Nintendo Switch (OLED model) announced: A console that falls short of the long-awaited Switch Pro and gives existing Switch owners little reason to upgrade
Nintendo has unveiled a new Switch console, albeit not the Switch Pro. Instead, the upgraded console contains many of the specifications that leaked in May. As Comicbook claimed at the time, Nintendo has equipped the new Switch with a 7-inch OLED display in practically the same chassis as the current model. The new Switch is 3 mm wider than the current model, but it has thinner bezels thanks to its larger display.
Unsurprisingly, the 7-inch display weighs more than its 6.2-inch predecessor and brings the new Switch to approximately 320 g without the Joy-Cons attached. The difference is only 23 g or about 7.7%. The Joy-Cons are no heavier on the new model, though.
Unfortunately, the OLED display is a 720p panel, just like all current Switch models. Nintendo has also confirmed to The Verge that the new device uses the same NVIDIA Custom SoC found in previous models. Correspondingly, the new console maxes out at 1080p when outputting to a TV. Hence, the new Switch does not support 4K natively, nor via DLSS upscaling as was previously rumoured.
The console's battery life remains at between 4.5 and 9 hours, too. Nintendo has given the stand a refresh though, as the video below shows. Also, the new console has 64 GB of storage, double the 32 GB that the current models have. Apparently, the new Switch has improved speakers, but it has not disclosed the changes that it has made.
Moreover, Nintendo has added an Ethernet port to the Switch Dock, eschewing one of its USB ports. For some reason, the company has also moved the HDMI port next to the Dock's USB Type-C port. The two USB Type-A ports on the side of the dock remain.
The Nintendo Switch (OLED model) will be available in the Eurozone, UK and the US from October 8. The console will launch in two colours, but Nintendo has only confirmed its launch price in the US so far, where it will retail for US$349.99, US$50 more than the current Switch. Essentially, Nintendo is charging US$50 more for five upgrades: an improved display, more storage, a better kickstand, Ethernet and fuller-sounding speakers.
In our opinion, the Switch (OLED model) is a sideways upgrade for Nintendo. The new console will not necessarily perform any better than the console it launched over four years ago and even contains the same SoC. Furthermore, Nintendo has addressed areas of the original Switch without resolving its low-resolution display nor its peak resolution when connected to an external display. Hopefully, the Switch (OLED model) is a stop-gap until Nintendo releases a ninth-generation console in 2022 or 2023. However, we see no compelling reason for anyone to upgrade from an existing Switch console.
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