Nintendo Switch OLED - Is it Worth the Switch?

It has been well over four years now since the launch of Nintendo’s hybrid, on-the-go console, the Nintendo Switch. And in this time, it has become no stranger to anyone in the gaming community, selling over 90 million units since its inception. Earlier this year, however, Nintendo decided to announce that the console was getting an upgrade, in the form of the OLED model – a sleeker, larger Switch console boasting a crisp, 7-inch OLED display, among some other cosmetic changes. The internal specifications, however, remain unchanged, putting many current Switch owners in a difficult position of wondering if this new OLED model is worth the upgrade?

The main attraction here is, of course, the 7-inch OLED screen, making it slightly larger than the original Switch’s 6.2-inch LCD display. The new display makes colourful games like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening pop, with even deeper hues on show. I particularly found my experience with Metroid Dread on the new console to be more enjoyable than on the base switch, as the OLED display allows darker colours like black to appear that much darker, making the bezels on the side of the console almost impossible to differentiate from the actual screen. With this in mind, the display appears fuller, and it is now less common to feel distracted by the brightly colour joy-cons slapped onto the sides. Playing on the go, outdoors, or in direct sunlight feels like less of a chore now, as the OLED display is bright enough to cancel out most lens glare. With this, I found myself using the new model in handheld mode a lot more than I would with my original Switch.

Additionally, the OLED is boasting an increase in internal storage, doubling the Switch’s capacity from 32GB to 64GB, making downloading games from the e-Shop a more inviting option than opting for physical game cards. There is still, of course, the option to make this even larger with a MicroSD card, although it is nice to just have extra internal space. The base model’s kickstand has been replaced, too. The OLED now has a large, wide back panel which opens easily and is vastly adjustable, meaning you can now play in tabletop mode on pretty much any angle you desire. In addition to this cosmetic change, there are other small changes such as a smaller power button, new volume buttons, and a new game card slot. Sadly, the charging port is still on the bottom, although I understand this has to be done in order for the Switch to be dockable. As for the dock, that has changed too. It now features a smaller Switch logo on the front, as well as a LAN port for wired internet connection, which serves to be essential in fast-paced online games like Splatoon 2 and Super Smash Bros: Ultimate.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with the Switch OLED. The revisions here are small, but large enough to get better use out of them. While the lack of internal changes will likely not invite many Switch owners to upgrade, those who have yet to dip into Nintendo’s hybrid system may want to seriously consider this superior option.

Nintendo Switch OLED model is available now.