Since it was officially introduced Nintendo Switch OLED Many doubts have arisen in this regard, especially about whether it is worth making the leap from the base model launched in 2017 and beyond. The Japanese company made an effort to present its news with an explanatory video that made it clear that OLED was not only coming to present a better screen, but that its novelties were considerable enough to be able to make the leap. If today you still have doubts about whether it will be worth buying an OLED model of Nintendo Switch, here is our analysis of the console so that you can be clear about what it is proposing since we have had it in our hands during the last week.
Improved quality in familiar sensations
Obviously, one of the points that stands out the most about the Nintendo Switch OLED – probably the one that stands out the most – is the image quality offered by the new screen. It is the most important reason to make the leap to this version, although not the only one. The quality of the OLED screen in front of the LCD of the base console becomes palpable as soon as the machine is turned on, which already allows you to get an idea of what you will be able to experience as soon as you start the first game. It may probably sound exaggerated said this way, but you have to try it to find out: at first it can generate rejection because you do not think that the jump is enough, but when you play with OLED, you don’t want to go back to the previous model. And that’s always great news.
Best of all, the sensations with the console are so familiar that you will hardly notice any changes in its feel, weight, or the way you play with it. As you may well know by now, although it weighs a few grams more, the Nintendo Switch OLED has been designed in a way that is practically traced to that of the base model, with the big difference that now its screen is 7 inches, instead of the 6.2 that Nintendo Switch has since its launch in 2017. With this and although the resolution is maintained, there is a greater effect of depth, without the black borders that characterize the console that we have been enjoying for four and a half years. In fact, I have to say that at the moment it is almost annoying to go back to those margins that cut the screen and dwarf the image. It is what you have to get used to a higher quality.
What does this screen change translate to? In a significant leap in image quality, like the one you have not seen so far on a Nintendo Switch. If you think that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey look great on a base Nintendo Switch, when you experience their quality on OLED, you will never see it the same again. In the visual comparison, OLED will always be the winner, since the greater margin of the screen and the characteristics of its technology, make the colors more vivid, the lighting is sharper and everything looks much more beautiful than what it already was. A sensational experience that enters your eyes from the first moment and that, when you get away from it, you already know little. Without a doubt, the beginning of the charm that Nintendo Switch OLED has. It goes without saying that all this is best experienced in portable mode, since to do so in desktop mode you will need a television with an OLED or QLED screen.
A support to another level with dozens of options
One of the aspects with clear improvement with respect to the base model of Nintendo Switch was its medium for use in desktop mode with the Joy-Con separated from the console. Well, the Japanese company has been aware of all the criticism received in this regard and the OLED model fully complies with what could be expected from a flexible, malleable support that allows the console to be arranged in different positions, depending on whether you are sitting in a chair, lying on the sofa or wherever you are. In addition to being much more resistant, because it is no longer a simple pin on one of the sides, but a strip dedicated to the entire width of the console, it is much easier to use, being solid and compact against any type of surface. A lot of work has been done with it.
I have tried this mode in different positions and points of view and all of them have been really satisfactory. In addition, the OLED screen also manages to provide a plus in this mode, since the matte LCD screen of the previous model sometimes generated annoying reflections depending on the situation in which you find yourself, something that is eliminated in this new model. If there is a problem with the structure of the console, it is that, in this desktop mode, it is still a major hassle to charge the console while it is being used, as the port is still on the low side, making the process very difficult. the architecture of the original console did not leave room for many frills in this regard, so you better have the battery with enough autonomy for your gaming sessions. Battery that, by the way, lasts very similar to that of the original model, few changes here.
Improved audio without too many frills
Another aspect that Nintendo highlighted in the presentation of the OLED model was an improvement in the audio, although it was not specified in what sense. I have to admit that this new console has a more immersive sound than the previous model, without too many frills. It is an almost imperceptible improvement in many moments, so you have to pay close attention to notice it and compare directly with a 2017 model so far, so don’t expect a sea change in OLED audio. However, that pinch of improvement is always welcome and surely future games will get you to take advantage of that intended surround sound intent. What is clear is that, both in portable mode and in television mode, the sound of the machine looks great, something that already happened with the previous models, everything is said.
Greater storage and LAN port, the details that complete it
The thing does not stop there, but the Nintendo Switch OLED also comes accompanied by minor improvements that do not go unnoticed. The most outstanding of all of them is the greater storage capacity, something harshly criticized since 2017 at the launch of the original console and that practically forced to buy an additional memory card to be able to assemble a decent digital game catalog without having to eliminate some of programs to make way for others. On this occasion, the Japanese company wanted to fulfill the wishes of the users doubling the memory from the initial 32GB to the current 64GB. A substantial improvement if your choice is to create a digital library and if, in addition, you already have an SD card, now you will have additional space for the heaviest games.
On the other hand, the other key element of the console has yet to be mentioned: the dock. There are not many changes in its structure, but there is a key figure in this new dock, which is none other than the LAN port. Nintendo Switch OLED has served to meet the most fervent requests of fans during these four years that Switch has been on the market and has more than fulfilled in the vast majority of them. At the moment I have not been able to carry out as many tests as I would have liked, but the first sensations are positive and everything indicates that the serious connectivity problems that the console has had in these years will be overcome with this new port, notably improving stability and allowing you to enjoy an online mode that is more appropriate to the times.
The rest of the dock remains exactly the same, except for a small detail that may go unnoticed, but that deserves to be mentioned. With OLED, Nintendo has also thought about all those users who have reported overheating in TV mode and causing the console to bend from exposure to heat. Now, the dock has more cooling so that heat flows and can be better expelled, preventing these problems from persisting. Of course, it is still early to be able to do a thorough analysis in this regard, but if the cooling has been improved, it will always be good news.
A pleasant surprise to the eye and to the touch
The doubts that there could be with the launch of the Nintendo Switch OLED have been resolved with the contact note with the machine. I have to say that I was in that group of people who thought that the qualitative leap was not enough to change from a base model to the OLED model, but since I have it in my hands, it is impossible for me to return to a previous Nintendo Switch. Playing with this model is doing it to the maximum splendor that Nintendo’s hybrid console can achieve at the moment and that is a real joy. The experience has been very gratifying, especially to the eye, but also to the touch and in all the situations that Switch allows to play with it. Without a doubt, a pleasant surprise that if you try you will not want to let go.