Nintendo Switch 2 display feature might not work when docked
Nintendo Switch 2 might miss out on this PS5 and Xbox Series X display feature
Update: Our new Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order guide has the latest information on the officially confirmed date and time in the US for April 24, 2025.
🤔 Nintendo has mysteriously removed a mention of a new Switch 2 feature when the console is in docked mode
🤨 VRR – variable refresh rate – is noticeably absent from the copy about the Switch 2's docked mode features on the USA and Canadian websites, but is still present in the Japanese and UK copy
🤷♂️ It's unclear if this is a typo, or a genuine mistake
🙏 Nvidia has already stated the console supports G-Sync – their own VRR solution – when the console is in handheld mode
It's now unclear as to whether one of the Switch 2’s display features – variable refresh rate – will work when the console is in docked mode.
The Switch 2 was originally quoted as supporting screen resolutions up to 4K when connected to a compatible TV and using the dock, and also supporting HDR, VRR and frame rates up to 120fps on compatible TVs (the Switch 2 is locked to 60fps when outputting 4K).
However, in a recent update to the listings for the console on US and Canadian websites, spotted by a ResetEra user, the references to variable refresh rate support for docked play have mysteriously disappeared.
Whether this is a typo or simple mistake is unclear, especially as the sentence reads identically as before – just without the mention of VRR:
Before: Take in all the detail with screen resolutions up to 4K when you connect the Nintendo Switch 2 system to a compatible TV using the dedicated dock. The system also supports HDR, VRR, and frame rates up to 120 fps on compatible TVs.
After: Take in all the detail with screen resolutions up to 4K when you connect the Nintendo Switch 2 system to a compatible TV using the dedicated dock. The system also supports HDR and frame rates up to 120 fps on compatible TVs.
Oddly enough, the mention of VRR is still present on the Switch 2's UK website.
Variable refresh rate is also supported on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, as well as PCs. It eliminates the horrible effect of screen tearing or juddering by attempting to match the frame rate of the displayed content to the refresh rate of the screen. Essentially, VRR can make games look better and feel smoother.
Nvidia had already confirmed that the Switch 2 supports G-Sync, their VRR tech, when the console is in handheld mode. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s the case for docked mode, though it would certainly be an odd and disappointing omission if the Switch 2 doesn’t support VRR when docked.
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.