The announcement of the new Nintendo Switch is already old news. Some of us have eagerly anticipated all these goodies that Nintendo will be unveiling this year, such as 4K, holographic projection on your wall, and VR capability.
Well, the jury is out as the specs have been released. Did they meet your expectations? As we can’t have this conversation right now, here are my thoughts on the new OLED Switch.
If you’ve just joined the party and not aware, Nintendo has confirmed that an updated Nintendo Switch will be launched later this year in October. Depending on your expectations, this will be completely underwhelming, or perhaps it’s got you selling off furniture in anticipation?
The new rectangle is mostly the same, but the first addition is the larger OLED screen. OLED seems to be the best consumer-level tech right now, so this is definitely an advantage. Said screen is now 7 inches and will boast some very sharp, vibrant visuals. I remember getting my first OLED screen, and it’s like comparing Blu-Ray to DVD.
That doesn’t necessarily mean better graphics, just clarity. Comparing the Switch’s games to another system, i.e. House Flipper on the Switch compared to the PC, is significantly different. That said, I’d easily choose Katana Zero on the Switch over any other system,. Understandably. From my perspective, the highlights are the indie games where gameplay is the focus and not dazzling suped-up pixels, anti-aliasing and tweaked nipples.
What else? It features an adjustable stand and can be played in handheld and tabletop mode. Wait… that was the selling point of the Switch before, right? Okay, that’s not new, but there is enhanced audio and a new dock with a wired LAN port.
The new OLED Switch shares the exact dimensions as the joy-cons, so no need to update those are they’ll work out of the box. There’s a built-in 64GB of memory, which might be suitable for most, but when you have a library of 600, the removable 256GB are more favourable and affordable, considering.
There will be two versions on launch – coincidentally the same day as Metroid Dread – the 8th October 2021. The first is a white set. This Nintendo Switch comes with white controllers, a white dock and a black main unit. The second version features the flagship neon red and blue controllers with a black dock and main unit.
You might already have an opinion on the new addition, so here’s mine: I won’t be lining up to get it. It’s not that I’m disappointed, as I had zero expectations. The Switch doesn’t need to compete with the technical specs of the PC and next-gen as its selling point, for me, is the portability and eShop library.
The new screen isn’t that much of a lure to spend the equivalent of $349.99; that said, it’s reasonable considering it’s not much more than the Nintendo Switch that launched in 2017. Improved joy-cons would be a decider – that is, improved ergonomics and fixing the drift, but third party ones are still better, in my opinion, such as the Hori Pad Pro – whatever it’s called.
So, the big hoo-ha of a new Switch will either have got you excited or rolling your eyes or somewhere between. I’m the latter and a little indifferent but won’t be upgrading unless the current Switch goes kaput.
* Additional games, systems and/or accessories may be required for multiplayer mode. Games, systems and some accessories sold separately.
** Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and Nintendo Account required for online features. Not available in all countries. Internet access required for online features. Terms apply. nintendo.com/switch-online.
*** Nintendo Switch system (OLED model) is compatible with the full library of Nintendo Switch games. However, the system will not cleanly fit within all the design parameters of the Nintendo Labo series. There may also be games where the game experience may differ due to the new capabilities of the console, such as the larger screen size.
