Verdict

The Nintendo Switch OLED is a fantastic climb for portable caper , with the new projection screen looking significantly well than the one on the standard example . But with no substantial climb for docked mode , it is n’t a worthwhile leverage for those who just require a home console for the TV .

Pros

Cons

Key Features

Introduction

The Nintendo Switch OLED is not a subsequence to the standard Switch , but instead a mid - cycle refresh with an promote screen for enhanced picture quality .

This means the Switch organic light-emitting diode can play all of the same games as its sure-enough sib , and even offers an identical performance with the accurate same cow dung power the portable . With the original Switch launching all the fashion back in 2017 , this means the nontextual matter power on offering here is severely out of appointment .

This is only made more obvious with the avalanche of Modern gambling handheld releases in the past few old age , include theSteam Deck , ROG AllyandLenovo Legion Go . Plus there are rumours that we could see theNintendo Switch 2arrive before the end of the year .

With all of the above look at into circumstance , is the Nintendo Switch OLED still deserving a buy ? After spending three years with the portable , here ’s my verdict .

Screen

lease ’s focus on the most exciting feature first : the titularOLEDscreen . I ’m very conversant with OLED screen technology , seeing it implement on various laptops and goggle box , and yet I was still surprised by how big an encroachment it has had on the Nintendo Switch .

The OLED panel allows for better contrast and coloration accuracy , ensue in a video that ’s far ranking to the original portable – the difference is night and day , even on the homescreen . The Switch OLED panel depend brighter , with bolder and more vivacious colors pop out of the display .

The improved colour accuracy is also obtrusive , expose a perfect white scope compared to the reddish tint of its herald . Playing the possibility sequence ofBreath of the Wildhit a lot harder with the OLED fashion model , presenting bring item in the sky and plush green forest , while shower a greater contrast between the sunbeams and shadows in a cave .

I also played through the entirety ofMetroid Dreadon the Switch OLED , and was stunned by how good the 3D cutscenes looked with the better vibrancy that the new projection screen allows for – this feels like a substantial raise , arguably more so than any solution bump could tender .

Of course , there are ill-famed downsides with OLED screens – sunburn - inissues have seen images scorch into the display of older tv watch extended time displaying a motionless image . But I do n’t see that being a trouble here . The Switch OLED will mechanically go to sleep if you have n’t used the equipment for five minutes or so , and OLED engineering has come a long way in late year to remedy this problem .

Nintendo has also increased the screen size of it for the OLED model , boosting from 6.2 - inches to 7 - inches . That does n’t sound like much of an improvement , but the sum up width makes a huge difference . Personally , I was very happy with this expression as I ’m transitioning from the dinkySwitch Lite .

Nintendo has sprucely shaved down the system ’s bezel to accommodate the larger sieve , so there ’s hardly any size or weight difference at all between the original and OLED Switches . Even old Joy - Cons are support here , so you wo n’t need to go out and buy Modern controllers – although this does also mean the Joy - Con gallery has n’t been resolved .

The blind resolution stay on the same at 720p , but I do n’t feel like that ’s a problem at this screen size of it . I did n’t ever notice the person pixels when play games in portable play , and I in person would n’t want a boost in pixels if it meant a larger design or unforesightful battery life .

Design

The new OLED screen is going to take hold of all the headline , but Nintendo has also made some tweak to the design to make it feel more premium .

The most notable upgrade in this respect is the novel stand – it now stretches across the entire rear of the portable for a far hardy hold , and it corroborate multiple angles for added versatility . My original Nintendo Switch would often tumble over when shore up on a train tabular array , but this has n’t been an issue with the OLED mannequin .

The Switch organic light-emitting diode is still made of plastic in the primary physique , but it feels far nicer than its harbinger , with a strong habitus that ’s better able to hide fingerprint smudge mark . While the OG Switch arguably palpate like a miniature , this comes across as a premium product intended for a more mature hearing .

The loudspeaker have also been enhanced , with louder and more elaborated sound . I was so impressed with the portable ’s audio quality that I was well-chosen to recreate without my headset at home . Bluetooth is also now supported across all Switch consoles for wireless headset .

All of the same button and ports boast here , including a power button , volume whipper , headphone jack , USB - Ccharging and microSD storage expansion . There ’s also a plot cartridge slot – but , as someone with very myopic fingernails , I ’ve found the game cartridge slot to be more difficult to prize open .

Nintendo has also redesign the bob . It feels a lot good now , with a stalwart charge card physique . The ass can easily be snapped off to disclose all of the home ports , including the new LAN port that allow for a pumped-up net connexion without the penury of an adaptor . The new design also enables cable television routing , which will no doubt please those who require a clean apparatus .

The functionality remain the same , with the Switch slotting nicely into the USB - speed of light loading dock to output an image to the TV . Disappointingly , however , there is n’t a more powerful silicon chip inside the dock , which mean you ’re still only getting a 1080p solving for TV fashion .

Performance and battery life

The big dashing hopes about the Switch OLED is the deficiency of a performance rising slope – it ’s still using the same Nvidia Tegra C.P.U. as the original system that launch back in 2017 .

For portable play , I do n’t think it ’s a big issue . First - political party games still lead swimmingly , aside from the odd framing - rate hiccup , and I doubt a solvent boost would make that big of a difference for a sieve of this sizing .

However , it ’s a far prominent payoff for those who like to act the Switch in docked mode . When connecting my switching to my 55 - column inch OLED telly , I was frustrated to see how seeable the pixels were for Metroid Dread , result in a blurry delineation quality that is n’t present in portable mode . This will be even more obvious if you ’re accustomed to 4 kB gaming on thePS5orXbox Series X.

Aside from a new Ethernet port and boosted storage capacity , there ’s no inducement for people to kick upstairs to the Switch OLED if they primarily dally in docked mode . A more powerful GPU bake into the dockage would have fixed this , theoretically enabling the Switch to upscale the firmness of purpose when link to the TV . But I assume Nintendo did n’t want to labor the price up further or is hold it back for the rumor Switch 2 .

This is an even bigger issue considering an increase act of Switch game are only playable via the swarm . And with the PS5 and Xbox Series X encouraging developer to make even more GPU - intensive game , the Switch has fight to keep up when it comes to third - party game reenforcement .

If you ’re looking for an affordable games cabinet and are n’t fuss about portability , I suggest wait at theXbox Series Sinstead . It ’s cheap , significantly more powerful and supports a greater number of third - party games .

Nintendo lay claim the Switch organic light-emitting diode offer four - and - a - half to nine hours of barrage fire liveliness , depend on which game is being played . That ’s the same battery spirit as the most recent reading of the standard Switch , but a enceinte improvement on the original looping that launched in 2017 .

These figure seem precise concord to my time with the twist , with the Switch OLED lasting five hours while playing Metroid Dread before requiring a recharge . breathing space of the Wildsaw a similar final result , with two hr of play seeing the shelling fall to 63 % . you’re able to expect even better stamina if you stick to less tax games such as Celeste or Slay the Spire .

I ’m proud of with the Switch OLED ’s battery living . Asking for anything good would arguably be unreasonable for a gambling portable of this pedigree . It ’s catch far proficient stamina than more powerful portables such as the Steam Deck and ROG Ally .

Games and software

A console table is only as good as the secret plan it has on offer , so where does that pull up stakes the Nintendo Switch OLED ? Nintendo ’s new console supports every single secret plan available on both the original Switch and Switch Lite .

The Switch has a fantastic library of game , from other launch such asSuper Mario Odyssey , Breath of the Wild , and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , to fantabulous new dismission such asTears of the Kingdom , Metroid Prime RemasteredandSplatoon 3 . The Switch also extend to be a astral platform for indie games , with the likes of Hades , Undertale , Cuphead , Stardew Valley and more .

Those hop to play the former and greatestAAA gamesmay be out of luck though , as the Switch ’s ageing C.P.U. has fallen so far behind the PS5 and Xbox Series X that it ’s now struggling to run modern games .

Recent big game such as Elden Ring , Star Wars Jedi : Survivor and Diablo 4 have failed to materialise on the Switch , despite being available on all other platforms .

Nintendo has sample to work around this by adopt cloud engineering to get the likes ofMarvel ’s Guardians of the Galaxyand Hitman 3 working on the Nintendo Switch . But such tactics are hardly ideal for a portable console , as you ask a ordered high - speed internet connection to see to it a liquid performance .

On the bright side , Nintendo has a great catalogue of digital games from retro consoles usable through the Nintendo Switch Online library . support to the received Switch Online service ( $ 19.99/£31.49/€34.99 per year ) will gain you access to NES and SNES games , while promote toSwitch Online + Expansion Pack($49.99/£59.99/€69.99 ) will unlock an even larger depository library that include Sega Mega Drive , N64 , Game Boy and Game Boy Advance game .

The Nintendo Switch is currently the best elbow room to revisit classical Nintendo game . So if you ’ve never toy any retro Nintendo games , or you simply fancy taking a tripper down store lane , the Switch is well worth a leverage for this alone .

outdoors of gaming , the Switch OLED ’s software is the precise same as you ’ll line up with other Switch consoles . I ’m a bounteous rooter of its paternal controls , plus it ’s easy enough to transfer save information between console . However , the same pain in the ass points persist , such as a torpid eShop and the requirement of a disjoined smartphone app for multiplayer voice chat . In addition , there ’s still no sign of prize , which have been offered by PlayStation , Xbox and PC for a long time now .

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Final Thoughts

I ’ve been really impress by the Nintendo Switch OLED . The screen ’s picture quality is a far dandy upgrade than I anticipate , while extra improvements such as a sturdier stand , full screen and more premium conception all help to ensure this is the downright best gaming portable gadget you could bribe right now .

However , the lack of performance acclivity means that it is n’t a worthwhile leverage if you expend most of your metre playing the Switch in dock modality . It feel outdated scarper at 1080p , and it ’s concerning that an increasing numeral of third - company game are only supported via the swarm .

If you need a more powerful portable that can palm modern third - political party games , then I recommend you check out the likes of theSteam DeckandAsus ROG Allyinstead .

Trusted Score

How we test

In rules of order to test the Nintendo Switch OLED , we bet a number of game and compared it to the visual pop the question by the received Switch .

We also checked out all of the new advertised features , including the stand and speaker .

FAQs

The Nintendo Switch OLED does not support 4 K in either portable or docked modal value .

The raw upgrades include an OLED screenland , with child display , surplus internal memory , ameliorate stand and an Ethernet port on the dock .