“Nintendo Switch OLED: who is it for?”

Switch Pro rumorists must be rolling in their graves right now. Nintendo, in typical Nintendo fashion, skipped informing us at E3 and instead decided to drop the news of a new Switch model on our laps just this morning. Presenting the new Nintendo Switch OLED model.

It’s a far cry from anything remotely resembling the rumored 4K Switch Pro or Super Nintendo Switch that has dominated a lot of Switch hardware discussion. Sure, that could still be coming down the road (don’t abandon your conspiracy theory subreddit just yet), but for now, all we have is the OLED model to keep us warm. Whether it is or isn’t the Pro model is immaterial and unknown.

Now remember when the Switch Lite was announced and people asked “who is this for?” You had a Switch that didn’t… er… switch. It seems to me that this is again the fundamental question with this latest Switch model. So many excellent publications have spent space detailing its new features so I won’t belabor that here.

Quick rundown

• Switch OLED is a new mid-generation model of the base Nintendo Switch.
• 8 October 2021 is its release date.
• Retail price is set at $350 USD.
• The Switch screen will be OLED (organic light-emitting diode) emphasizing “true black” and higher contrast.
• The screen itself is slightly larger, coming in at 7 inches.
• The new model boasts enhanced audio quality.
• A new adjustable stand design replaces the old, flimsier design.
• Online games will get a boost via wired LAN support.
• Internal storage is increased from 32GB to 64GB.
• The dock itself has a few aesthetic changes.
• It’s white.

Gimmicks

It’s unclear what exactly the Switch OLED model is for. The Lite skipped the titular gimmick of the Switch by being unable to switch from handheld to docked. It was clearly a dedicated handheld gaming device. With Switch OLED, though, the benefits are less obvious.

For instance, there seems to be a push here toward better visuals, but they’re slight and limited to the OLED handheld screen. There’s no additional benefit for the TV screen in docked mode, so far as I can tell. That will likely do very little to appeal to the PlayStation and Xbox crowds who are used to publishers that push graphical fidelity and visual detail, never mind PC gamers and their upgraded rigs.

Handheld benefits

Most of the new features are geared toward the handheld experience, in fact. Certain consumers have already expressed that the Switch is too large to feel like a true handheld. Someone once told me it can’t be a handheld because it doesn’t fit in your pocket. What’s more, will a LAN connection work with the new Switch OLED handheld screen and all of its new handheld features, or will consumers need to choose between which of the model’s features to use and when? And will that be a big enough draw to purchase a new model when you can already get LAN support on the base Switch model with an adapter?

As I previously thought with the Lite, the Switch OLED seems to shoot itself in the foot. The Lite had Joy Cons that risked suffering drift yet they couldn’t be removed and replaced because it was a Switch that couldn’t switch. The Switch OLED, on the other hand, can switch. But it features very slight improvements that either seem to not appeal at all or to appeal in very specific ways counter to the dynamic switching function the Switch itself is named for. If there are no major big screen benefits, then that limits its appeal to those who play primarily in handheld. But then how do you make use of the LAN support?

Expectations

It’s all a bit confounding, isn’t it? It’s not at all what many expected and it’s not what many sites were churning out as “leaks”. Don’t trust leaks, by the way.

The best I can say for the Switch OLED is that it’s still in the accessible and affordable price range of the base Switch model. $50 USD more nabs a better display for handheld and better multiplayer for docked. But with so small of an upgrade, it doesn’t necessarily appeal to current Switch owners, unless we just want to keep up with the Joneses.

That leads me to believe that the best answer to the question “who is this for?” is this: it’s for potentially new Switch owners, consumers who do not yet have a Nintendo Switch. For a little more, they can get some extra space and some slight improvements. It’s not time to upgrade your current base model… but if you’re thinking of getting a Switch, this may be a decent entry point.

Oh and it comes in white. I guess this generation is all about the white consoles.

I’ve so far seen a lot of confusion surrounding the new Switch OLED and its features, likely because of Nintendo’s decision to suddenly drop its announcement out of nowhere. Certainly, this approach is nothing new for Nintendo, a company that has thrived on the weird and uncanny, but I have to echo the general sentiment. Who is this for?

I personally would have liked to see Nintendo address some of the issues I take with the Joy Cons. We should at least be thankful that there’s no word of exclusives coming to this new Switch OLED model (yet). It’ll play the same games just a little better. Maybe.

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage or Mage Cast.