Mario Kart World on the Switch 2 is guilty of implementing ‘fake HDR,’ according to recent heated reactions by a number of TechTubers. We are well aware of social media rage farming, but a coolly considered, in-depth new technical blog by Alexander Mejia, agrees that Mario Kart World was developed using “an SDR-first content pipeline with a last-minute HDR tonemap that limits the color and dynamic range.” Mejia is probably one of the leading authorities on creating HDR visual experiences, based on his experience in delivering “the world-leading Dolby Vision HDR experience to Xbox Series X and Unreal Engine.”
In fairness, the developers of Mario Kart World have set themselves up for this stinging criticism, as the flagship launch title is marketed with boasts of it supporting 4K resolution at 60FPS refresh with HDR visuals (4K60 HDR for short). However, “Mario Kart World reveals that even the highest caliber of developers aren’t taking HDR seriously,” reckons Mejia.
That tripping up over HDR isn't uncommon, though. Rather, Mejia admits that “If you’re finding it tricky to make your game’s HDR look right, you’re not alone.” The most important thing to do, to make the most of the HDR capabilities present in most TVs and monitors sold in the 2020s, is “embracing HDR from day one, not as an afterthought,” suggests the HDR pipeline consulting expert.
Test methodology and findings
If you are curious about how Mejia captured, reviewed, and assessed the Mario Kart World on Switch 2, he shares the full details of his hardware and capture path, the procedure, and tips for home users wishing to achieve similar insight.
Moving on to the findings, the HDR expert’s images, charts, and stats make the HDR quality deficiencies in Mario Kart World glaringly obvious. A particularly stark result comes from image brightness peak measurement. “Nintendo’s own test image peaks at only ~500 nits even if you set 10,000 nits peak brightness,” noted Mejia. “Not a good sign that they took HDR seriously.”
Also, it was observed that, even if the console brightness is cranked to 10,000 nits, “captured peaks in game never exceed ~950 nits.” That’s quite a discrepancy. It is also quite a shame, given the game art’s colorful and bright style being chained to an SDR-like color space (likely Rec.709), making no use of the extended color gamut afforded by the Rec.2020 standard.
Above: Both Godfall Ultimate Edition on XBOX Series X (left), and Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2 (right) are captured in HDR, with 10,000 nits max brightness.
To conclude, Mejia repeats the sentiment from some of the tastiest quotes we have included above. In short, it looks like even the best developers are not taking HDR seriously, seem to follow an SDR-first workflow, and are thus squandering the possibilities of modern consoles and TVs (or monitors).
The HDR expert finishes up by cannily touting his studio consultancy, offering help with “HDR first rendering pipelines, Dolby Vision integration, and dynamic tone-mapping strategies.” Keep that in mind as you ponder his findings.
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