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Nintendo on Tuesday surprised gamers by announcing a new Switch model, which will be out on October 8, right before the crucial holiday shopping season. But this isn’t the rumoured Switch Pro, which many thought would come with the new Nvidia chip and the ability to support 4K TV output. Instead, the new model comes with a few extra features like a larger OLED display, a new dock which will support a wired internet connection, as well as a wide adjustable stand for use in tabletop mode. All these improvements, along with a $50 price rise seem justifiable for a hybrid console in the midst of a global pandemic. The new Switch OLED will be sold alongside the existing Switch model and Switch Lite.
What you will be getting with the upgraded Switch
7-inch OLED display: The new Switch has a larger 7-inch OLED display. Yes, as the name applies, Nintendo is adding an OLED screen that’s more brighter and colorful than the 6-inch screen on the standard model. It’s still a 720p resolution screen, though. The existing Switch’s 6.2-inch screen looks dull, so the larger OLED display on the new model is a welcome move.
Better kickstand: The kickstand on the original Switch is flimsy – and yes, unreliable. With the new Switch, Nintendo has redesigned the kickstand that should improve stability. The kickstand is much wider, similar to the stand seen on the Microsoft Surface Pro. Given that a lot of people like to play games on the Switch in tabletop mode, the adjustable kickstand fixes Switch’s biggest design flaws.
Dock has an integrated ethernet port: The new Switch also gets a wired ethernet via the dock. In the original Switch, there was no built-in ethernet port. If you ever wanted to use a wired network with your Switch when playing games when docked, you had no option but to use a separate USB Ethernet adapter. This might not be a big feature, but matters to a lot of people who play multiplayer games on the Switch.
Improved speakers: Nintendo has also improved speakers on the new Switch, though we haven’t tested ourselves. Enhanced audio should drastically improve the experience when playing games in handheld mode. The Switch’s product page simply says, “Enjoy enhanced audio from the system’s onboard speakers.”
More storage: The original Switch made its debut with 32GB of storage, and not many people complained about the internal storage. After all, Switch console’s games take less storage compared to many high-profile PlayStation and Xbox games. The new Switch has twice the storage of the regular model — 64GB to be exact, though that can be expanded through a memory card
The OLED Switch is a minor improvement over the original Switch
🎮The Switch OLED will be backwards compatible with all previous Switch games.
🎮The Switch model will work with existing Switch docks.
🎮The battery life of the OLED Switch will be the same as the standard model.
🎮The basic form factor also remains the same.
What’s missing in the upgraded Switch
4K gaming: Nintendo isn’t ready to jump on the 4K gaming yet, and it’s clear why. Rumours suggested that one of the big highlights of the new Switch model would be improved graphics when playing games on television. 4K output would have made the Switch a lot more powerful but that required Nintendo to opt for a new chip. That didn’t happen, really. The new Switch OLED, like the original Switch and Switch Lite, still plays games at 1080p on television and 720p while handheld. No support for ray tracing or new like Nvidia’s DLSS either.
No Bluetooth audio: The Nintendo Switch doesn’t support Bluetooth headphones natively, and that’s a bummer for many. The new Switch doesn’t seem to have added support for Bluetooth headphones. So once again you either have to use a wired 3.5mm headphones, or use an adapter to listen to your Switch wirelessly.
Old Joy-Cons: The Switch OLED uses the same old Joy-Cons as the original Switch. Sure, Joy-Cons are innovative and bring newness to the way we play games on the Switch but they have been prone to drift problems. It’s not clear why Nintendo hasn’t fixed the problem, which has angered many gamers.
Nintendo doesn’t need a ‘Switch Pro’
The new Switch OLED fixes the problem users had the original Switch, but it isn’t the ‘Switch Pro’ we anticipated. Not to forget that Nintendo is adding a new Switch model at a time when the entire tech industry is facing chip shortages. Nintendo could have gone for a more advanced chip but that would have led to extreme shortages of the console in the market, making it hard for people to buy the new Switch during the peak Christmas shopping season. Both Sony and Microsoft have been facing the same issue ever since they started selling the PS5 and Xbox Series X last year. The demand is high for the next-generation consoles, thanks to the boom in the gaming market due to the global pandemic, but the ongoing chip shortages have made it impossible to buy the PS5 and Xbox Series X in the market.
There’s no reason for Nintendo to make add 4K visuals or include support for Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FidelityFX Super-resolution to improve gaming performance just yet, as the Switch continues to hold the number one position in the console market. While this has made a lot of people disappointed, the fact is Nintendo’s core belief has always been improving the gaming experience with the existing available tech rather than opting for more powerful hardware. Despite not being as powerful as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the Switch continues to sell well. Nintendo does not really need the Switch Pro, because it is not competing directly with both Sony and Microsoft anymore. Because of the console’s hybrid nature and the form factor and docking station, the Switch caters to a diverse users base, making the Switch relevant for many more years. At a retail price of $350 and a robust library of first and third-party games, it is hard to beat the Switch OLED.
