Poll: Do You Use The Black Or White Theme On Your Nintendo Switch?

I started with black, but recently switched over to white

Black, since it is much easier on my eyes, and fits the standard red and blue Switch a bit better imo.

BLACK
Windows 11 also black theme
Chrome... black theme.
all black

I truly don't see why they don't at least give us more basic colour themes. Four years with just black and white? Really? It's not hard to allow a few more colours in there, Nintendo.

Black is the correct answer, but I switch to white sometimes, just because I badly want some variety.

@Zuljaras Well I can't stand the white theme, I love the black one tho, Now I sound racist.

Black. White was blinding.

Originally I used the white background, having said that, I have since switched to the black background.

I use white and everyone makes fun of me. I use dark mode on almost everything, but on the Switch I just think the white one looks better.

Wait 3DS themes could be randomized?

Black is much easier on the eyes.

@InkIdols same here. I used the black for so long I needed the change. Now I feel it's too spiffy to go back

I forgot white was even an option

White. I forgot I could turn it black.

Oh right, the Switch has themes, I forgot, I chose black at the very start and forgot the option ever existed.

@DahveeedMcVey Nice. If i could add some splatoon themes, i would

Dark mode everything. Might as well gouge out your eyeballs for all the damage white screens do to your retinas. lol

Basic Black is easier on the eyes than a glaring white. Plus it looks classier.

I've been using black since I got my Switch. Now, if only Nintendo had a pink theme...

I have the black but to be honest I’m never too long on the Home Screen. I pick my game and letsa go

Black for my main (docked) Switch.

White for my Lite.

Black. Makes it feel more like a console and less like a toy

Desperately needs themes with background music tho. Turning on my 3ds and having a Xenoblade 2 wallpaper, with a track from it's amazing ost playing, show up on the screen is the best. I'd love to have the same on the switch

Black is easier on the eyes. Especially for the late night sessions.

Seriously, folders tho.

Why doesn't Nintendo Life have a night theme? Or folders to quickly access different categories and hide leaks and rumours so surprise in a Nintendo Direct isn't spoiled?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2AitTPI5U0&t=306s&ab_channel=michaeljacksonVEVO

“You can have any color you want on our 1-bit color list.” - Nintendo c2016

White. I don’t like dark modes.

Basic white all the way since April 2017. Come at me.

Voting for slow news day, too. I concur, themes ARE pretty cool on 3DS... but that's a dual screen system. And Vita at least has the lock screen and utility icons to parade them on. On the other hand, I've used quite a few on PS4 (the latest being a Nelke one for who knows how long)... and with pretty much all of them it took bouncing every which way around the home menu to get a proper view of the featured elements and/or characters. Do the feature wishers here want a similar experience on Switch whose UI boasts even less free space? Or is it another thing that's only supposed to be around because "it's year X and every other Y has it", two factors Nintendo has incidentally long stopped giving half a damn about?

I use black. The impression I have is the system was thinking with white theme in mind, but black is easier to the eyes

White is too blinding, though in terms of looks both themes are awful. So damn bland.

Just add some themes, Nintendo. It isn't hard, you did it before for a weaker system.

Black all the way, though I loved having 10 3DS themes on shuffle, it had folders first and that would be nice still... the white theme is just too bright, but I also prefer dark mode on my phone.

I use Black on my regular Switch, and White on my Lite.

Where's the "I use both!" option ?

i use dark because of how easy it is on the eyes, i really wish there was just a pure black theme though as that'd be great and look incredible on the switch oled for example, white isn't as bad as discords light theme but man it strains the eyes at night

i use both. i change it every 7-10 days...but i'm so tired of black and white

@Zuljaras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29_MrixwaCg

Is this you?

Can we at least get folders? .... Guys?

White burns my eyes.... 😎

Don't care about themes. Just want folders

THERE'S A BLACK MODE?!

White was so blinding. Black all the way.

~I see a red door
And I want it painted black
No colors anymore
I want them to turn black~

Using the white theme. Would probably have used a light pink theme if I had one

I liked the orange theme on new 3ds.

@LionGriever Yeah, there's a black theme. Open Switch System Settings, scroll down to Themes.

Black. But I'd rather have folders or options to pin games than other themes.

Wow, never knew that so many people used the black theme. I personally use the white theme because I think black looks weird, but maybe I'll make the SWITCH one day, haha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAERxf4yYaw

I use dark themes on practically every device.
Light themes are really blinding.

Once you go black, you never go back.

Today I learned: there is an option to turn it to a dark theme.

Voted black on the first question but abstained on the second question because there was no option for “I don’t really care, I just want to play the games”

To answer that question, I need to ask a question...
If you use Discord, do you use light or dark mode?

Always dark mode. I even have black background and white font on my kindle. It's a lot easier on the eyes. I don't like to have burn in on my retina.

The white hurts my eyes.

I always stuck with the black theme. It's easier on my eyes when I look at the UI. The game icons also pop out because of the black background that doesn't oversaturate unlike the white.

For me, Nintendo has always been a white-menu company. Going back as far as there have been menu screens at all, they're always black text on white background. White on Black just doesn't feel Nintendo to me.

(OK. Gamecube had white on black, but who used the GAMECUBE menu screen?)

I use the black theme as well, for the same reasons as @YusseiWarrior3000 - if there was a Mario theme I would use that instead.

They could have at least gave us the switch lite colors, so I can have a yellow theme with my yellow console.

Black, though I wouldn’t mind using the wallpapers that Nintendo advertises on the switch boxes for the past 4 years, the ones that don’t actually exist on the system!

Black is the only option.

White theme since day 1. Don’t plan on switching.

Black since I like my eyes

Basic black doesn't burn my eyes out. I set my Xbox One to white theme and man is it brutal lol

Maybe with the release of the new model Nintendo might implement new themes, you know, to take advantage of
nice OLED display.

Black for when I play at night

I use the black theme, looks nice. And no, I don't need any extra colors/themes.

Well, I like and use basic white color. I tried to use black... But I don't like it.

Black cause its easier on the eyes

I don't really care about themes. Add more options for the look of the UI for people that want them, but please add folders. I have so many games that I forget all about some of them. I don't think I've owned a modern console that didn't allow groups or folders, it just seems odd that it is still not an option after all this time.

Black. I wish websites would be black with white writing as well. Bright white just gives me a headache.

White all the way! Once you add themed backgrounds it get too cluttered.
Just look at that mess of themes on the 3DS……no clarity!

I see a white screen
and I want it switched to black
My eyes can't take that sheen
They are too used to black

The white hurts my eyes....

@Zuljaras Dude I needed that laugh, thanks a lot!!

@Yosher You'd think they release one with each big game and Switch Lite color at least. Zelda green and blue, Luigi green, Mario red, Pokemon cyan and magenta, Kirby pink, Smash cross... All of those sound like no-brainers.

Is this MJ theme song? lol...

Black as white background is too intense they should give us a gradient option to tone it down. Switching pun Black to White isn't good for the eyes especially when you get older. User should be able to switch up theme like the 3DS units where able to this would let customization happen. I did like the iOS layout as mentioned in another discussion about the theme layout but I know NIN has such option whether or not they allow it is another story.

I didn't know that you could change the theme, haha!!!

@HollowSpectre That means you have to lower your brightness...

I wish I could set it to automatically switch to white during the day, and switch to black at night, like with phones.

Man so many people complaining that white hurts their eyes... have you guys never realized that just means your brightness is set way too high in those instances and you should lower it?

I constantly adjust the brightness of my displays on any device to suit the ambient lighting I am in.

The important questions in life 😂

The white looks a little washed on my TV and the black looks gay. I switch between the too when I get sick of looking at them. We need more options.

@Merry_Blind I think it depends on if you play in the dark. Even mild white light is harsh when you play in the dark. During the day it makes little difference.

My pick is black because the white strain my eyes from the brightness that come with the color.

Always white

Black to save battery life 🙈

i like the black theme but it does use more battery. Its just easier on my eyes when playing at night.

I use dark theme whenever available.

@SmaggTheSmug Nintendo works in mysterious ways. They like throwing curve balls. What makes sense to us doesn't make sense to them. See also the time when Miyamoto was surprised we wanted a new F-Zero and said you could just go back to the previous game(s) if you wanted to play F-Zero.

I just want a kirby theme, that's all

I like the idea of more themes, but I would never pay for them... they don’t matter to me at all.

I forgot there was a white theme lol. now i am looking forward to trying out the white theme this evening!

The Switch hacking scene has some amazing looking themes, we definitely need some new official ones already.

I currently use white.. but on the Switch OLED I WILL be using black all the time.

I use the black theme. Way easier on my eyes. The white theme's about as bad as Discord light mode imo.

You know? Nintendo could just add an option to let us pick the color scheme entirely (background, text, active/inactive, etc.). Both themes use basic colors, so it should be easy to do IMO.

Black, cause it doesn't burn into my eyes like images on an OLED screen.

I think the white theme is worse for the eyes than the black theme is, so I always use the black theme. Whenever I do switch over to the white theme my eyes always end up hurting a bit. So I prefer the black theme.

Hmm, almost sounds like NintendoLife knows about a Theme update to the Switch OS coming soon

Whenever possible i always use dark themes mainly because i like dark colours and it's easier on the eyes

It needs folders. Outside that, I’m fine with it the way it is. I prefer my switch in basic white, but keep my iPhone on dark mode. But just give us folders, and we will stop complaining. Yay for anything else, but just give us folders. I also think all Nintendo should do is allow us to use screen shots as a background. How hard could that be to program?

I have a regular and a lite. Black on TV, white on lite.

I kinda like the look of the white better, just cleaner look that can go with the console rather well, but that said it's also just so bright. A bit too bright for me at times, so I prefer the black simply because it's not as straining.

Dark theme best husbando

@Yosher I just realized that they are throwing a curveball here too. They are making new themes centered around big releases... But for Tetris99.

I have a 65" TV. I choose the black theme because I don't want to be blinded every time I go to menu.

I'm not a basic console pleb who doesn't have self-respect for his vision. So dark mode for me.

@Merry_Blind Nah my eyesight just sucks

I'd rather they focus on making good games than distractions like themes and folders.

The black and white themes are elegant and minimal.

I use the white theme.
And I don't care about having anything else.

@SmaggTheSmug Oh God you're right. Nintendo, you played us again!!

Black uses up less power, so I use black.

I use the White theme, though it's mostly because my significant other uses the Black theme and it's faster from the lock screen to see which system is which that way.

However, I do hate how often people tell me I'm wrong or bad for using the White theme and the idea that people say there is a "correct" choice is frustrating. I assume (hope?) it's just being said as a joke here, but I have actually been insulted multiple times for being dumb for not using the Black theme.

White all the way. Black has a pretense to appeal to "serious gamers", but it just look cheap as hell. White looks like True Nintendo.

(It's all subjective of course, but that's how I see it.)

I chose the sarcastic option
And yes please

dont worry just like how we had to wait for bluetooth, we just gotta wait 4 more years until we get more colors

Black. I also use dark scripts on all websites that allows it.

White color same as my Joy Cons and the dock.

Dark/Black/Night mode is always the right mode. As of time of writing this comment 16% of voters are misguided and lost in life. =/

@HollowSpectre i know that feeling... @mariomaster96 lol @Snatcher @Zuljaras nah. also, even the black's can crack.

I used white btw. Might switch to black.

I dunno. I care about themes as much as I do about wallpaper. Not much.

Switch has a RAM issue. That's why the menu is 720p with almost no features.

We need a switch Pro

I use this custom theme. It's pretty cute. The images change depending on what section you're viewing, like settings, view all games, etc.

I forgot there were other themes....so as of right now I'm using the basic black option.

Dark

If they ever do add more themes it should only be solid colors like red, blue, green, yellow, etc. we don't need themes with images and animations those would just slow everything down

Always white. The black looks pretty ugly and clashes with a lot of the game icons and the Switch's general aesthetic imo.

Trick answer. I modded my Switch menu to a Mega Man X wallpaper.

“Do You Use The Black Or White Theme On Your Nintendo Switch?”

The only answer is “yes, because there’s no other colour to choose from.”

(I’ll see myself out)

Yes. Add. More. Themes. If they can go back and add Bluetooth after this long then they can add themes that is beyond plain black/white. Add folders too while you are at it.

White in the summer, black in the winter, to reflect the lighter/darker days respectively, changing in line with daylight savings. Yes, I'm super crazy fun at parties.

They are both so boring I’m not even sure which I use and I was playing it 3 hrs ago.

Both suck, and Nintendo life why can’t I do a two word post

Only deranged sociopaths who thrive on chaos and pain willingly choose white. Have you no decency or sense of self-preservation? Beasts, the lot of you

I didn't even realize you could change the color

I think white looks “cleaner” and more vibrant but it murders my eyeballs at night. So black it is. Black is sexy and appealing and makes me look serious as a gamer in front of my wife. I want her to take me seriously!

Dark theme everything, for my poor eyes. Dark theme Nintendo Life please!

@Spiders 100% agree. Dark theme to preserve what's left of my eyeballs.

Would also be nice if we were able to change themes based on day/night or custom time. Considering how slow they add features, I don't expect this to ever be a thing. I'd much rather have folder/group support than have Game Boy games.

Black Theme for me. White Theme actually hurts my eyes when it's late at night or I'm in the dark. My eyes aren't what they used to be anymore.

EDIT: Thinking about it. I kind of wish there were two themes options, one for when you're playing on the TV and another for when you're in handheld/tabletop modes.

White mode. Dark modes are ugly and depressing. They're not even initially designed to be used all day long, but as night modes.

I go back and forth between the two. There should be an option for to auto switch based on the time of day. As we all know though, successful Nintendo does little to please customers.

I use dark mode so much just going to nintendo life or going to websites for school blinds me

*I see a white screen and I
Want to paint it black*

Seriously though, black has so many advantages. Lower power consumption, you're welcome Mother Earth. Less glare, you're welcome, eyeballs.

Amd don't get me started on themes. It's funny, in every other context people always remember that the Switch is a low-powered device that has to run light, but then the conversation turns to GUI and people are like YES I WANT MUSIC AND SPARKLES AND DANCING SEMI-TRANSPARENT ICONS

I spend more time playing games, than navigating the Switch GUI, so themes are irrelevant to me.🙃

Folders? Such technology has been lost....

Up until a few months ago, I used white. I even checked black a few times and never liked it. Curiously, the momentous switch occurred when I replaced the SD card and the Switch's graphics were wrecked. Everything was inverted or in a weird grey scale. Little did I know is that there is a setting to switch your graphics to black & white or inverted. Why would you ever want to? For some reason, copying data from one SD card to another changed this setting. Then I figured I'd check the black theme again, and I liked it! I must say, my eyes are getting poorer with age, especially close up and poor contrast. Even with my prescribed reading glasses, there's a noticeable degradation in contrast and fidelity with the white theme so, as they say, once you've had black, there's no going back.

I forgot that the white theme existed!

@OnlyItsMeReid There is a browser extension called Dark Reader that forces websites into dark mode. It works well with Nintendo Life as well as most websites but sometimes you might have to turn it off.

I want a Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Skyward Sword, any Pokémon, any Fire Emblem, or totally customizable themes

Black from day 1 when I got the Switch

One black, one white. White usually though because psxb while more colorful overall have a "night" feeling motif, so white makes switch feel unique.

Also, the poll is missing "Clickbait!" And "switch pro will add themes"

@Yosher I know, it's so easy. You just put a couple more colors like, bam! Done. What are they waiting for???

White, as the black theme, while easier on the eye overall, lacks vital contrast to be more readable for me.

White. Guess I'm in the 15%.

@JasmineDragon If your GUI isn’t 90% of your base storage then you’re doing something wrong! Bloat that badboy 😂

Once you go black you never come back

Folders please

Once you go black you never go back

I do like the look of white but switched to black as it's easier on the eyes.

The fact that we can use different colors for the backgrounds of our avatars but not the ui is just confusing to say the least.

I feel like they should name the current choices just "Black" and "White". Otherwise they owe us at least "Complicated White" and "Convoluted Black".

Black is way easier on the eyes.

White is a bit too bright if you're sitting 5 feet from your 65" TV.

I don't really care for other themes. But folders? YES PLEASE.

Always the dark theme

Would love to have more themes. And Folders.

Black cards, black cars, all black everything.

I feel like the dark mode is for the same people that like it on their phones. Personally, I've never been a fan of dark mode - I know plenty of people that use it though, and they say it hurts their eyes when they switch back to regular. Always wondered whether or not people genuinely like dark mode though, or if they just need to turn down the brightness to a setting that suits them better.

Just pretend we dont care and we might just get it like the bluetooth audio

As long as we get a basic rainbow selection of colours, I will be fine with no complex themes.

I like my themes like I like my slaves:

Free

Basic Black Theme all the way, it doesn't hurt my eyes at all AND it saves battery, the Basic White Theme hurts my eyes and wastes more battery

The black theme is the way to go. White just looks to me like the inverted scale thing where Mario and Luigi on Super Mario Maker 2 look like ghosts... yeah, it's creepy.

@Edwirichuu, you have a really good point too.

If you use the white theme on the switch i can't trust you

I've used white for 4 years straight. The black is so dull and the white so vibrant.

But then I got my OLED TV, and wanting to be responsible and not overdo brightness, I switched to black. And... I do like it more now that I'm used to it.

I'll also use black on my OLED Switch for the same reason. But my Switch Lite and other backup Switches? Those will stay with the white background.

With OLED screen, you ALWAY use dark mode to prolong battery life.

Black, white background on any electronic screen is just bad on the eyes. I use dark themes whenever possible. Still, Nintendo really needs to hop on the theme bus. Its been a solid 4 years and nothing yet

@NoTinderLife Yea but you are going to be playing games most of the time right? So the theme being black or white really won't make much of a difference for OLED

@drewber2635 If you only play Tetris Effect, the battery will last long.

Honestly, if I had a choice between getting more themes or getting folders, I'd choose folders. Themes are nice and all, but the satisfaction of finally being able to sort my 100+ game collection would be immeasurable.

People: arguing over the white or black theme being better
Me, an intellectual: has color off to enjoy both