Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

I'd been meaning to take my OLED Vita outdoors to see how the screen performed - previous experience with the Switch is that daytime outdoor play is not great, so if the Vita OLED performed much better then I might use it to justify an OLED Switch purchase.

So I tried it today, but, no, even at max brightness today, in a mix of sunshine and cloud, Metal Gear Solid was unplayable.

So I'm left to conclude that OLED hype is a bit overblown. Sure, it's better, but it's not must-have better for me.

So now the only pull-factors towards an OLED Switch are the white joy-cons and the LAN socket in the dock. A bigger and slightly brighter screen, without a resolution increase, does not do it for me.

@gcunit
OLED isnt to play outdoors. Can't get around basic physics. Sunlight outshines anything. You can get devices that crank up the brightness full tilt, but that's not OLED's strength or purpose. Besides which, I don't think many ppl play outdoors to begin with.

The strength of OLED, and the hype of OLED, is with respect to the colors and contrast, not playing outside. Blacks that actually are black and not grey. More vibrant colors without light bleed thanks to individual pixels turning on and off.

Whether that's something you value enough to be excited is up to you. But I assure you the Switch OLED is not even remotely overhyped. If anything it's underhyped as ppl write it off blindly without considering the merits of the improvements.

3DS XL released at a $30 higher price tag and all it offered was like a 1" larger screen. And people loved it, on account of the larger screen alone. Yet many have written off the OLED model despite offering a 1" larger screen (which will be more impactful given the number of console games with smaller text on the system ) and making the jump to OLED and a quality kickstand that can do tabletop at any angle without a 3rd party accessory and better speakers and built in LAN and a smidge more storage.

It doesn't have to be for everyone. If that doesn't excite you enough to upgrade, then you shouldn't upgrade. But overhyped it is not. It's under hyped. After upgrading to an OLED TV recently I've come to fully understand the difference it makes. Going back to LCD afterward really does feel meh, like returning to mono audio after experiencing stereo sound.

And yet outdoor play has featured in multiple Switch promotional videos. A lot more people would play outdoors if screens could cope with it. And outdoor play is literally the only reason I would upgrade on the basis of same-resolution screen tech.

And I preferred the regular N3DS over the XL

@gcunit
I mean sure, their marketing can feature it all they want. It highlights its flexibility. But let's be real. Nobody wants to play video games outside anymore than sports fans want to play football in their living room.

We gamers are a private bunch. And when we do play socially, it's either in the living room with friends and family or online from the reclusive safety of our parents basement 😀

I care about quality of the visual experience, not playing under tree or next to a shrub (not that there's anything wrong with that if that's what you value). I do play on the go, but it's almost never in the great outdoors. I have played a bit at the bus stop when I used to take public transport, and while it may have been a bit harder to see, it was never impossible. Bout the same as seeing your phone.

But even though it may be the same "resolution", resolution isn't the only aspect of the visual experience that contributes to its quality (evidenced by the MASSIVE improvement to visual quality when upgrading from my 4k LCD Hisense to a 4K OLED LG- same res, vastly superior picture quality).

Discovering the difference OLED and wired quality headphones make (improving both the video and audio experience) to the overall experience, even with all other factors being equal, has been eye opening for me.

I can't go back to LCD. I'm doing a full, 100% OLED conversion. OLED phone, OLED TV, OLED Switch, OLED tablet... with a full audio conversion on the side- either surround sound system or headphones. The only exception will be Steam Deck, as I have no other choice.

@Sdelintwouters
I don't go outside. I might be allergic to sun 🌞

In the rare instances I do go outside, it's not to play games. While I'm sure the fresh breeze feels nice, it would feel nice regardless.

Maybe if they ever release a product at 1000 nits brightness specifically designed for the outdoors club gamers, I'll join you and g-unit and we can eat pimento cheese sandwiches with olives on a toothpick on a quilted blanket in the meadow by the babbling brook 😉

@gcunit
And I preferred the regular N3DS over the XL

I think there were merits to the smaller screen size with the ultra low 240p resolution. I myself still prefer the New 3DS rather than the New 3DS XL for that very reason. And it's more pocketable.

Personal preferences aside, many people nevertheless bought a 3DS XL, even knowing it would decrease pixel density and increase jaggies for an already low res screen. It was a worthwhile upgrade for many. People just like bigger screens. Easier to see, I suppose. There's pros and cons to larger and smaller screens. They should release an OLED Lite model with slightly larger screen and reduced bezels, with more storage and better speakers. I bet a lot of ppl would appreciate that. I know I would.

@JaxonH I went from a 3DS, to 3DS XL, to New 3DS XL. I must have gotten super used to the big screens of the XL models, I used a regular New 3DS on a kiosk and I had a slightly hard time adapting to it, lol. Ah well. I do like how the New 3DS has those faceplates you could put on, that's something that I unfortunately missed out on. XD

@MarioLover92
The smaller 3DS got scratches on the top screen from the raised border of the bottom screen digging into it. Had to replace my New 3DS because of it. Made sure to buy a tempered glass screen protector to ensure it didn't happen again.

The old 3DS 3D wasn't very good either. Eye tracking helped alot. I love the faceplates though.

I've never gone anywhere near OLED because of the high chance of suffering from permanent burn in (for gaming specifically). If you're regularly rotating content/using a device for short bursts, you should be fine. But in likelihood, you're going to be gaming long enough and regularly enough to experience burnin within the lifetime of the device, thanks to fixed things on your screen like HUDs, maps etc. That is why to me, things like the LG CX and the Switch OLED are not currently worth their cost. I'd rather wait until the OLED burn in risk has been better mitigated - or, if possible, eliminated entirely.

@Pizzamorg I've had OLED devices for years and they've all been perfectly fine, except one of them got a permanent black spot due to a manufacturing defect rather than the OLED itself.

Then you are lucky, but your one personal account doesn't override all of the evidence contrary to your experience.

Cruis'n Blast Review surfaces online and it looks really good. The gameplay is so much cleaner than than compressed, pixelated eShop footage.

It's also got underwater tunnels like F-Zero GX had! Gameplay for that shown at end of this other review

@Pizzamorg
for gaming specifically

Over 16 million Vitas sold. How many cases of burn in did you hear about? Half the people in this thread still have OLED Vitas to this day. And that had screen tech from 10 years ago. Most peoples' phones are OLED, too. Not some widespread burnin on phones either, and ppl are on those all the time.

Tests have shown its not something normal consumers will need to worry about. Yes its real and can happen, but not not concern for normal use. Hence why people buy and use OLED to this day.

Read the conclusions from actual tests performed. While it is real and can happen after many thousands of hours of use with static logos, it's usually temporary image retention ppl refer to. There's a small risk over long periods of time. Won't deny that. But it's vastly overblown, and frankly, even if the lifespan ends up a bit shorter, it's worth it imo.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/oled-screen-burn...

https://www.rtings.com/tv/learn/real-life-oled-burn-in-test

lmao Nvidia just stated that "leaked" game list was speculatory and not actually representative of games in development for the most part

I knew that thing was bs as soon as I saw KH4

@Sdelintwouters Saw the trailer and it looked pretty good. Unlikely I'll pick it up immediately though given the size of the backlog

Sonic Colours Ultimate got an update on Switch (1.0.4), maybe it fixed some of the bugs?

30 minutes to Cruis'n Blast! I keep starting the software hoping it's released but nope. They're making us wait until 11:00 on the dot♪I'm in my drop top cruis'n the streets♪

@JaxonH Mine hasn’t arrived yet. May not get it until tomorrow 😩

@FragRed
Oh you're gonna LOVE it!

I just raced the first track on the Lite... it's everything I'd hoped for and more! It looks crisp and clean, not blurry. Framerate is butter. Boosting and drifting feels amazing, doing flips and wheelies are so satisfying, and the game has touch support in all the menus and even has Gyro controls if you dare to race using motion steering.

A++++!

While 3DS games probably look better on the smaller New 3DS model, one thing worth pointing out about the XL models is the big screens give you access to a pixel perfect display mode for DS games, which gives the XL model the edge if you're going to take advantage of the backwards compatibility. Otherwise, the smaller device is preferable, IMO, since games look sharper on it.

I really do hope Nintendo updates their Lite model with an OLED screen. I just can't justify grabbing the normal OLED when I opt for my Lite for the purposes of handheld play 9 times out of 10.

I prefer 3DS XL size.
Bigger better with longer battery life.