With Nintendo's Switch OLED console just around the corner, more and more of the things have been popping up in the wild. Just last week the world's first unboxing video appeared, followed shortly afterwards by the first comparison video, and now we have yet another look at the OLED sitting next to the original system.
This latest footage comes from YouTuber Kevin Kenson, who's somehow managed to get his hands on a retail version of the system a couple of weeks ahead of its official release. In it, we get to see how the OLED's screen really helps bright colours to 'pop' and those darker colours to stay truly dark – deep blacks have never looked so good on a Nintendo portable.
Kenson mentions that WarioWare: Get It Together! is particularly great for showcasing bright colours on the new screen, while Undertale is ideal for checking out the perfect blacks. In the middle, and perhaps one of the games you might want to try first if you're buying the OLED next month, is Hades, which blends both bright and dark colours throughout.
Interestingly, Kenson also takes a moment to address the concern that the OLED system will suffer from a 'worse' image thanks to offering the same resolution as the original model, but stretched across its larger display. He explains that the difference is tiny, with the optimum viewing distance hardly altered, and that you needn't be worried about noticing the issue while playing.
Want more on the Switch OLED? Here's what we thought when we went hands-on with the system ourselves.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 41
I am in favor of the OLED but won't make my final decision until I can see the new screen with my own eyes. It's not really something you can adequately catch on video.
Cool, I hope the Switch's successor uses a nice big OLED too cuz I'm not plopping $385 just for a screen upgrade right now when my 65" OLED TV only cost me a little more than twice that, plus OLED without HDR is like cookies without milk IMO. You want dazzling vibrant lights popping out of those inky blacks otherwise it's not near the upgrade it could be.
Meh, not enough benefits to buy the OLED if you already have a Switch, maybe newcomers might prefer it
no way that is getting inside my FlipGrip. ugh
Historically, I've always bought the improved, second models of Nintendo handheld consoles (GBA SP, DS Lite, DSi XL, 3DS XL), but because the Switch is a hybrid and the OLED model costs quite a hefty price, I'm not going to upgrade. It's really tempting, but there isn't enough incentive if I have the solution to most of the original Switch's problems.
Cant wait to get mine. Says delivery date 12/10. Havent played any singelplayer games in a long time, waiting for the oled before i start new saves. Time to do something with the huge backlog. Bought a 512gb sd card also for it on sale.
And so many new games coming the next 3-6months.. what to do Pocky and rocky hopefully launches before christmas
As someone who uses the switch a lot on the train, I can't wait to upgrade to a OLED.
I preordered one of these solely because I saw people trying and failing to buy one on Amazon, and I know a sweet trick to get around the bottleneck. Worked with the Series X as well.
Playing Hades on a LG C9 (OLED) via PC is beautiful. Now to have a similar experience while undocked… I am ec-static!
I hope for those who can’t afford or accommodate a large OLED display get to try this console.
Maybe we will receive games with HDR support in the future, even if the dock can’t output it to the TV (TBD?). One can dream…
@Heavyarms55 This reminds me of watching commercials for the HD bluray experience on a SD tv on dvd. Followed by extremely impressive Dolby Surround whatever, through a regular set of speakers. And ads for tv's with deeper black being shown off on regular tv's. I could've felt more insulted by how stupid they think I must be, than sold on the idea.
Edit: that doesn't mean I'm not interested in the OLED, I also skipped the battery upgrade so it might be worthy now. If they release one without the joycons at a cheaper price, even more so. I had a Vita, so I know some pro's and cons to look out for when it launches.
An OLED docked to my television still looks like OG Switch. I play docked 99.95% of the time so really this Nintendo cash grab before they announce a new system (we all know it’s coming…there will be naysayers but this is Nintendo’s pattern) wouldn’t benefit me at all. Sorry Nintendo, fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me (or in this case 4 times(?)….I lost count)….
I just want to get this thing in my hands so I can finally just experience it myself. Until then these screenshots and videos are pretty much obsolete to me.
@Shambo
Yeah, I don't really get those comparisons here either.
Look at these perfect blacks that an OLED can display... on your screen at home that likely can't display those blacks.
I love my OLED TV and I know that it can be a big upgrade for the Switch.
But you won't see that in a comparison video, especially not over a standard LCD screen.
@Shambo Yeah an option to just buy the new console and to skip the joycon and dock to save money would be nice.
@smithyo ahhhh man, good point!
I’m really torn. I like the idea of an OLED, and my current Switch is quite literally falling apart after years of travel with me for work. But the upgrade is so incremental (and approaching the price of new Series X here in Sweden) that it puts me off.
I also know that as soon as I bite the bullet and buy one they’ll finally announce the 4K variant.
Nice. Kevin always provides great analyisis
Does it even do HDR though?
My plan for the OLED is the same plan I had for the 3DS XL the DS XL, GBA SP...
Not buying it whilst mine still works. The improvements are "nice to have" not "need to have" like mid-gen upgrades.
@Gwynbleidd I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense there bud. Any strobing could theoretically be more intense but that's really on the developers not Nintendo, I'm not sure why you think Nintendo would be sued if a third party goes wild with the bright lights without warning people with epilepsy before the start screen.
@Gwynbleidd
HDR isn’t automatic. It will require effort from an artist / art team to correctly implement the feature. If the game is believed to induce seizures for people with epilepsy due to lighting effects, HDR or not, a warning is typically deployed. Or it’s flagged for review internally before its released and mitigated with an alternative design.
Besides, “MOST” AAA studios hire external consultants to review their games for another level of quality control. Whether its political, racial, and/or accessibility (epilepsy).
Not to mention games are submitted to Nintendo/Microsoft/Sony for review. You know, the whole “gone gold / approval”…
Do mistakes happen? Yes - Look at Cyberpunk release (journalist experienced seizure).That being said, the situation you described is very unlikely.
@Miyamotosan
Quite curious of what that trick might be.
I'm really confused why people were begging Nintendo to do this. Like, The games and the console ain't gonna have any sort of changes at all. I understand that, as the name suggests, the console has better resolution, But plugging the console to a tv, fixes the god damn issue.
@msvt I WISH I could tell you.
@Miyamotosan Hmmm. So wishlist either works or there’s a trick with it. Or there’s a website called wish something that maybe gets stuff for you…. Or I’m totally wrong across the board. Lol.
I’m just not seeing the difference. Placed side by side, the graphics look so close in quality that I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart without the joy cons. I also don’t feel like the you tuber is trustworthy, as he can’t look at the camera and looks left over a dozen times. If he’s reading from a script he should try and reposition it.
Ha! You're in the right area. I'm just amazed that you saw through my oh-so-subtle clue. Yes, essentially, when a product goes live, everyone jumps on the product page and the site can't handle the traffic, BUT, there are other ways of getting the item into your basket and reaching the checkout.
I've never been all that tempted by the OLED screen... until I saw the Link's Awakening animated opening on it.
If Crunchyroll was on Switch and for some reason you were using it as a handheld anime watching device, this would be a must-buy.
It doesn’t matter the price, I’ll be buying an OLED. And once the new model comes out a few years later I’ll buy that one too 😂🤑
Why not feast the eyes on HDTV 1080p HDMI output play as well or is OLED afraid that it will be all the same? If were so concern about portable as well. Portable isn't always how one play-even at home I use the Genki HDMI to play on my Gaming Laptop and it looks all the same. Like to also mention there is already reports of 4K switch development units so this OLED might be tampered knowing this is also will be coming out.
This is an handheld upgrade, why talk about what it can do plugged to a tv ?
Alot of comments that dont see the userbase they are targeting.
@DennisNOR This is an handheld upgrade, why talk about what it can do plugged to a tv ?
Because the return is nothing. OLED is good for 1st time or v1 replacement but beyond that OLED nothing changes when DOCKED that's the part they are afraid to address or will show nothing really benefited from other Docked Switches.
@SwitchForce
Afraid ? They have done a mostly handheld upgrade, easy as that. Dont see why they should point out that its mostly a handheld upgrade. That would be wierd. I use mine in handheld alot because of family life, therefor i see a great value in upgrading to the oled because of a bigger and better screen. Its like with ipads.. if only the ipad mini was availble first, i would upgrade to a normal size when released. Bonus with a better screen and cabled wifi. And ofc.. white/black design is awesome.
edit: Just want to add that i see the nintendo machine as a ipad now. If they announce a new switch with only bigger screen next year, from 7 inch to 8-9 inch, i would buy that one to, but most likely a screen size like that wont happen before the hardware gets an upgrade bcs of resolution i guess.
No way, Amazon.de have them, pre-ordered, YAY!!
Great for the 20 people that don't have a Switch already but I'm not sure why anyone with a working unit would buy this thing. They really can't (or at least shouldn't) continue much longer without a massive upgrade to the Switch in terms of performance. Some of their first-party games chug and that is unacceptable.
@meijin3 because Nintendo. I'm getting one. Do I need it? No. Do I want it? Yes. Why? Don't know. I'm just bummed it's $545 here in Australia
“Comparison footage”
It’s basically 8.5 minutes of this guy’s mug yapping to the camera with small snippets of Switch footage.
Don’t waste your time.
Oh, it looks so good.
I'm very excited to get my shiny new OLED Switch next week. Just bought an LG C1 OLED TV a few months ago, and holy crap, what a difference! I mean, I just didn't know. I didn't know! You can't know until you see it for yourself.
I've done a complete LCD to OLED conversion for all my devices. Phone, TV, tablet and now Nintendo Switch.
But that kickstand is nice too. Really nice. I'm an avid tabletop user so that kickstand is a Godsend.
Brightness is evident
Viewing angles are superior
And blacks are so inky compared to the dull and washed out blacks of the original model. Look at the left Switch, on the left side, how stark the difference is between the bezel's black border and the black from the screen image. Then look at the OLED and how they're basically just as dark
This is useless. You can barely see any difference looking from a youtube video. You'd gotta actually get hands-on with both systems to see the true difference. I watched the video and for me, they looked almost the same. Video does not tell the truth.
@EveryGameBeLike
It improves the portable experience with better image quality on colors and brightness, bigger screen, and being able to adjust the screen to many different positions on the table-top mode. So, there is improvement.
Despite this, I'm gonna buy the original Switch all over again, because I always play docked.
still going to stick with my original switch.... no full HD on handheld mode, same internals... nahh... i rather play on my OLED tv
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