3w ago

The Switch 2's super sluggish LCD screen is 10 times slower than a typical gaming monitor and 100 times slower than an OLED panel according to independent testing

www.pcgamer.com

Gaming @lemmy.world

floofloof @lemmy.ca

3w ago

The Switch 2's super sluggish LCD screen is 10 times slower than a typical gaming monitor and 100 times slower than an OLED panel according to independent testing

www.pcgamer.com /hardware/handheld-gaming-pcs/the-switch-2s-super-sluggish-lcd-screen-is-10-times-slower-than-a-typical-gaming-monitor-and-100-times-slower-than-an-oled-panel-according-to-independent-testing/

37 comments

Japan's Chimolog is our second source. Its tests showed the Switch 2's display to be slightly quicker, averaging 17 ms at 60 Hz.
That's quite a huge difference though, about half that of Monitors Unboxed. Would definitely be worth finding out why the results are so different.
- Nintendo probably uses more than one screen manufacturer.
  
  Yeah, could be that or the testing methods of either site might have been flawed. In any case the difference shouldn't just be brushed aside like it was in the article.
Read the Digital Foundry's review about the screen too. Pretty disappointing to be honest. At the very least, it shouldn't be worse than the first Switch.
- It only costs 500 bucks. And as my friend says, "you're not going to get 4k gaming for a dollar less, let's be honest." So they had to cut back somewhere, apparently.
  
  They should have launched a switch 2 oled alongside the regular switch at $700. I would have got one no question
  
  LCD screen is 1080p...
  
  Yeah, I agree, and from those who have used Switch 2 are fine with the screen (anecdotal, from people I know), but that being said, it shouldn't be worse than Switch 1! It just feels bad knowing that 😀
- Why not? If they can cut costs by reducing specs that don't matter to their target audience, that just seems like sound engineering.
  
  On release that may be fine, but it will exist for years. My expectation is that it released with a shit screen so they could normalize that price point and then sell a + version in a year for another $150.
How does it compare to other handhelds, though? Slower than the original Switch is bad, but if these smaller panels are less responsive in general then I'm not sure I care if they compare poorly to larger PC monitor panels. I am not buying a handheld to compete directly with my PC.
- Apparently it is slower, but to me it just looks and feels better than the screen on my OLED Switch
- How does it compare to other handhelds, though
  It's a significantly more expensive handheld, but I've found a video with a comparison to the ROG Ally and it makes the Switch 2 screen look really bad.
  Source is a page on Facebook so I can't vouch for its veracity, but it matches multiple reports we're seeing from trusted sources that the screen is laggy - besides the ones mentioned in the OP link we also got the Digital Foundry guys saying the same in their review.
- Apologies for the double-post, but this is relevant: Monitors Unboxed posted a comparison video including several handheld devices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKFYGv0Pb98
  
  Useful comparison, thanks for sharing!
That doesn't bode well for a high refresh rate screen
Edit - 120hz is only in docked mode and with a compatible 120hz screen, although the screen also supports 120hz at 1080p. I bet that will feel incredibly different than handheld mode per the article's quoted refresh rates of the actual screen.
120hz vs 30 is a massive difference in terms of perceived fluidity.
- Can say from experience, its a lot smoother while docked. That said, performance in handheld mode isn't problematic, it's just (unsurprisingly) less smooth.
  
  Thanks for your hands-on feedback!
- I don't have a switch. From what I gather, the dock is just an USB C to HDMI dongle with extra USB ports, correct?
  Does docked mode performance also trigger when an USB charging cable is plugged in? From what I gather the main issue why handheld mode is lower performance is the battery consumption.
  If it does, does it then display 1080p@120hz on the integrated screen?
It's amazing how little noise this got until DF did their review.... Almost like it's a non-issue for most people.
Next up: Nintendo Switch 2 causes cancer in the State of California! Get the pitchforks and torches ready!
- Exactly!!!! Like they’re just making up shit—the screen is fucking fine! Like what do they fucking WANT?!
  
  For a couple hundred extra, I wouldn't expect anything in the Switch 2 to be worse than the Switch 1, personally.
  
  More information so people can make proper purchase decisions is always good. The current screen may be fine for most, but there's people who are very sensitive to this type of slow screen and will prefer to wait for a new hardware revision.
- The thing is, is they're always going to have a dedicated fanbase of parents who want to buy shit for their kids to keep them occupied for several hours a day so that they don't have to participate in their children's lives in any meaningful way.
  
  Reporting in, I'm one of them. Always buying shit for the kids to keep em occupied for several hours a day so I can finally mange to get a Gaming session on on the Switch 2 ^/s
As someone who has recently been playing with the Switch 2 in handheld and docked mode, I have to say I'm surprised about the negativity.
The response time is only very slightly worse compared to playing docked. It's not noticeable at all, even when playing competitive online games.
Playing Switch 2 in handheld is a much better experience compared to playing Switch 1 in handheld. It's a huge improvement.
Pretty much the same as the switch 1 tho.
Maybe it's just the games I've been playing (mainly Mario Kart and TOTK), but I havent really had any issues with the Switch 2 screen, and I'm usually pretty sensitive to that stuff, at least on PC.
- Equating "children and video games" is such a boomer take. Reducing it like that is basically saying "let the toddlers have fun with their Nintendos!" It's literally condescending to everyone and comes across as out-of-touch.
  
  Nintendo does skew towards a younger audience though. Price and exlusive titles alone are much more compatible with a younger audience than e.g. the Steam Deck.

37 comments