Gamers love smooth visuals, and a technology called Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) is key to achieving that, especially when game performance isn’t perfectly stable. VRR helps prevent annoying screen tearing and stuttering by syncing your display’s refresh rate with the game’s frame rate. Many modern TVs and even some handhelds are getting this feature.
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When the Nintendo Switch 2 was first revealed, it was noted to have a VRR screen for handheld play. Initially, Nintendo’s website also suggested the console would support VRR when docked and connected to a VRR-compatible TV. However, Nintendo later removed those mentions and issued an apology, clarifying that the Switch 2 would support VRR only in handheld mode.
But here’s a surprising twist: Testing the official Nintendo Switch 2 dock shows that the dock hardware itself is capable of outputting a VRR signal to a connected TV. This capability was discovered by plugging other devices into the dock, revealing a potential feature that the Switch 2 console currently isn’t using.
VRR: Smoother Gameplay Explained
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) is a display technology that allows a screen to adjust how quickly it updates to match the speed at which a device (like a game console) sends new images. If a game is running at, say, 55 frames per second instead of a steady 60, a non-VRR screen might cause stuttering or “tearing” (where the screen shows parts of two different frames at once). With VRR, the screen slows down its refresh rate to 55Hz to match the game, resulting in a much smoother visual experience.
This feature is especially beneficial for games where performance isn’t locked at a constant high frame rate. It can make dips below the target refresh rate far less noticeable.
Despite the benefits, Nintendo officially stated that the Switch 2 console would only support VRR when playing in its portable, handheld mode. They apologized for earlier communications that suggested docked VRR support was planned.
The Surprise Finding: Docked VRR Works… With Other Devices
Here’s where things get interesting: Our testing revealed that the official Nintendo Switch 2 dock does appear to support VRR output to a connected TV. This was confirmed not by using the Switch 2 itself (as Nintendo says it doesn’t support it when docked), but by connecting other powerful PC handheld gaming devices to the dock.
We successfully plugged in and tested devices like the Steam Deck, a Lenovo Legion Go S running SteamOS, and an Asus ROG Ally X with Bazzite. When connected to the Switch 2 dock and outputting to a VRR-compatible TV (like a Samsung S90C in our test), these handhelds were able to output video at impressive specs, including 4K resolution at 120Hz refresh rates, with HDR and Variable Refresh Rate all active simultaneously. This capability was first hinted at by users on platforms like Reddit.
A television screen displaying "VRR works" text, confirming variable refresh rate is active during testing with the Nintendo Switch 2 dock and another handheld.
How the Test Was Done
Testing this required a slightly unconventional setup. Since the Switch 2 dock is designed specifically for the Switch 2 console, connecting other devices isn’t a simple plug-and-play process. We needed to use a female-to-male USB-C extension cable to physically connect the other handhelds to the dock’s USB-C port that normally connects to the console. It’s not a practical everyday solution, but it allowed us to isolate the dock’s video output capabilities.
To be sure that VRR was truly working and not just being reported as active, we used an open-source tool called VRRTest. This tool lets you test various frame rates and visually confirms if the screen is smoothly adapting its refresh rate, which our testing showed the setup was doing, handling fluctuating frame rates between common targets like 48fps, 60fps, and 90fps.
A Lenovo Legion Go S portable gaming PC connected to the official Nintendo Switch 2 dock using a USB-C extension cable, used to test the dock's VRR output capability.
Why Would Nintendo Limit Docked VRR?
This discovery raises a question: If the Switch 2 dock hardware is capable of passing a VRR signal to a TV, why has Nintendo stated the Switch 2 console won’t support this feature in TV mode?
VRR would be beneficial for many games that might not hit a perfect 60 frames per second consistently, improving the visual smoothness. Think of demanding titles or even Nintendo’s own games that might see occasional performance dips.
One possible explanation could relate to the Switch 2’s performance when docked. While the handheld screen supports VRR, perhaps Nintendo isn’t confident that the console’s processing power in docked mode is stable enough to make VRR a reliable or positive experience on a larger TV screen.
Adding to the mystery, prior analysis by tech experts like Digital Foundry noted that even the Switch 2’s handheld VRR implementation seemed to have some issues in early testing with certain third-party games, though Nintendo’s own demo content worked correctly. This suggests the feature might still be undergoing optimization.
However, experts like Digital Foundry’s Rich Leadbetter haven’t heard a clear technical reason why the dock itself couldn’t pass VRR if the console was capable of outputting it. Leadbetter believes Nintendo’s initial mention and subsequent retraction of docked VRR was likely an honest error in communication, rather than a feature that was planned and then suddenly cut.
More Tech Mysteries Surround the Switch 2
This finding about the dock’s VRR capability is just the latest technical puzzle surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch. We’ve previously reported on other unexpected technical behaviors, such as its [semi-locked-down USB-C video output] which caused compatibility issues with some third-party docks, and a strange mystery around [why some common webcams didn’t work] with the console initially.
Just like in those instances, Nintendo has not offered public comment on why the dock appears capable of VRR output when the console is stated not to support it in docked mode. It leaves gamers and tech enthusiasts wondering about the full capabilities of the hardware and what future updates might potentially unlock.
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