While the PS5 and Xbox Series X may be the hottest new consoles, I spent most of my recent vacation on the Nintendo Switch. I imagine many other gamers did the same, and it's not hard to see why.

The Switch has a lot of great games that you can't get anywhere else, including the meaty "Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity," a game I've been eagerly awaiting since its surprise announcement earlier this year. As soon as I downloaded the game and booted it up, I immediately wondered why it looked so bad.

Some background: since receiving my PS5 and Xbox Series X for review in early November, I've been pretty busy. Some games I played for review, others I simply wanted to play.

In any case, my Switch sat unattended in front of the TV for almost two months. When I finally turned it back on, I was completely unprepared for the drastically reduced graphic fidelity.

I tested the PS5 and Xbox Series X on a gorgeous LG CX OLED TV that supports 4K resolution and up to 120 frames per second. While most games can't achieve this (30fps at 4K, or 4K upscaled to 60fps at best), they still look amazing, far beyond the 1080p/30fps games on the previous generation of consoles.

Indeed, the Nintendo Switch was never a tech powerhouse. The best-looking games have accomplished a lot by prioritizing memorable art styles over graphical prowess.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, for example, has much more memorable visuals than the latest Call of Duty, whatever the resolution or frame rate. But after marveling at the expansive landscapes of "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," it was hard to return to the relatively simple and constrained levels of "Age of Calamity."

At first, I thought the LG CX OLED might help alleviate the Switch's relatively low frame rate; I sought out the TruMotion setting and turned it on, which I found to be a good thing, as the Switch's frame rate was only about 10.5 frames per second.

For those unfamiliar with TruMotion, it creates what senior editor Brian Westover calls a "soap opera effect" in film and television, artificially boosting frame rates through visual trickery. (This setting generally makes TV shows and movies look terrible, but we thought it might be useful in video games, where high frame rates are often more useful than perfect visual fidelity.

At first, this setting was exactly what I wanted, as Link seemed to be faster and more fluid than before, swinging his sword and running through the battlefield. But it wasn't long before I began to notice cracks.

TruMotion cannot actually increase the number of frames per second over the source game. Therefore, when the frame rate would wobble and drop every minute or so, it felt artificially textured and was particularly jarring. Before the first level was over, TruMotion had to stop.

Eventually, I had to either let my eyes adjust to Age of Calamity's default visuals or play in handheld mode. However, I ran into frame rate issues and had to squint at the tiny text and mission objectives.

In Age of Calamity's defense, it's actually a pretty good game, incorporating much of what I liked about Breath of the Wild into the fast-paced and energetic Dynasty Warriors formula. Once I got used to the resolution and frame rate, it didn't look too bad either, thanks to the colorful environments and distinctive character designs.

However, according to Nintendo, there was a clear sense that the Switch, with only half its planned lifespan, could no longer offer the visuals that console gamers were looking for.

While visuals are not as important as gameplay, story, and many other features, they can make a huge difference in immersion. Furthermore, higher frame rates are not just for show and can benefit gameplay, especially in competitive multiplayer titles.

Before I bought a 4K TV, I was skeptical of the claim that a 4K Switch was necessary. Now I think we need one sooner rather than later.

Most Americans still own 1080p (or lower) TVs, but that is rapidly changing, with two out of three console manufacturers now able to take full advantage of 4K technology. If we have to wait another three years for the 4K Switch's successor, at which point the TV technology itself will have already advanced, and Nintendo may have to play catch-up again.

There has been more talk this week than usual about the "Switch Pro," "Switch 2," or whatever you want to call it. In short, rumors are swirling that Nintendo is developing a 4K Switch and will release it as early as this year.

Generally speaking, I don't trust Nintendo rumors, and this one is no exception. Sources are iffy and there seems to be more wishful thinking than hard evidence. However, sometimes these rumors can reveal what the rumor mongers want from current Nintendo devices.

Some of the features that the Switch Pro is likely to have include better hardware, more storage, and 4K support.

Ultimately, I accepted "Age of Calamity" for what it is. However, the PS5 and Xbox Series X have set a new standard for what console gaming should be, and Nintendo would be wise to follow suit in some way.

We may not remember great games by their looks, but in the moment, stunning graphics make a huge difference.