Okay, let’s dive in, shall we? So, have you heard about all the chaos swirling around Mario Kart World on the Switch 2? Apparently, there’s something called ‘fake HDR’ involved. A bunch of TechTubers are basically blowing up about it. Sparks flying and everything. But like, social media outrage is kinda the norm, isn’t it? Anyway, there’s this techie guy, Alexander Mejia, who’s practically a wizard with HDR stuff (Dolby Vision, Xbox Series X, you name it), and he’s chiming in too. Says Mario Kart’s got this SDR-first pipeline that just slaps on some HDR sauce at the last second. I mean, I’m no expert, but that sounds sketchy, right?
And, you gotta feel a bit for the developers. They’ve been hyping the game as this 4K60 HDR masterpiece. But Mejia? He’s like, nah. High-level devs still tripping up on HDR. Which, uh, isn’t super shocking. And then Mejia admits, “Fiddling with HDR can be a headache.” So, if your game’s HDR looks like a bad Instagram filter, welcome to the club. His pro tip? Start thinking HDR on day one, not as an afterthought when you’re already knee-deep.
Here’s the hilarious part — or not, depending on your perspective — Mejia did all these tests, right? And he’s dropping some solid receipts. (Don’t you love that word? Receipts.) Like, Nintendo’s own test image peaking at 500 nits when it should be pushing 10,000. That’s like entering a race car in a pushbike race. Embarrassing.
And the charts. Oh boy, the charts. You crank up your console brightness, and still, it hits a measly ~950 nits peak in-game. Talk about a letdown. It’s kinda like showing up for a fireworks show and getting sparklers. Oh, and there’s all this amazing color space (Rec.2020, if you’re into the jargon) they’re not using. It’s super sad because the game’s all bright and colorful. Feels like tying a peacock’s feathers down.
Anyway, wait — where was I? Oh, right. Mejia wraps it up with some classic marketing flex. Offers his consultancy for anyone wanting to kick their HDR game up a notch. Can’t blame him, though. If you’re good at something, flaunt it.
So yeah, next time you fire up Mario Kart World, maybe—I dunno—think about all the wasted potential? Or just enjoy the chaos and colorful mayhem. Your call.
