It finally happened, y’all! Nintendo has announced a brand new Switch and it’s… not quite everything we had in mind. A bigger, brighter screen, improved speakers, wider kickstand, and Ethernet built into the dock are all nice upgrades, but they aren’t quite a Switch Pro. So, is the OLED Switch really better?
Read on to see how a few of our contributors reacted to this weirdly unceremonious announcement.
Capsulejay's Thoughts
As someone who only uses my Switch in handheld mode occasionally (the Switch must be docked for streaming), I'm not sold on the new model. The most tempting feature of it is that the new dock includes an Ethernet port, which would allow me to finally ditch my USB-to-ethernet adapter that has been in service on Nintendo hardware for three console generations. My most-wanted feature for a new Switch is admittedly less marketable than an OLED screen, more RAM. A lack of RAM is one of the most commonly cited issues I’ve heard developers raise when talking about the difficulties of porting their games to Switch.
TroytlePower's Thoughts
I think a slightly larger screen sounds nice at first, but realizing that the resolution is unchanged is a bit disappointing. On top of that, I've almost never had a problem with the size or colors on my original Switch. This feels like a great upgrade for people who are just getting the Switch now, but that's all it is.
This isn't the Switch Pro I've been dreaming of, and I don't think Nintendo is targeting folks who already have a Switch. This is absolutely intended to be a new product for new buyers. That does make the higher price point feel a little weird, and I have to wonder if this is going to sit on shelves side-by-side with the existing Switch, or if it's just replacing it.
Data_Error's Thoughts
Probably for the best that this is a minor upgrade. It'd be an absolute disaster to release yet another gaming system in the middle of an ongoing chip shortage.
Beej's Thoughts
gimme gimme gimme gimme! Presses F5 furiously on Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Mine mine mine mine mine.
But for real, the OLED screen that's a bunch larger and much sharper will help with my old-man eyes since there's often text and detail I miss out on the Switch Lite that I primarily play on. The other stuff is nice, and I am glad there's finally wired LAN support, but the big draw for me is the larger OLED screen. I know they haven't announced that it's more powerful (that I could see on the product page), but with that much of an improvement in screen quality, I can only assume there's a bit more power under the hood and a proportionate battery.
Elinzia's Thoughts
I feel like everything I could say has already been said…so, ditto?
Really, I love the idea of the bigger screen. I play my Switch primarily handheld while my husband uses his Switch on the television. Therefore, for me, it sounds great! However, at the price point of $350? It has to offer me more than a slightly bigger screen for me to spend the money on. I'd rather get my PS5 and keep using my current Switch.
Although the colors do make it look a little like a panda bear. So there's that.
