Not so long ago, we reported on the Up-Switch Orion, a crowdfunded accessory that promised to make up for the "underwhelming" and "minuscule" Nintendo Switch screen (Up-Switch's words, not ours). "By increasing your actual gaming screen size by 188% and upgrading your audio experience with the integrated stereo speakers, your Nintendo Switch combined with ORION will deliver the gaming experience that every gamer deserves!"
The pitch was clearly convincing because more than $165,000 was raised, totally blasting past the $50,000 funding goal. Shortly after we ran our news story, we were sent one of these $299 devices free of charge to test out, but sadly, the final product is a bit of a disappointment.

The first and most obvious issue we encountered was that the unit – when the Switch is attached – is really heavy. So heavy, in fact, that it's uncomfortable to actually hold, which is a bit of a shortcoming when this is being billed as a 'portable' solution. And this is before we've factored in the additional weight that a battery pack would contribute; Up-Switch didn't send us a pack with the review sample, you see. Given that you need a power cell that provides enough oomph to not only juice up the screen, but also the Switch as well (in docked mode, no less), one can only guess at how arm-achingly heavy the combined system becomes at this stage. We had no option but to connect the Orion to a power supply, which rather negates the 'portable' aspect of the product.
Next up is the fact that the screen itself isn't a 1080p panel, as advertised, but a 768p panel, which our video guru Alex believes was intended to be put inside another device (a laptop, perhaps?) and has been requisitioned for use in the Orion. So put aside any notions you might have of getting full-HD performance on the move – the resolution here is only slightly better than that of the Switch's built-in screen but is stretched across almost twice the display size.
Then we have the fact that the IPS panel inside the Orion isn't actually that impressive. For starters, it's covered in a matte finish which prevents glare and fingermarks but makes the image look a bit dull – and that's an issue when you consider that the display is already lacking in punch to begin with. Sure, putting it next to the Switch OLED is perhaps unfair, but it's not even as vibrant as the display on the original 2017 Switch. Oh, and those 'dual stereo speakers' (don't all stereo speakers come in pairs?) that the manufacturer boasts about are aimed away from you on the back of the unit, which means they sound pretty weedy.
The only situation we could even remotely see this device being useful is for tabletop mode, as it means you've got a bigger screen to look at when you're playing with friends (and the kickstand on this thing is decent). The problem here is that if you're looking for a portable solution of this kind, you might as well buy one of the many, many 1080p portable monitors that are on the market, almost all of which are true HD and offer superior picture quality.
The verdict, then? Give the Up-Switch Orion a miss. For $300, there are many better options on the market.
Comments 37
This looks ergonomically horrendous.
Don't even need to read the part in the article that actually mentions this, it clearly looks like it would be terrible to hold.
This would definitely be good for tabletop only, lol
Even if the panel was higher res, that wouldn't change what resolution the device outputs when undocked, right?
It looks ridiculous. Like one of those joke console revision mock ups that take five minutes to slap together for a meme
Might as well just buy a portable monitor with hdmi which gets rid of the only thing this monster is good for...tabletop mode lol
Holy crap, what a horrible and misleading product. Do not buy.
This looks so unbelievably useless. It's not even that portable at this point.
All that heft and it’s not even a 1080p display and it requires a fixed power source?
And people seriously crowdfunded this?
They might as well have just glued the dock to a larger (and better) flat-screen TV at this point. It would have produced better results and wouldn’t have needed $50,000 to get there either.
@Ralizah Correct. The Switch is outputting 1080p (it behaves as if it is docked) but the screen's max limit is 768p.
My hands cramp from the standard Switch, this thing would probably give people arthritis.
This is why I got the Genki laptop device and it works better with better resolution on a Gaming Laptop.
@SwitchForce That thing doesn't work for me at all. The entire screen glitches constantly.
What an incredibly dumb product, made even more embarrassing that it was crowd funded by people who actually thought it was a good idea.
So they expect folks to pay as much as a Switch itself for a screen for the Switch that kills what's arguably its most valuable feature, portability?
I wonder what they were smoking.
@Damo OK, so it's running in docked mode on this thing, but the screen itself is barely able to output anything better than 720p. That is... yeah, pretty pointless. Maybe less so for games with severe resolution dips when undocked like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, at least. I could maybe see it being a good tabletop mode solution, but then you'd have to weight that against the cost of a proper portable monitor.
@Ralizah true, though I’m guessing this device is basically a monitor, so it’s basically docked. Unless I missed something.
The kickstand is also the same as the normal Switch, not broad like the Oled, but with the weight and screen size on the one little kickstand, it's not suitable.
You can buy 32 inch 1080p TVs for less than half of what this costs. Why would anyone buy this?
@Silly_G my idea of using an old 48 inch LCD tv as a pinball machine for the switch is still waiting to be made. Then all those cool pinball games can be played longways like they are suppose to
Reminds me of those old plastic Gameboy magnifying screens from the 90s!!
So. If I want a big screen experience, I'll use my TV. If I want to chill in bed, that thing is way too unwieldy to be even remotely comfortable and convenient. If I'm commuting on the bus, I look like an even bigger ***hole than I already do by virtue of fiddling with something that isn't my phone. Lol
That’s a shame, I genuinely would like a Switch with a screen more like the size of an iPad mini, as I do think even the OLED is a bit on the small side. While it would certainly make for a less portable system, I don’t think the current Switch is particularly portable anyway so it wouldn’t make any difference to me.
That said, this is clearly a cheap laptop screen and not even the correct resolution for a docked Switch. It seems to be a classic example of why I’ve stopped backing things on Kickstarter.
Portable just means (literally) that it can be moved from place to place; a refrigerator is technically portable.
@HedgehogEngine
Some high end mobile workstations and business notebooks still use 768p panels, with 1080p panels "available".
I have nightmares that start "hhhhellllo there lovely peeeeple"
@HedgehogEngine Yes, those are consumer models. Consumer notebooks usually have 1080p, 2k, 4k, etc., As do most nonconsumer models. If you happen to find one on a gaming laptop, you're in 2010!
It really shines a light on how poor of a choice that screen in the device was. Anyone can make a better one with a monitor and some 3M.
I recently found out that my Huion graphics tablet works as a switch display, so I'll stick to that for when I want a larger screen.
Well I could have told you how this would go bad when I saw it in a preview.
@BloodNinja I already have it in my hands, lol
@JustMonika You have arthritis? Sorry to hear that, hope you are on the mend!
@BloodNinja i don't believe arthritis is something you can mend, might be wrong though with all the modern advances in medicine.
I always thought it was something you have to manage through constant physio sessions and medicine.
@ChakraStomps
Made a mini pinball using a 15in portable monitor. Works great with the switch. Can’t wait for the Indy table.
For what the upswitch is, seems like getting a portable monitor and one of the kits to make the dock smaller is a better option. Have been using that set up for awhile now and easy to carry. USB powered monitor that the dock can power so one power cord. Have used on a plane a few times, as well as numerous other places. They have 11” 1080p monitors. Keeps it compact to stuff in my backpack, but big enough to share the screen.
@BloodNinja I have ulcerative colitis (luckily been in remission for a year), stomach ulcer, acid reflux,, nerve damage in my spine and left shoulder and yet I do 12 hour shifts at night in a hospital as a PCA. Minor arthritis is a cake walk for me, lol
@JustMonika You sound like a badass! I just discovered acid reflux, so I can relate there. Good on you for being tough; I'm sure your patients appreciate you.
@Gamer_Zeus From my experience, it depends on the severity. Certain populations feel better from things like Tai Chi, yoga, certain weight lifting motions, etc. But, in more severe cases, activity can cause more pain, so it's definitely an individual thing.
I made something better by gluing my joy cons to the sides of my 55inch TV. Looks amazing. Technically portable. Play it on the bus.
My god, this thing looks horrendus
Running at 768p docked should result in better performance though, no? Since games are getting the benefit of docked but doesn’t need to output 1080p???
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