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Phenomenal on-board audio; beautiful OLED screen; double the storage space of the standard Switch model; subtly improved dock
720p screen with lower pixel density; still feels underpowered
Excuse the pun, but Nintendo might just be the master of the bait and switch. After months of seemingly substantial rumours of an impending “Switch Pro”, a hardware revision that would supposedly pack in 4K performance and see the staggeringly successful home/handheld hybrid console compete with the likes of Xbox Series X and PS5, the Kyoto-based gaming giant snuck out a Nintendo Direct broadcast in July and announced... a Switch with a better screen for handheld mode.
To say a certain segment of the online commentariat felt deflated would be a polite understatement. Yet while the clinically named Nintendo Switch OLED Model bets everything on that improved screen, it also packs in a range of other improvements that make a compelling case for this being the definitive version of the Nintendo Switch to buy – at least for now.
This is it, isn’t it? The real heart of the matter, the whole point of the OLED Model, to the extent that Nintendo made it the name. And the verdict is... it’s nice.
Sorry, there’s not a great deal else to say here. It’s nice. OLED is a great technology, offering true blacks, greater brightness, and fantastic colour vibrancy and accuracy. The implementation of OLED here makes the Switch look undeniably better in handheld mode, and the extra screen real estate it affords – stretching to a full 7” display with a much thinner bezel – makes a surprisingly positive difference for long sessions playing on the go (or at least in bed).
While there’s no specific anti-glare treatment to the screen – or if there is, Nintendo hasn’t seen fit to disclose it – the greater brightness of OLED makes the new model better suited to play in outdoor or brightly lit environments. The automatic brightness feature also returns, allowing the OLED Model to adjust its luminance automatically.
All these features combined mean the OLED Model Switch inarguably offers the best handheld gaming experience of any console Nintendo has ever produced – but OLED in and of itself isn’t quite the razzle-dazzle it used to be though. Sure, an OLED TV will still set you back well over a grand, but in the world of smaller devices, the display tech is increasingly common – plenty of smartphones feature OLED as standard now, and even the PS Vita had an OLED screen on its original PCH-1000 model. That alone probably makes the biggest argument that Nintendo should have had an OLED screen on the Switch from day one, but either way, OLED’s near-omnipresence makes it tougher to get excited about its inclusion here being Nintendo’s main selling point for the revised Switch.
Tougher still is that while the display technology is improved, the resolution isn’t. Nintendo Switch OLED Model still only offers 720p resolution in its tablet state, jumping to full 1080p HD when docked and outputting to a TV. The result of offering a larger screen at the same 1,280 x 720 resolution means that the OLED Model actually has a slightly lower pixel density than its predecessor – 210ppi versus 237ppi on the classic Switch. Up close, keen-eyed players will still be able to discern individual pixels, although the true black levels do make them harder to spot on atmospheric games such as Metroid Dread.
Even if Nintendo never had any intention of releasing a 4K capable Switch, we’d have liked to have seen a boost to 1080p in handheld mode to really make use of the OLED tech, and to get a better pixel density. What’s here is nice – very nice, in fact, and a notable improvement over the LCD screen of the original model and the Switch Lite – but it’s perhaps not quite the selling point Nintendo hopes it will be.
While the screen is getting all eyes on it, Nintendo should be shouting from the rooftops about its improved sound array. The OLED Model now has twin front-facing speakers which offer “enhanced” audio. Nintendo hasn't provided details of what the audio standards are for the console, but the stereo set-up pumps out richer, clearer, more immersive sound than expected. There’s almost a 3D audio effect at work, and while this is likely psychosomatic – you’re essentially sitting up close to speakers targeting each ear, so you feel ‘inside’ the sound – it’s significantly better than the tinny on-board speakers of previous Switch hardware.
The OLED Model Switch also supports Bluetooth pairing for audio devices out of the box (a feature that has also come to the classic Switch through a firmware update). The fact that the Switch didn’t offer this feature from launch has always baffled, especially when the console uses Bluetooth to speak to the Joy-Con controllers, but at least it’s here now. Pairing a headset is slightly buried in the system settings, but once found it’s as quick to pair with the Switch as it is to any device.
Pleasingly, Nintendo has also kept the 3.5mm audio jack, situated at the top of the console. Whether wired, wireless, or docked to a TV though, the enhanced audio features are only enabled when playing through the OLED Model’s built-in speakers. Still, with multiple sound output options, Nintendo offers an unexpectedly solid range of support for audiophiles.
Then there’s the dock, which once again houses the OLED Model for charging and TV output. Like the console itself, this has had something of a makeover, bringing several small but pivotal tweaks that improve its usage and utility.
The biggest improvement is that the dock’s internal housing has unclenched the deathgrip that the original model held on to the classic Switch with. There’s now a millimetre or so of ‘give’ when you slot the OLED Model into the new dock, a literally tiny change but one that allows for several enhancements. Everything is still held securely, with the console’s contacts sitting comfortably in place, but the additional wiggle room reduces any risk of scuffing screen or casing when docking or removing the console. The gentler touch also means no chance of ugly screen smears from the internal grips, an issue that afflicted the previous model.
There are some changes at the rear of the dock too, which improve access to its ports. The rear of the case is now fully removable, popping off like a battery cover on a TV remote to expose the new port array. When in place, the case now offers a smooth 90° arc for cables to extrude from, allowing for better positioning of cables than the tightly right-angled cable exit of the original provided. At the side remain two USB-A ports, used for charging peripherals such as the Switch Pro Controller (not included).
Inside, the original’s USB-C AC Adaptor and HDMI-Out ports return, but the internal USB-A port is gone. In its place is a LAN connector – a curious change. Perhaps Nintendo is hoping to grow its esports showings beyond Super Smash Bros and Splatoon, but for most of the Switch’s library, the stability of a wired internet connection feels more like a ‘nice to have’ rather than an absolute necessity. Still, it is nice to have, and for anyone picking up a title from the Switch’s growing cloud gaming library – such as Control or Resident Evil 7; games that cannot run locally on the console – an ethernet connection direct from console to router will be a benefit.
While the OLED Model will also be available with the familiar red and blue Joy-Con controllers, along with the upgraded dock in a more traditional black, all of the marketing for the OLED Model – and indeed, the review units sent to press – centres on the new black and white unit. While that’s partly to visually distinguish new from old, there’s also a sense that the OLED Model is Nintendo’s attempt to mature the Switch brand, yanking it away from the multicoloured toy-like approach of the original unit and drawing comparison – aesthetically, at least – to Sony's similarly monochrome PS5.
To its credit, it works – the monochrome OLED model looks striking, especially if you have a PS5 to place it next to when docked. The matching white Joy-Cons and the white dock beautifully frame the console, with the black edges and the top part of the screen protruding from the dock, providing satisfying contrast.
The design changes extend beyond the colour scheme though. The biggest upgrade is the new kickstand, used to support the console in tablet mode when playing on a tabletop. On the original, this was a slender strut of plastic, offset from the centre of the Switch’s rear that made propping it up precarious at best. On the OLED Model, it's an entire stand that runs the entire length of the console. Not only does this make the Switch feel far more stable when stood on a tabletop, but the angle is fully adjustable, allowing users to position the console at the perfect viewing angle for their surroundings. The kickstand feels satisfyingly stiff too, whatever angle it's positioned at, with no fear it might give way.
Other tweaks include a redesigned cooling vent at the top of the console, remodelled power and volume buttons – now elongated, flattened ovals – and a neater, squared off cover for the game cart slot. The overall form factor is barely changed though, meaning the OLED Model Switch will still fit in most carrying cases for safely taking it out of the house.
Aside from the screen and audio improvements, there’s only one real aspect of the OLED Model Switch that sees any real leap, and that’s onboard storage. The original model had a meagre 32GB of space to install games on, but Nintendo has seen fit to double that to 64GB here. It’s still not exactly a generous amount of storage, especially when around 9GB of that is taken up with system files, but it’s a considerable improvement. It’s enough storage to have notorious space hogs such as NBA 2K21 – a 42.5GB download from the Nintendo eShop – installed locally on the OLED Model, whereas it would necessitate a MicroSD expansion card on the original Switch.
For those who do wish to add more storage to their console, a MicroSD slot is still available, tucked under the kickstand, with a pleasingly sculpted valley sloping into the slot. As Nintendo has not advised otherwise, we presume the OLED Model still supports cards up to 2TB.
Aside from that though, what’s under the hood is essentially the same as before. The NVIDIA customised Tegra processor makes a return, and there remains only 4GB RAM. There’s no extra oomph to power games beyond what the existing Switch models can handle. Even battery life remains much the same, with the OLED Model offering between five and nine hours play undocked, with a roughly three hour charging time.
The result is that games such as Metroid Dread – a superlative return for the sci-fi action platformer – still has significant loading times as hero Samus Aran travels between areas, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can still exhibit slowdown in particularly hectic moments. Still, the magic of most Switch games, particularly first party Nintendo titles, is more in the experience than the spectacle. Between that and the console becoming a natural home for indie games, the OLED Model's lack of raw power likely won't be too much of a hindrance for Nintendo – although in the absence of any power boost, it wouldn't surprise us to start seeing even more third-party titles only being available on Switch through cloud gaming in future.
If, more than four years on from its original release, you don’t yet own a Nintendo Switch, the OLED Model is unassailably the one to get. Short of perhaps finding a classic version for a steal, there’s no reason not to go for this deftly but noticeably improved model. The bigger and better screen, expanded onboard storage, and refined design that packs in clever and long-overdue improvements are enough to cement it as the definitive version of the hardware to date.
That said, there’s not enough improved about the OLED Model to incentivise upgrading from a base model. This isn’t a hardware revision along the lines of PS4 to PS4 Pro, or Xbox One to Xbox One X – it’s simply a better option for newcomers and, likely, hardcore Nintendo devotees. The gamble seems to be that this refresh keeps the Switch relevant for a while longer, and for those potential consumers, it may well do so.
Yet rumblings of a "Switch Pro" don't seem to be abating, and for developers hoping for more power to work with or players wanting a 4K at-home experience, adding an OLED screen to what is materially the same console released in 2017 won't do much to silence those rumours. The Nintendo Switch OLED Model is the best iteration of the Switch yet – but is it enough?
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
