, the Wii U was in many respects the most powerful console when it launched. It was somewhat CPU limited which resulted in odd scenarios where some Wii U ports could be visually well ahead of PS3/360 but have framerate issues. And a year after launch the PS4/XBOne released. But still, it was alright at the time. Arguably similar in relative performance to what Switch 2 is delivering here

Secondly, VRR isn't new technology. VRR has been around for over 10 years and became part of the HDMI standard in 2017. Too late for the Switch obviously but it's far from new tech. To be blunt, the idea that VRR wasn't going to happen for Switch 2 is and always was kinda nonsense. It's a gaming focused advancement that has become a standard part of modern displays. A tech that is mostly useful for lower end hardware that can't achieve a locked max framerate. Of course Nintendo, a game making company developing a hybrid console, was going to embrace it

@skywake VRR is new for Nintendo. It's not a new technology, but it's a new pair of pants for them.

And I know that the Wii U was technically the most powerful console on the market for about a year. I think I would've heard more hype about it if people weren't confused on if it was a Wii accessory or not.

I'm just happy for my favorite outdated gaming company.

@HotGoomba
That's fair. Just making the point that calling this new tech is only really accurate in the same sense that you might've exclaimed that the Wii U was using new tech because it has a HDMI cable rather than a composite AV cable in the box. I mean yeah, sure, technically it is the most modern standard. But the alternative would've been going out of their way to ignore a very low cost, very big win by just supporting the current standard

Which was never happening and it's strange to me that some people seriously entertained the idea that it might

Glad they thought about this, otherwise the stuttering would have been something else on the Switch 2 demanding games.

Hamster announced the Arcade Archives 2 series last summer, at their 10th anniversary live event. But the series debuted just a few weeks ago, starting with KOF ‘98 I think. AA2 was only announced for PS5 and the current Xboxes, so I’m glad to learn it’s coming to NS2!

If I remember right, AA2 games differ from original AA games in that they have online co-op / vs play, a speed run mode with online leaderboards, and other new settings. AA2 games cost a little more than AA releases, maybe $12 vs $8. As a kind gesture to the fans who already bought the original Arcade Archives version of KOF ‘98, Hamster allows you to upgrade to the Archive Archive 2 version for less, about $4, I think.

I’m curious now if OG Ake-Aka games will be playable on Switch Deux. I imagine so, but hopefully Hamster prez Hamada-san will share more details during the weekly Arcade Archives livestream tomorrow. This week’s game is another Namco title, Assault Plus, so I’m sure the Namco guests will be happy to chat about Ridge Racer, too. 😁

Are they killing off AA1 once AA2 releases games on the new switch?

Nice, hopefully we get some smooth Sega arcade racers with these same specs in the futures. Scud Race and Sega Rally would run so well using this.

@KnightRider666 Other than the updated emulator they are using for AA2 games, I think your old AA1 games should be compatible for play on Switch 2, they just won't get the updated features.

@skywake I’ll give ya two good reasons why people didn’t think of VRR or think Nintendo would embrace it. Firstly, Steam Deck and Legion Go don’t use it, but Asus Ally does. So as far as handhelds go it’s not widely adopted. And only on a $800 handheld

Secondly, and more importantly, I don’t think anyone expected a 120hz lcd on Switch 2, which is nearly required to make a more seamless experience. Which is why Legion (60hz) and SD OLED (90hz) don’t make use of VRR.

@Dm9982
Steam Deck probably doesn't support it because HDMI and Linux don't really play nice. The Switch 2 being a mass market, high production device is a bit of a different beast. Also to say the docked experience for Steam Deck is secondary would be vastly overselling it. It doesn't even have a 16:9 aspect ratio, you can do it but that's not really the point of it

The Switch (and Switch 2) is a hybrid mass market console. It's both. It was going to support VRR. It just was. And I think the fact that people up until just a couple of days ago were dismissing entirely the possibility of 120Hz, VRR, HDR and 4K? I think that says more about their biases than it does about Nintendo

Hamster is gonna cook this gen!

@Serpenterror What I meant was are they going to stop making AA games for the switch 1 once the switch 2 comes out?

VRR seems like a no brainer for the built-in screen. Good thing they support this. But on a TV in 4K60 mode this is not going to work I'm afraid. HDMI VRR requires HDMI 2.1 support, 4K60 seems to indicate the Switch 2 only has HDMI 2.0. Freesync is possible over 4K60 but with a limited range of 48-60 I believe. Also good luck getting this to work when using an AVR in between like me.

Hate to go off topic, but since Ridge is a System 22 game, is there a chance we'll see Namco's early polygonizer-board games? Winning Run, Air Combat?

@G4n0nD0rf Rumours indicate the S2 dock supports HDMI 2.1. Google "Realtek RTD2175N-CG" for more info.

Variable ray what?

Good. I was surprised but extremely happy to hear the Switch 2 will support 120hz. I assume 120hz will be supported in docked mode too, at the sacrifice of resolution. I’ve seen conflicting info saying that docked will only support 4k/60hz but this sounds more like you have the option to select 1080p/120hz in docked. I hope so as I have a 120hz tv and it would feel like such a waste otherwise.

What stuck out to me was the lack of a 540p output in tv mode. I run my switch into an arcade cabinet which uses an arcade CRT. Guess that won't work anymore with the switch 2!!!

Is the screen VRR, or this just support for VRR monitors when docked?

“ Furthermore, VRR support has been added, enabling more accurate reproduction of the original arcade game’s experience."”
Curious what they mean about this, some arcade games would run at oddball frame rates in the 50-60hz range due to the monitors they used, not sure what Ridge Racer was locked to but having VRR means it can natively run at that instead of having a periodic stutter due to frame pacing.

@Largren Yes, docked supports 1080p/120fps.

The highlight of all the announcements for me. Even the mighty Steam Deck OLED does not have VRR. This is significant.

@Qwiff That would be nice, but I don't think VRR works with LFC in 4K/60 mode. We'll see...

The game looks absolutely brilliant. I hope it gets released to anything else than Switch 2. The fact that PS5 is not getting it is the most "2020's" thing I can think of

@skywake I think you missed his point!

Nintendo is notorious for cutting costs wherever they can to increase profit margins on their consoles and keep the price down.

Honestly, Everyone expected just a bog standard 1080p 60fps LCD panel at the launch for Switch 2, with an inevitable OLED version down the road.... because you know.... Nintendo.

So that the launch Switch 2 has a 1080p LCD screen "WITH" 120FPS, HDR and VRR is simply amazing coming from Nintendo.
As DF pointed out, because of HDR support it might even be a cutting edge mini-LED LCD panel.

At least this would justify the higher price of the Switch 2 and I gladly pay it.

So yeah, its actually quite amazing and refreshing to see that Nintendo is finally trying to catch up and embrace the available/new technology.

@Jeronan
Don't get me wrong, it's great that it has it and it's certainly at the higher end of possible outcomes display wise. But I think people generally misunderstand Nintendo's approach to hardware design. They're not about being cheap or cutting costs or releasing low spec hardware. They're just more of an Nintendo internal game development first platform builder

Nintendo has certainly made some hardware design choices over the years that haven't aligned with what the competition was doing. But other than maybe the decision to not go with optical media, which was one born out of a corporate grudge, I can't think of an example where they've gone out of their way to be cheap to the detriment of the gaming experience possible on the class of hardware they were delivering at that point in time

120Hz, VRR, 4K output, HDR..... these are all fairly tangible benefits to the gaming experience. They're not bleeding edge, they've been around for years. And given how far display tech and display IO has advanced they're not at all particularly hard to achieve at a price appropriate for that class of SoC

I get that this is a good outcome, I get that it was possible they could've gone cheaper. It wouldn't have been that shocking to me if the screen had been lesser. But also.... people are acting like this is a revelation after only a few days ago thinking it was pie in the sky fanboy wishlist nonsense. And from my perspective that reaction is kinda bonkers

This is good.... but it shouldn't be a shock

@Dm9982 Legion Go is actually 144 hz making it an amazing handheld device, and that is correct it doesn’t have VRR. I’m very excited the Switch 2 is 120 hz, and honestly quite surprised Nintendo did it. This will be one of the best technical features of the system.

@NeoGee How did you connect the HDMI-out of the Switch to the video-in of your CRT?
And how on earth did you get the control panel of your cab to work as a Switch controller?😮

@Warlenos Thanks for the correction! I couldn’t find any more data than what Google provided me, and I don’t personally own a Legion Go (tho I debated it!)

@skywake Yeah it wasn’t honestly about me thinking Nintendo was cutting costs or being cheap, rather than curious about what type of LCD they were going to incorporate into the system. Prior to yesterday’s reveal we knew nothing of the LCD or Dock capabilities.

Considering VRR has been around for awhile on the pc front, but only just recently (last 3-5 years) been adopted on consoles, it was certainly a welcome surprise during the reveal. I’ve heard such good things about it in the Ally reddit, and personally have not experienced it (haven’t been a pc gamer in 15 years until I got a SD last Sept).

Hell even TVs that support VRR haven’t been around THAT long. I’m rocking a Samsung KS8500 from 2017ish that doesn’t support it. I’m sure a lot of console gamers haven’t upgraded screens as 4k/60fps is enough for most.

Heck on Series X I’ve only got one game I know for sure supports it; Mh Wilds, and I can’t even take advantage of it.

So it’s less about biases I would say, more about knowledge of what it is and it’s availability to the common console gamer.

@Gryzor pretty simple really!
First set your tv output to 540p and change the color output (don't remember what it's called but you only have 2 or 3 options)
Second: Connect your hdmi out to a hdmi to VGA adapter WITH a 3.5mm output jack (important)- such an adapter splits the hdmi signal in video and audio. You then connect the audio jack on the switch to the arcade amp with a simple 3.5mm male, 3.5mm cable.
Third: connect the vga adapter part of the hdmi-VGA adapter to a VGA gender changer (male to female I believe) and connect your arcade monitor (male vga out) to the VGA gender changer.
All in all you only need two little, cheap adapters and a cable and presto!

Oyea for the controller I use a brooks fightboard. It is a plug and play solution to map arcade buttons to switch buttons. Works like a charm. This one was a bit more expensive but worth it.

@sixrings That's why it's called ARCADE ARCHIVES 2. HAMSTER has been the best in bringing PORTED arcade and Neo-Geo games for the original Switch. Let's hope they continue adding more arcade greatness for Nintendo Switch 2.

@NeoGee Awesome. Thank you for the detailed description.
I’m considering doing the same, by tossing a Nintendo Switch into my Taito Egret cab with a tri-sync monitor.👍🏻

VRR is definitely cutting-edge tech, so this is fascinating news
Now we just need to confirm a single use of upscaling technology (to be specific, Nvidia's DLSS) in any of Switch 2's games to have a further analysis of the level of hardware here.

@Gryzor edited my reponse a bit, had to open my cab since it had been a while! If you decide to go ahead and run into issues, send me a message.
Taito egret? The holy unicorn of arcade cabs!!! Beautiful.

@NeoGee Will do. Thank you so much for going through the trouble of opening your cab.
Been happy with my Egret3 for years.❤️ I just don’t perform as well with a Nintendo controller, as I do with a Sanwa arcade panel.😅

@sixrings No. Hence why it says archives 2 and Switch 2.

@Largren

HDMI 2.0 supports 1440p@120hz. So 1080p@120 max is incorrect.

HDMI 2.1 is needed for up to 4k@120hz.

And the settings screen on the Switch 2 clearly shows selectable resolutions from 720p up to 4k (including 1440p). So it should support 1440p@120hz even if it’s only HDMI 2.0.

What is VRR anyway? And what does it do?

It being NVIDIA G-SYNC and only that would be a problem not sure how many TVs support it, the norm for them is AMD’s Freesync and HDMI Forum VRR so if those aren’t available at launch I can see why they might just not have VRR on TVs at all until a update adds them.
@TrueBlueYoshi
A TV will set its frame rate automatically to match the current frame rate of a a game as opposed to VSync where when the frame rate dips the current frame is held for uneven amounts of time which is otherwise known as stutter or judder.

@SalvorHardin Agreed. Lots of monitors support VRR but only a select amount of smart TVs have the feature.

I'm sure we'll new lines of TV in the coming year or so supporting the tech. It will still be handy for those that play consoles on monitors.

I'm pretty sure it's a feature they are still working on, but they removed it from their websites because it won't be available at launch. VRR wasn't a launch feature with PS5 and Steam Deck, but was added until later, from a number of months (PS5) to over a year and a half (SD).

It is very likely that Switch 2's dock uses HDMI 2.1. HDMI 2.0 supports 4k60 and 1440p120, but not with HDR because adding it to those requires at least 20Gbps. HDMI 2.0 is limited to 18Gbps. Plus, ALLM is a feature not available with HDMI 2.0.

I was under the impression the whole time that VRR is supported in handheld mode, but TV mode only supports 120hz output. But who knows?

@Discostew Fully agree to your description! The HDMI chip has not enough bandwidth, and HDMI VRR is not implemented yet (while the internal display uses Nvidia‘s superior G-Sync).

In the end, it will be a solution like „HDMI 2.1 feature set, but not fulfilling the minimal 2.1 bandwidth“.

@TrueBlueYoshi VRR presents the framerate on the screen in which it is rendered in the computer/console, and especially also odd framerates.

So if your game is rendered in e.g. 40 fps and displayed on a standard 60 Hz screen without VRR, the screen will show two new picures and a pause, two new pictures and a pause, … It visibly stutters!

With VRR, this display can‘t only show 60 Hz, but (in theory, simplified) all lower values, and this highly dynamically. Therefore no pauses: It doesn’t stutter.

This technology is especially useful for a device like NS2 with its limited performance compared to the upcoming big PS5 ports, because it makes playing these games much less of a pain in sections with bad framerates (< 30 fps).

So were Nintendo telling porkies and S2 doesn’t really support VRR?

I was under the impression VRR was handheld only...hence me asking if it would work on a TV / Monitor.

We'll see I guess.

So they lied is what you’re saying

@danzoEX no dude, it’s still on the spec

@datamonkey it supports it in handheld. On docked mode it may come later.

@NeoGee To be fair, that's a VERY nice usecase. And I love it!

To think there are people out there just routinely refreshing the product page - just to see if anything changes - with a screenshot of the original page prepared lest anything happens.

Cool ass dudes. Stone cold.

@Scollurio thanks! One cab runs all the shmup games and my other runs (mostly capcom) fighters. Occasionally I plugin a Mister FPGA. Sucks if the switch 2 won't support 540p output!

How is this game not also on OG Switch ???

What? No comprendez

@HotGoomba
Wii U were the most powerful console for 1 year.
It launched 1 year before Xbox and PS4.

@B3RTAY
On Twitter there are people who must have some weird mental disorder as they screenshot any post right away and have 1000's of them stored to use them against people sooner or later.

If you fix a spelling error, they post a screenshot of the post before being fixed.

"Didn't you already post this?"...

@RupeeClock I personally wouldn’t label these people internet archivists or historians in a thousand lifetimes.

To me they systematically take any form of joy or excitement out of a console release in the name of a bit of social media clout.

When I think back to how people used to react to a new console, even as recent as the Wii and compare it to the sheer, inescapable negativity of the past weeks?…Sweet Christ.

Maybe Nintendo was just covering their behinds for all the people like myself who don't own tvs that support VRR?

The whole HDMI thing has always been a bit technical to me. How many people know what version of HDMI their TV has? 🤷‍♂️

@Greatluigi Variable Refresh Rate, I think.

@Toastmaster Yes, the leap between the Wii and the Wii U was massive.

@Strumpan

Even more if it didn't have to process 2 screens at the same time which were a bit demanding in several games, so they had to lower TV resolution to 720p in those games because of it.

@Toastmaster I addressed this in a previous message, so I'll just requote it.

"And I know that the Wii U was technically the most powerful console on the market for about a year. I think I would've heard more hype about it if people weren't confused on if it was a Wii accessory or not."

@HotGoomba

Yeah. Media were busy flaming Wii U, except for more or less two times.

The "Luigi Stare" on Wii U sure went viral and made sure everyone knew Wii U existed.

Super Mario Maker had a lot of hype on Wii U for a long time, while it had no hype at all on Switch.

Still didn't affect the console sales much.

@RupeeClock It is very likely that the dock uses HDMI 2.1, given that HDMI 2.0 is just out of range of being able to handle 4k60+HDR, as that requires at least 20Gbps vs HDMI 2.0's 18Gbps limit. The system supporting ALLM when docked is also an indication of it using HDMI 2.1. Using this version of HDMI means Forum VRR is supported, and has no added royalties attached, afaik.

But, the Switch 2 system isn't sending out an HDMI signal to the dock. It is sending out a DisplayPort signal (via DP Alt Mode through USB-C), which the dock then converts to HDMI to output to an external display. This causes a problem with G-Sync to compatible external displays because G-Sync can't be used through such conversions. It has to be a direct connection of DP-to-DP (which includes DP Alt Mode to DP). Unless the dock supports some proprietary means of converting to HDMI, G-Sync to external display via conversion is not happening.

But VRR? That is supported through conversion, so for Nintendo to have it listed only to start removing it, to me, sounds like it's not going to be ready in time for launch.

it would be rather weird if VRR is supported on the handheld screen but not on a connected compatible tv

@Discostew Yeah, I suspect it's probably a feature they planned but they discovered some issue late so it'll be disabled for launch. I bet it'll be enabled some point with a firmware update.

since they took out the screen feature they should drop the price

Why support 120hz without VRR? Don't make no sense.

Where does VRR come into play???

@DanElectrode Your probably right there.

How strange?

Being interesting to see the actual reason for this.

I hope Switch 2 supports VRR for Switch 2 games as my new gaming TV arrived yesterday. My PS5 supports it so i can stil enjoy the VRR feature.

Can't wait for people to do tear down videos of Switch 2 and game comparison videos 😍

@Ultimapunch While monitors have had VRR for years, TV having that feature are still new. That may be why they removed it. Not everyone is going to buy an expensive smart TV with that feature.

That being said, there are plenty of console gamers, such as myself, that play their consoles on monitors. Monitors can handle high FPS a lot better then TV. At least from my experience.

@Shade_Koopa my LG CX has VRR and is literally half a decade old now. It wasn’t the first TV to have VRR either, the even older LG C9 also has it. That point was valid when XSX/PS5 launched but 120Hz/VRR support is fairly widespread on all but the cheapest TVs these days.

Super disappointing. I really hope this is only a temporary issue. VRR is so beneficial to gaming.

@HotGoomba If you implying that Switch 1 was PS3-level in performance, than I have a bridge to sell you. 🫤 No. A flat no.

@electrolite77 Also let's not forget the general bias against Nintendo that the Western gaming media has had since at least the GameCube era; "Nintendo's going 3rd party any day now!" "Is the GC Nintendo's last console?!?!" and all that BS. If YouTube had existed in 2000, there would be a million videos of angry YouTubers ranting about how the downfall of Nintendo was imminent.
Most Publishers didn't even try with the Wii U. The system showed it had potential running major third party titles like Assassin's Creed 3 and 4 and Arkham City. Publishers would always say "oh just grow the installed base and we'll support you", but that caveat is never required with Playstation or Xbox. And then we saw how well the switch sold, and still a lot of major series that could have run just fine on the Switch, like Call of Duty or battlefield, those never came either. That proved how full of 💩 these publishers always were. We still never found out what happened to that "unprecedented partnership" with EA. 🤔

Games looking smoother in handheld mode would blow my mind lol.

@EVIL-C Nintendo's bad relationship actually started way back with the SNES because of the cartridge prices that publishers needed to pay Nintendo for. With the N64 they lost most publishers to the competitors, mainly because they didn't went with discs while developers asked them to do. This resulted in that developers needed to highly compress their games and again pay for more expensive cartridges. With the GameCube they tried to win them back and at first it got good support but because they opted for their own smaller discs they lost support quickly.

Nintendo never really recovered third party support from this time, even with it's succes of the Wii and Switch, they always had the lowest support because from third party because of the inferior hardware or choices for game storage. Unfortunately this might and will possible happen with the Switch 2. Developers just don't want to invest in good compression for lower hardware, at least not for their multi-platform games.

@Cakefish Not as widespread as you think. Those TVs with such support are pricey. Cheaper to get a monitor instead.

How much point is there in 120hz/vrr being restricted to handheld only, when Steam Deck will likely outperform Switch 2 as a handheld, anyway? Did Nintendo not put a full bandwidth hdmi 2.1 port in the dock? Thay should have, they're certainly charging for it.

@electrolite77 Correct. The low memory bandwidth of the Wii U was its biggest problem. Only ~13Gb/sec, compared to ~22Gb/sec for X360.

Most likely, the removal of the mention of docked VRR output has to do with lack of support on most TVs. They don't want to advertise the feature too prominently. Apparently, the PS5 has problems with VRR output in some games, so it may be smart to keep this feature low profile anyway.

Personally, I don't care about docked VRR since my TV does not support it and I'm not upgrading it anytime soon. Having VRR as a core feature will pay dividends over time, however. It really is a game changer.

@Cakefish “ 120Hz/VRR support is fairly widespread on all but the cheapest TVs these days.”

Even the cheapest TVs have it now.. You can pick up a Vizio for $158 from Walmart and it will have VRR. The only way to find a tv without vrr now is to go looking for one specifically without it.

@SalvorHardin “ It being NVIDIA G-SYNC and only that would be a problem not sure how many TVs support it, the norm for them is AMD’s Freesync and HDMI Forum VRR”

Nvidia changed this 5 years back or so… Gsync will basically now work on any VRR capable display. It no longer need to have a specific Gsync module to work. My 4090 enables VRR when plugged in my Samsung QN85D tv which is just HDMI VRR display, and on my Alienware aw3423dwf which is freesync.

Do people not have anything better to do than scour websites 24/7?

@electrolite77 Ports to Wii U from 360 ran worse because devs tried to port to it as if it was a 360. As much as the 360 has a tri-core CPU, it essentially only uses one core for the game logic, as one is dedicated to the OS, and the last one handles audio processing because the system does not have its own dedicated audio chip. The Wii U runs its OS on a separate dual-core ARM CPU, and has a DSP for audio, leaving all 3 of the cores on the main CPU accessible to devs. So it's not converting a game running on a tri-core 3.2Ghz CPU to a tri-core 1.24Ghz CPU. It's converting a game running on a single-core 3.2Ghz to a tri-core 1.24Ghz. Developed with single-core high performance in mind, that makes it incredibly hard to transform it to being multi-core friendly. Hence they aren't (or can't) make use of Wii U's stronger design.

@AverageGamer That is because they have G-Sync, and G-Sync Compatible. The former does a lot more than the latter in terms of range and capabilities, like going all the way down to 1hz among other things. The latter is meant for more compatibility when not connecting to a display that has G-Sync in it, but doesn't have the full range and capabilities of it.

@Discostew Yeah, I know, the difference between compatible, normal, and ultimate monikers. But that doesn’t even really matter anymore… I could easily count the amount of monitors on my hands that supported gsync before Nvidia made the change, and now the number hasn’t increased… Cause no sane manufacturer is gonna add a $300 hardware component to their monitor for such a tiny benefit.

I don't know why we expected VRR using the dock.
Not really sure how that would work (especially over HDMI 2.0)

Perhaps using Freesync? (I would sort of find it amusing to see a device rocking an Nvidia SOC that only supports an AMD VRR solution) there could possibly be a license issue as well, perhaps?

However there might possibly be another issue here.
No version of the USB‑C specification natively carries HDMI 2.1 signals. VRR probably wouldn't work without special hardware in the dock to translate signals from DisplayPort with VRR to HDMI 2.1 with VRR (if that is even possible)
The only other solution I see is using Freesync

I think Nintendo recently discovered the word variable in the dictionary and made it their favourite

Switch 2 is not full of new technology. The technology might be new to Nintendo and Nintendo only gamers, but for everyone else, it's old news.

This is all very strange by Nintendo!

Hopefully we get an official answer soon.

@G4n0nD0rf yes. I run a BenQ gaming projector thru a denon AVR. Top of the line avr from 2015, Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.0a I think I'm not going to get variable rate refresh working. But I'm ok with 30fps and 60fps. If I read right, VRR send to work best with odd 1440p resolution 120fps mode?

@DaniPooo "I don't know why we expected VRR via the dock."
Maybe, because Nintendo promised it, and then retroactively erased the mention. Let's not pretend it's technically impossible. The usb-c ports could have hit the usb-4 specification, if Nintendo had the intention. That caps out at 40gb bandwidth, sufficient for 4k/120hz. There are already cables available that can connect USB4 to hdmi 2.1. Nintendo wouldn't have had to invent anything to make it happen, and the port, if it is only hdmi 2.0, obviously should have been 2.1, if Nintendo genuinely intended to provide vrr to external displays. They have literally no excuse, outside of incompetence or bad faith marketing. None.

@WhiteUmbrella Did they actually ever mention that the dock has VRR out? I only remember them talking about the built in screen supporting VRR.

"The usb-c ports could have hit the usb-4 specification" sure, and we don't know that it doesn't. I agree that the HDMI port should have been 2.1. But from what I heard even before the direct, it's 2.0.. And that's a problem for VRR via the dock. If that is indeed the case.

I am not defending Nintendo here, I just didn't expect VRR through HDMI 2.0.

I would be delighted if all this is just misunderstandings and marketing teams messing up, We'll soon find out

I suspect this comes into issue with Switch 1 games that don't need updates to play on Switch 2. This would sound plausible is the big issue and until those publishers or Nintendo can find work around it was just safe for now to remove wording or they actually hardware disabled that and will create firmware that will auto-on or auto-off VRR for games that can't use that feature on-the-fly SWITCHing(pun).

My Rog Allyx has the exactly same Switch 2 screen, 120hz vrr 1080p.

The screen is great, but...

My Steam Oled screen is much better.

I dont know if this 120hz vrr screen is a great thing. The oled still looks better here.

If i play the games, side by side, the oled screen is the winner.

@DaniPooo can we not with excuses? Xbox with the One S had VRR in August of 2016. Almost a decade ago another company figured it out via HDMI on console. They are working with THE BEST PC hardware company Nvidia for multiple decades now, I'm sure they can figure out a solution.

This will be a huge letdown if Nintendo doesn't get VRR working into the dock. This is a huge reason for me to even upgrade to 2 to play lots of Switch 1 games at max framerates (30 fps) or the games with 60fps modes VRR would take of any rogue dips.

It's always something with Nintendo. Always.
Can we not want Nintendo to do better? Sounds like a weird thing to say but some people here are just like "it's fine", well for $500 console we should want Nintendo to do better if we are forking over more money for a better console.

So, it will fully support VRR for handheld mode, but not for TV mode? That doesn't make any sense. Seriously, they must clarify why they would change that out of random.

@Rykdrew steam deck OLED may have a better screen but does it play GameCube games? ... (Yes, plus Wii and Wii U, switch, PS2...)

@Rykdrew If i play the games, side by side, the oled screen is the winner.
So much wrong with this. They already compare OLED Switch 1 to Switch 2 and guess what they saw. OLED didn't best Switch 2 LCD. SteamDeck is past it prime here.

@Jester676 My compare is: Steam Deck Oled 512GB (better screen than Switch Oled) versus Rog Ally X (the exactly same Switch 2 screen).

Obs: Steam Deck Oled 512gb version has better Oled Screen quality than Steam Deck Oled 1TB model. I know..it has non sense, but Steam Deck Oled 512gb is a truly special product.

I can see the comparison between Switch Oled, Steam Deck Oled 512gb and Rog Ally X everyday here at home.

@Moistnado yes, you are right! Steam deck can play wii, GC, Wii U, play2, Switch, Dreamcast, and 17.000 Steam Store games, including PS5 and Xbox games, with online multiplayer and cloud save FOR FREE! Its wonderful!

All game generations = one only place, forever! And when you buy another hardware (Steam Deck 2, in 2026), the games will be better look, for free. You dont need to buy again the same games, for eternity.

And you can play the games on TV without any dock. But, if you want, you can buy a e-GPU Dock and put your PC GPU plugged to play with any quality you can.

Steam Deck on TV with RTX4090 is better than PS5!

And Steam Store = cheaper games.

I paid $14 - equivalent for Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam (max quality as you can) than $70 for Switch 2 version (medium quality forever).

I thought CP 2077 was using VRR?

This is sad. They should have done whatever it takes to get it working. No update can circumvent the limitations of the cable tech they chose to go with afaik. This company cuts too many corners.

What a fumble, having VRR only in handheld but no docked support seems incredibly shortsighted. Like did they find out that it won't work just recently themselves and just never bothered to make sure it works docked?

That's the only explanation because leaving out such a massive feature and having it only for 1 out of 2 gameplay modes is, again - stupid.

Guess I won't have the benefits then, since I rarely use the Switch as a handheld. Aww well.

@SpaceboyScreams there's no official explanation, but Digital Foundry has speculated that right now the issue might be that the Display Port to HDMI converter inside the system doesn't currently support VRR. We all hope un update down the line will solve this, as it's one of the dumbest things the Switch 2 lacks at launch.

No VRR in docked mode in 2025.
They should have switch 2 HDMI female port to Dock system male HDMI.

It’s because the lame brains cost cutting for a few pennies are using display port instead for switch 2 to dock connection and I doubt it can be updated at all.

How many years to get this right.

Hang on here come the Nintendo defence league at me.
Oooooo don’t blame Nintendo.

Don’t be dumb, they knew exactly what they were doing.

@HotGoomba

"Remember when the Wii U was considered powerful? Yeah, me neither."

The Wii U was the most powerful console on the market for a year: November 2012 to November 2013.

Then PS4 and Xbox One came along...

Xbox 360 (Nov 2005)
PlayStation 3 (Nov 2006)
PlayStation 3 Slim (Sept 2009)
Xbox 360 S (July 2010)
PlayStation 3 Super Slim (Sept 2012)
Wii U (Nov 2012)
Xbox 360 E (June 2013)
PlayStation 4 (Nov 2013)
Xbox One (Nov 2013)

I really wish Samsung or some company in South Korea would step up into the gaming console industry, just like they did in the TV and car market and teach both Sony and Nintendo about corporate greed and pure complacency and give them stiff competition.

Sony and Nintendo have no real competition in the console market and you can see this in both their do less make more profit attitudes.

@Qwiff

I too believe this is the reason, and just having paid out for a rather cheap new telly, don't think mine includes it either.
It would be nice were Nintendo to patch it in the future though.

No big deal for me. I don't even want anything but 60hz because 120hz tvs make shows look so bad with the soap opera effect. I didn't buy one and I really don't notice high frame rates, just low ones.

@mikegamer I can only speak for myself. No, I don't.

I am too poor to do anything else.

@HotGoomba The last time Nintendo had the most powerful system was the GameCube and even that was a technicality win. Xbox had more power but bottlenecks. They finished in a distant 3rd, are you surprised they don't care about that anymore?

Nintendo's handling and communication skills throughout this has been nothing but an absolute embarrassment.

Nintendo and bewildering decisions have always been a thing and they continue to be.

Just goes to show that all the tech they've crammed into handheld mode is actually very impressive! I'll be handheld gaming for the foreseeable future, with only sporadic sessions docked.

That's a huge bummer. I hope that a firmware update is still possible!

So I guess they were too cheap to add a HDMI 2.1 port, on the dock? Nintendo, always one step forward, and one step backwards...
Modern TV:s, have had VRR, for years now, and it would have helped out, to smooth out the framedrops, below 60fps...

Super disappointing. I’m not going to cancel my preorder or anything, but still very disappointing.

Even with a cheap $40 dock, I can get VRR from my Rog Ally X.
So what really IS Nintendo's excuse here?

Or are they gonna save that for the next revision, three years later?

@Misima
The amount of Hz has nothing to do with it, as even 60hz TV:s have a soap opera mode. You can turn off that in the settings.
120hz means higher framerates in games, for smoother gameplay, and even lower input lag.

@Misima I missed the part where that's my problem

This is such a letdown. The system that most struggles with framerates and thus needs VRR the most. The Switch 2 feels like it is a handheld-first system and docked play is an afterthought

@MrRom92
Yeah, this is why I hope their next system, is a proper home console, that can play the same games, but with the added grunt of a current gen console, and all the modern features, that now have become a standard, except for Nintendo.
They can keep the Switch as the handheld line.

But of course this wont happen...

Both of these things contribute to it. Yes the motion modes do more, but the high frame rate does it as well because you notice extra frames of motion that causes motion sickness in some people.
This is why the Hobbit films were awful.

While it doesn't effect people in video games because games aren't realistic enough to cause that uncanny feeling, the tv isn't just for video games now is it?

Why would I pay a lot of extra money on a TV to get a lot of extra frame refreshes that make an experience worse?

Extra frames or refresh really only matters for competitive online games, which I also don't play on the switch. I'll get that kind of gear for a PC. But a console doesn't need it for my tastes.

Most people do not own 120hz tvs anyway, so it's not a big deal for the average consumer.

If you're upset about this, you can feel that as I am not discounting your experience. However, it's not going to be noticed by probably 80% of people. So in that way both my complaints and pro high frame rate folks are really irrelevant. That's one of the reasons why I was upset at the cost of the system.

This is what a regular and pro version should address. There should have been a cheaper dock that did 60hz and a more expensive that did 120 and let the. Dock have the hardware to handle it. Let the handheld system just work on getting
the best experience for the most people instead of having a lot of people pay for something they will never use.

Nice, I won't have to double up on my VRR inputs now!

@Vectrex if that's what you want, then you should just buy a PC or a PS5. Nintendo made the right call in making a system that works for the most people. If you're hoping for a cutting edge beast you're shopping with the wrong company. They haven't been that since they placed 3rd with the GameCube.

@HotGoomba this didnt age well

Nintendoomed again! God some of you guys are miserable

It's weird that it dose it in handheld but not docked. I suppose it might be using some unique version of VRR and so most screens have it.

I'm so glad I don't know what that is.

ignorance is bliss, y'all. find your bliss.

lol, MS and Sony will be thinking they can 1 up Nintendo here…

Games should run at a locked 60 fps anyway

@GrailUK PS5 and Xbox series also didn’t support vrr at launch

I really don't like how Nintendo Life keeps reposting this article. This is probably the third time I've gotten a bunch of replies from this one article, and it's wild. We don't need the same article to be updated three times.

@Lofoten I know that the Wii U was the most powerful console for about a year. I also know that everything else about the console was so botched that everyone barely noticed.

@Misima No, I'm not surprised. I know why Nintendo barely focused on power for the longest time. It's just nice to see a Nintendo console not be incredibly behind the competition for once.

@Rukasumi Yeah, it really didn't age well. At least we have confirmation though.

@HotGoomba I think it's really bad for them to be focusing on power again.

There's millions of people who won't be able to afford the price increases, which has a bad effect on the future for game developers, Nintendo, and consumers.

If the sales dry up after the early adopters, you can bet on massive payoffs, cancelled games, and ***** products. We haven't ever seen an industry that hasn't had a cheap option available. While that cheap option may end up being mobile games, that doesn't fill me with confidence.

It's getting to the point that only old emulated games can work on cheaper hardware. That's really bad. I guess a lot of people have never been in the position of having to take a worse product because you can't afford the average option. People forget that things like the GB(A) and ds outperformed the consoles because they were very cheap comparatively.

There are a lot of customers that will never afford this console or maybe get it and have to get far fewer games.

I hope this doesn't dissuade third party's and even some first party games from going the extra mile to add VRR for every game. My eyes are more sensitive and I really need the smoother motion across the board. Trying to play games on the OLED Switch at 30fps or lower with choppy frames has given me motion sickness to the point that I have simply played my OLED Switch much less than the V1 model with LCD.

@kmtrain83 depends on the games you’re playing. You only notice the difference if a game has framedrops (which get smoothened out by vrr), or when the game is optimized on a frequency your tv does not support natively (for instance 40 Hz) if I’m correct. So t could very well be that you can’t see any difference between your previous and current setup.

@Misima Nintendo continues selling the Switch and games for the Switch for the next couple of years though. That cheaper option is still around.

As soon as it was confirmed that the dock was HDMI 2.0 not 2.1 it clearly wasn't going to support VRR. I don't know why people (including Nintendo Life) still were giving out that incorrect information even after Nintendo removed that about a month ago.

Well I'm cancelling my pre order

That's sucks as I recently got a gaming TV.

Hopefully it is added in an update at some point.

@Stwert 1. Yes I know but that Nintendo said it was HDMI 2.0 something that doesn't support VRR in all instances and all displays and that they almost immediately removed that from their sites should have stopped everyone, especially in the media from saying it does. Nintendo Life even just published a video breaking down the specs and said Switch 2 did support VRR on TVs just the other day. You trying to make it more complicated than it actually is rather than just accepting the fact that it isn't compatible out of the gate.
This isn't to say they couldn't later add it through a system update at lower resolutions on TV. Personally I would rather developers program their games for a locked 60fps than relying on VRR and often failing to even be in VRR range.

This news is very disappointing😔

I hope Nintendo fix it in the near future🤞

@SuperRetroArt come on. I don't believe that.

At least the silver lining if it’s a hardware revision, it should only be a swap of the dock.

Even though I play mobile almost exclusively, this is still disappointing news.

Overpromised and under delivered. I sincerely hope they can provide some good updates out soon because this launch has been a very mixed bag.

From unrelenting leaks, lawyers scaling up their “defences”, new features advertised like 120hz / VRR, a solid launch lineup, an exclusive by FromSoft, a slightly higher than expected console price and confusing pricing, the rather honest experience of the game chat feature shown, and pre-orders getting paused right after the announcement, and VRR dock support disappearing from their websites…

Just typing some of those points is giving me a headache and I am sure I missed some key points

I'm so glad the new nintendo president went a more powerful switch instead of a new whacky new console.

The Switch 2 is just what I wanted and should give us some great new ports.

The new Zelda open world game will be mind blowing 😍

@Misima sarcasm

And yet NL doesn't apologize when they post inaccurate information.

@SuperRetroArt Sarcasm doesn't travel over the Internet. That's why you need the /s badge

@-wc- "I'm so glad I don't know what that is."

My thoughts exactly hahaha. I just want to have fun.

Consoles launches used to be fun times to look forward to.
Now, I feel like all I see are specs and numbers. And a list of acronyms for features that I can't even discern a difference.
The argument used to be that a console you could just plug it in and play. Now, you have incompatibilities with different specs of different hardware with different TVs. Does the system list of acronyms match the list of acronyms that my TV has?
People really seem to not know how to enjoy something and have fun anymore without some spec sheet with numbers telling them if it's 'fun and enjoyable' or not.

For me it's very clear: they didn't archive a good result with VRR and upscale combo on the dock. Probably they're working on this and might activate this function if they get good results

Ninendo sucks monkey balls, I'm out until they show the next 3d mario (hopefully not odyssey 2 but fine if it is ) then I'm 100% back in 😀

@Ulysses

im really curious, are you saying games look smoother on V1 switch?

I've never played or seen an OLED model so it hadnt ever occurred to me. ✌️

One potential possibility of VRR still coming to Switch 2 docked mode may be in the Realtek chip used in the dock. The RTD2175N, used for the DP-to-HDMI conversion. The predecessor to the RTD2175 base is the RTD2173, and its predecessor used the RTD2172. The Switch OLED uses this version, but labeled as RTD2172N. But what does this has to do with VRR? Because there's another platform that using basically the same thing in a RTD2175P flavor. What platform? The PS5 Slim. It's a change from the chip used in the original PS5, but handles the same things, including VRR support.

But one is the RTD2175N and the other is the RTD2175P. I'll let you all figure out how they are different.

@Discostew really interesting, i will check. Poor communication from nintendo , we need all together to check this topic without any clarification from them. I still have feeling they want to hide something , it is crazy and stupid from them ! No pre order forn me, and i am sad !

@SuperRetroArt no pre order for , and i am very sad !!! Stupid nintendo !!!

@Sebcooper72
What gets me the most is Microsoft are mainly a software company unlike Nintendo and Sony and have totally spanked them both with VRR.

Series x does VRR and all its formats on both HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1.
It also has low frame rate compensation hardware built in, taking the VRR rate below the standard 48fps.

How can software Microsoft get it all perfect and good for gamers and Sony and Nintendo the hardware firms balls it up to various degrees. They really don’t deserve the love and sales sometimes gamers and the general public give them.

I don’t think it is lack of knowledge, it’s pure penny pinching.

@OldGamer999 i really think this is a technical error from them.

@Discostew @NintendoAmerica @Nintendo the converter chip “Realtek RTD2175N-CG” VRR issue, it says it cannot be upgrade via firmware so a whole new dock with a different converter chip would be necessary. => New dock to develop and pay... Absolutely inacceptable for an upgraded switch from 2021...

@Sebcooper72 Where was this information from? I find it odd that the PS5 Slim can get VRR, but Switch 2 can't through practically the same chip?

And what's this about 2021? Talking about old components? You know that parts in PS5 and Series like the CPUs date back to 2017, right?

@Discostew you are right, the information to be confirmed I found it from twitter mentionng a web source, but when I check the web source I dont see it .... The easiest way should be nintendo to clarify. What is the issue why they remove the vrr ? 2021 is for component, yes.

@-wc- Yes. Not all, but some games have much more noticeable screen tearing on the Switch OLED, like running sideways in ACNH, or just turning the camera in MHRise and XenobladeX.

When my eyes notice the individual frames on the Switch OLED, it builds up a dizzying feeling over time. I'm very much looking forward to the technologies of Switch 2, and I'll be pretty wary about "upgrading" to any OLED Switch 2 model in the future. But again, this is just my personal experience, and I'm probably in the small minority of consumers.

@Ulysses

good to know! 👍 I doubt you are the only one.

I'm not particularly picky or sensitive, but I like for things to "feel" right and be easy on the eyes. I got really sick playing skyrim on VR one time and it felt like the framerate amd kinda low res had something to do with it.

if ninty says they have nothing to say about that topic, they have no plans to implement it for at least another ten years