I don’t have a Switch 2 yet, but I wanted to upgrade my screen and would like it to be future-proof for a Switch 2 when I inevitably get one.
According to the specs, docked output can be HDR and it can do 120Hz @ 1080p and 1440p and 4K60. Output at best uses either HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 (it’s ambiguous).
Has anyone who’s got an HDR-capable monitor comment on whether the HDR is noticeable from what you’ve seen so far and if HDR gets output regardless of refresh rate? There’s a 1440p monitor in my budget that is HDR400 certified that goes up to 120Hz and beyond, but I’ve also read that the max refresh rate the monitor can handle a 10-bit signal at is 60Hz (not sure if beyond that it does 8-bit + FRC or just doesn’t support HDR). I’m not sure if this is perhaps overkill for a Switch 2 or whether I still have scope for a monitor that will make better use of the S2’s output.
If you have to prioritize one feature over the other, my personal suggestion is to prioritize 4K and HDR over 120 Hz. You’re going to get 60 FPS for the vast, vast majority of Switch 2 games. Currently only one title in the launch lineup supports 120 Hz: a single game in the Welcome Tour. Mario Kart World, their premier title, is 1440p at locked 60 FPS in docked mode.
I suspect Switch 2 games in 120 Hz will be only slightly more common than PS5 games in 8K: Sony eventually removed the 8K logo from the box because basically no developer could achieve it and virtually no TVs supported it.
There may be game-specific performance modes with lots of caveats, like 120 Hz at 720p in docked mode for single player, but you would think you would see that with the showcase title. Instead the frame rate for MKW is crushed when three or more players play via couch co-op.
I did wonder how likely it is that the S2 would even be able to max out its display output. If MKW is 1440p @ 60, that might be the ceiling in practice (at that resolution, at least).