Nintendo has formally announced the Nintendo Switch OLED, an upgraded version of their best-selling console. It’s not quite what the world was expecting.
The so-called ‘Nintendo Switch Pro’ has been the Japanese game company’s worst-kept secret for some time. We knew it was coming, we knew it would have an OLED screen, and speculation was running wild in lieu of a real announcement from Nintendo.
Today the Nintendo Switch OLED has been revealed and so has its new features. It’s not quite the ‘Pro’ many fans were expecting, but there’s still a few upgrades and quality-of-life changes to love. Let’s check them out.
The new feature that’s obviously big enough to name the model after is a 7-inch OLED screen. OLED screens work without a backlight, providing a higher colour and contrast quality against other displays. The 7-inch screen has also been added without compromising the overall size of the console.
Also included is a wide adjustable stand for ‘tabletop mode’, meaning you can prop up your Switch to watch videos or play touchscreen-only games – or even use it as a calculator for the cheap price of $10.
A new LAN port means those playing while attached to a TV can enjoy a more stable connection for online play, which will be an especially nice addition for Super Smash Bros. online players. Enhanced speakers reportedly make for a higher audio quality in handheld mode, and the Switch OLED comes with 64GB of internal storage.
But that’s about where the differences end. For those playing in TV mode, the new Switch OLED will still output at standard HD (1080p), which has made for a bit of a disappointment for players who were expecting 4K capabilities in Nintendo’s upgraded console.
In handheld mode the screen resolution is also unchanged (720p), but the OLED display will undoubtedly make for a richer visual experience. Battery life on the Switch OLED is also the same as on the regular Switch: 4.5 to 9 hours depending on the game you’re playing.
All in all the Nintendo Switch OLED is no doubt an upgrade, but perhaps not the upgrade that fans were expecting. The new features are definitely geared towards handheld players, meaning those who enjoy their favourite Switch games in TV mode are the ones feeling left out.
The Nintendo Switch OLED will launch on October 8th in 2021, the very same day that Metroid Dread is released.
