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Althoughthe Switch OLED is capable of producing much deeper blacks, the screen on theSwitch 2is actually brighter overall, with its 450-nit display outshining the one on its predecessor by around 100 nits. However, you probably wouldn’t guess it right out of the box due to one of the console’s default settings.
ManySwitch 2owners are already complaining online about how dim the display looks in handheld mode, and with very good reason. Fortunately, you can vastly improve your on-the-go gaming sessions by making a simple change in the console’s Settings menu, although doing so will come at a cost.
How to Improve Switch 2 Image Quality in Handheld Mode
To improve the picture quality of the Switch 2 in handheld mode, players will simply need todisable the Automatic Brightness option. This can be found under the Screen Brightness tab of the System Settings menu, although only when the Switch 2 is being operated in handheld mode. With Automatic Brightness disabled, players will be able to adjust the brightness manually using the Brightness slider, which can vastly improve the overall image quality.
Switch 2 owners can also disable Automatic Brightness by holding the Home button for a second or two while in handheld mode and then toggling the setting off.
Why Is The Switch 2’s Screen So Dark in Handheld Mode?
Automatic brightness is a common feature on manyhandheld electronic devicesand is designed to dynamically adjust a screen’s brightness so that it matches the user’s surroundings. If they’re outside, the brightness will be cranked up to avoid being overpowered by natural daylight. Conversely, the screen will dim itself in darker areas. Unfortunately, at launch, the Switch 2’s automatic brightness setting is a bittoodim for a lot of players, leading to many complaints about the screen’s brightness online.
Whether Nintendo will tweak the setting at some point in the future remains to be seen, although some are speculating that this may have been a conscious decision by the Big N.Increasing the brightness in handheld mode will drain the battery a lot faster, which is somewhat problematic giventhe Switch 2’s already low battery life. Advertised at between two and six and a half hours, the Switch 2 runs out of juice a lot faster than its predecessor (4½ - 9 Hours), so Nintendo may have decided to sacrifice brightness and image quality to accommodate longer handheld gaming sessions.
