Expert Claims “Mario Kart World” on Nintendo Switch 2 Features “Fake HDR” — Highlights Lack of Serious HDR Integration by Top Developers

Alright, so let’s dive into a bit of a rollercoaster with Mario Kart World on the Switch 2. People are super heated about this thing called ‘fake HDR.’ Apparently, it’s a big deal, and tech YouTubers are in an uproar. Like, we’re talking major fury here. Now, usually, I’m pretty skeptical about online drama—it’s like, c’mon, chill—but then Alexander Mejia sounds in and I’m like, okay, maybe there’s something to this. Mejia knows his stuff. He’s worked on HDR for the Xbox Series X, so he’s not just making noise.

Honestly, the game kinda asked for it. It’s hyped with promises of 4K resolution, 60FPS, and all the flashy HDR tricks, but when the rubber meets the road, it’s like they didn’t even bother with real HDR. Mejia’s opinion? He basically says developers aren’t taking HDR seriously. And maybe he’s right? Or maybe they just ran outta time. Who knows.

Anyway, HDR tech—if you’re scratching your head about it—can be tricky. Mejia even admits it’s a common hiccup. Guess the magic trick is to be all-in from the start and not just slap it on at the end like icing on a cake that barely got baked.

Okay, imagine trying to figure out how bright a picture can get before it basically blinds you. Not my expertise, but Mejia has all these charts and doodads showing the HDR black hole we’re dealing with. He used some fancy tech for this—he explains it if you’re the DIY type. His tests showed Mario Kart World maxing out at 950 nits brightness. Whatever nits are, 10,000 was the goal. So, yikes. That’s like promising a fireworks show and handing out sparklers instead.

The game looks kinda stuck in the past with its colors, more like an old TV set. There’s this whole universe of color it could explore—like colors we didn’t even know existed—but nah, it’s playing it safe in its own tiny sandbox.

Really drives home the point when they show a video comparison to Godfall Ultimate on another system. Feels like comparing a rainbow to a rainy day.

Anyway, Mejia wraps up with a not-so-subtle nudge that his consultancy could save the day. Basically, if game devs wanna rock at HDR, they should maybe give him a call.

So yeah, that’s the chaos going down with Mario Kart World. Will the devs listen? Maybe, maybe not. Stick around, and I guess we’ll find out.