When it was revealed Nintendo's latest hardware revision for the Switch would feature an OLED screen, concerns were immediately raised about the possibility of screen burn-in.
Although this type of display has come quite far since the days of the PlayStation Vita, the risk of burn-in is still a thing. Fortunately, since the launch of the Switch OLED model, we haven't really heard about any horror stories, so is it actually something to be concerned about?
Graphic artist and content creator Bob Wulff, who runs the YouTube channel the Wulff Den, has left his own OLED model on for over 1800 hours straight to see what would happen. The test used a static in-game screenshot from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the Hori Split Pad Pro Controller to keep the system's display active. So, what was the outcome? It seems you can barely tell the difference:
"There is no difference in any of the colour test that I ran, you can also notice there's no noticeable burn-in marks after almost being on for 2000 hours. The only difference you can kind of see is the white in the shrine ceiling, it's ever so slightly dimmer, and the blueish-white has a slight green tint."
"...If you're worried about OLED burn-in on your Switch because you have like 2000 hours in a game, I think you can relax a little bit. I don't think it's a practical concern for anybody. I think maybe in like 10 years now we might see like a HOME screen that was in light mode burn-in on a display unit somewhere, but for the most part you got nothing to worry about."
Wulff intends to leave the OLED model on to see what eventually happens, but for now, after close to 2000 hours, it seems to be doing fine. How is your own OLED model going? Tell us down below.
[source youtu.be]
Comments 81
I have not got an oled, because it isn't a pro.
Welp, guess I’m gonna look for an OLED now. Fiddlesticks, I meant that money to go towards other things /
@Moistnado I’d like a pro, but my vision is crap so I would love a larger screen in handheld.
Love my OLED. It looks better than any tv I have in the house.
Good for someone to actually put this issue to rest.
I would not be surprised. Of course OLED technology has improved overtime.
@Deerock69
Same here. After having bought my Switch OLED I started considering buying an OLED TV.
OLED burn is cumulative, meaning it won't neccessarily happen once over a long period of time, but can happen over several repeated sessions. Additionally, OLED's degrade over time, and the Switch OLED is brand new, so it's hard to really do a proper test on it right now. Either way, the Switch 2 is about 2 years away, so I don't see it being a big issue for Nintendo owners.
People really want it to happen do they, doesn't Nintendo already knew about this? Also the fact that these are newer OLED screens mean they probably already fix the burn-in issue of past older OLED screens so I had to say Nintendo jumping on using OLED a little late is definitely worth it. Only reason the issue arise during the PS Vita/smartphones era was that OLED screen was still quite new at the time and issue like this was not that well-known yet
A love the OLED aspect of my Switch, but the screen size is an even better improvement.
Removed - spam; user is banned
I'm Loving my Nintendo Switch OLED!
not all heroes wear capes
He also mentions that he tried to get the image as bright as possible, disabling the safety setting. So while all OLED displays will eventually go dim where they are bright, there is no huge issue with Switch OLED's display.
I have an OLED TV for years now and I tend to use it in a pretty abusive way with lots of still images.
No problems whatsoever...
This is why I always say that the problem is very overblown.
That being said, what is true for a full blown TV, isn't necessarily true for a phone or, well, a Switch.
So, glad to hear the Switch is fine in that regard as well.
That’s nice and all, but my 4 year old switch it still looking good. I don’t see any reason to buy the exact product with a better display.
I can see grammar isn't a thing on these boards 😄
Poor Youtuber. Was probably hoping for some drama to get their subs up. Ah well.
This is good news. I had a ps vita oled and got bad burn in. The whole screen looked green when the picture was black in a dark room. I guess technology has advanced and i guess thats why ps vita from from oled to lcd
I happened to purchase a replacement Switch literally weeks before the OLED was announced, so now I’m likely not getting one…
And it looks like easily the best way to play handheld…
Sigh…
@Matthew90
That sounds strange, not like typical OLED burn in (which technically isn't burn in, but image retention) at all.
Normally you would slightly see stuff like parts of the HUD of a game permanently even in other games and stuff like that.
Besides that, if the screen is black, then the individual pixels actually turn off in an OLED, which is why even with severe "burn in", it should still be black.
Or do you mean when the Vita is actually turned off? Modern OLEDs actually do stuff to prevent long term problem while in stand by, not sure if the Vita did that as well though. Perhaps you just saw that?
Please! OLED is so last year. microLED is where it's at
@Judgedean
I think that would make the Switch a tiny bit more expensive right now.
OLED is not just about colours or contrast, the pixel response time is actually 30x faster than LCD. This makes the motion looks more buttery and cleaner.
My joy con started drifting after only 3 months use of it…
I currently replaced mine as it wouldn't turn on and I opened it to fix it, the battery needed reconnected and it worked. Now one joycon rail is loose and makes it disconnect the joycon in handheld mode... That's a Gray Model, now I have the Mario Red Model!
@Judgedean MicroLED TV is US $150,000.
If you meant MiniLED, it will be phased out this year. It's inferior to OLED as it also uses a backlight like LCD - that's why it has a halo effect on the screen. It also has slow pixel response time. Apple is moving all their phones, tablets and Macs to OLED this year, MiniLED is just a stop gap solution for last year.
@MJF But some of them just have the super power to spend a lot of money on gadgets.
Not to discredit the creator of course, I like his work. I also think Batman is among my favourite famous 'super heroes', even if he does wear a cape and arguably has no SUPER status for not having super powers (if extremely powerful physique and voice you don't want to whisper in your villainous ears at an unexpected moment don't count).
He definitely didn't pronounce color with a 'u'. 🤣
WulffDen represent! Glad to see Bob getting even more articles after he ported Tenet to the GBA. 🤣
The Switch OLED is so good.
I went full OLED and don't regret it one bit. LG C1 4K OLED TV for docked and Switch OLED for handheld.
Back in the days OLED burn in was a issue but as anything improved tech helps reduce this issue. But it's how the End User treats OLED that determines the issue and problem.
My launch Switch is fine. Has tiny crack somewhere and there has been good ol' joycon drifts but it is going solidly well. OLED Switch is too much of an unnecessary luxuru purchase "in a pandemic economy" for me
@LEGEND_MARIOID I Updated from my original V1 Switch to a Nintendo Switch OLED! Best thing I've done in awhile. Better Battery, and the Games look so much better!
Wow… who thought that an article about an old video would create more divides in the Switch community than the video itself.
@SnesSwitch IKR? It’s pretty awesome!
I just find what happened to the Wii so sad. Sure lots of I’d gamers used it to it it’s full potential, but I’m guessing a solid 40 million or more units were only used as Wii Sports machines, and a lot of those probably weren’t even used often. Such a huge waste. I guess I’m just annoyed at people who buy games and hardware but who don’t know themselves well enough to know that they aren’t going to use them. Or… like they don’t have the imagination to understand the fun of something like Mario Galaxy… ugh, I need to get back to work, don’t have time to properly vent with any eloquence lol.
But yeah, seems like people are actually using their Switches more. Still hard to understand when people don’t seem interested in something like Odyssey, Captain Toas, or Link’s Awakening… so many quality titles, stop buying crap people! 😂 Lol k, thanks for reading.
And this is why we have global warming... from hero to zero in no time flat.
@BlubberWhale I agree; in fact, wii and wiiu are both my least favorite consoles from Nintendo, so I'm glad Nintendo Switch (My All Time Favorite Next to Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64) Outsold the wii!
Oh how life was a better place before "influencers" became a thing..doing such stupid things for glorious thumbs up. Not that you can thumbs down now since people got their little feelings hurt. What an age.
@SnesSwitch Same Here!
Good to hear, if my switch ever breaks I was originally just gonna buy the same version because of my fears with burn- in. Now I know I can go with an OLED if I need to.
"The only difference you can kind of see is the white in the shrine ceiling, it's ever so slightly dimmer, and the blueish-white has a slight green tint."
Isn't that proof of burn in or at least damage to the screen and the start of burn in? Burn in on an oled is worn out pixels. I.E., they can no longer produce the colors they could originally produce.
Here is the rtings burn in test that they performed a while ago. If I knew how, I'd post the exact picture. The pictures are about mid page. https://www.rtings.com/tv/learn/real-life-oled-burn-in-test
The CNN logo is mainly red. On the full screen red images, the CNN logo looks black and is clearly noticable. It's this way because the red, where the CNN logo sits, is incapable of producing that color of red any more. The red pixels have worn out in that area. The CNN logo is also noticable on the yellow and magenta backgrounds again because of the inability to display red properly in those colors. The green and blue screens look perfect because those individual pixels are fine since the CNN logo doesn't use those colors so the green and blue subpixels in those areas are not worn out.
@aznable I bought my mom a Switch OLED for the exact same reason. She hates wearing glasses while playing and has trouble reading the smaller text. It so far has been great.
OLED tech is proper impressive. I was playing Metroid Prime on my Vita and the colours look better than my laptop.
Welp.....there it is.
@NoTinderLife I meant microLED. Then they can call it the Pro version and charge an arm and leg for it.
Kinda wish this came out before I got the updated regular switch out of fear of burn in on the oled but hey, it's still got the better battery so all's well that ends well I suppose.
@aznable
Isn’t switch trade in credit like 200 dollars at GameStop. Oled would only cost 150 at that point.
Has the OLED model been out long enough that 1800 hours is possible? I think that's 75 days, when did this thing come out?
Yep. I thought 90s tech fixed burn in.
OLED technology has only improved since the original OLED Vita dropped. You would have to intentionally try to get burn in for a ludicrous amount of time to get it which does not impact practical gameplay whatsoever.
Anyone that memes about burn in is just fear mongering at this point
1800 hours = 75 days. How long has the Switch OLED been available again?
EDIT: @BloodNinja beat me to it.
I looked into it and, if my math isn't wrong, the Switch OLED was released on October 8th, 2021 and has been available for 93 days as of this comment (January 9th, 2022)
@Blakeava1821 "Fair play" and glad it has been a worthy purchase for you. I'd only consider getting one if my launch Switch broke down. Otherwise I'd rather wait for the actual proper, next generation Switch successor which possibly could be a Switch Advance.
Bob Wulff is great all y’all should go watch if you like switch news and ideas.
@blindsquarel $150 or not, I budget my discretionary spending and have lines for specific uses. I had dismissed the OLED when I first read about it, so it hasn't been on the radar. Other things- like a new hifi- have been, and they require real time to save. I appreciate the recommendation, though.
@Zeropulse You're a good kid, then! edit: not saying you're an ACTUAL child.
@aznable
Oh it is definitely not ideal but it makes it easier to swallow.
@aznable If you have a first gen Switch you may be able to resell it for quite a bit on eBay because those have a security flaw that make it easier to mod… I contemplated selling mine and at the time similar models were going for about $350 unmodded and $500 modded.
@My_ultimate_is_ready
Fixing it yourself is cheap and easy. It was the first And only repair I can do. A stick is only like 7 dollars on amazon( around ten to get the tools included). I fix its video on YouTube is really good and simple.
This whole burnin issue with OLED is fake.
It excist, because youtubers leave PC desktops running for 100+ hours, after that find it important to make click baits and spread panic.
Almost any screen technology have burnins of get defected doing this even CRT.
If you are afraid of oled technology just don't use it in combination with pc desktops. I never withnessed any burnins with oled screen, and i use them intensive.
@LEGEND_MARIOID https://youtu.be/BS-eN_XkWyA
@Wilforce I've actually Destroyed my original v1 Nintendo Switch, just because I didn't want hackers to mod it. Also I wanted people to go out and Spend Money on New Models to Support the Rise of the Sales so it can take over DS sales... and the value of your original Switch just went up 10% because it's harder to find now LOL
You're welcome
@Blakeava1821
Why did you not gave it to a poor family with kids then?
Complete waste if you ask me also for the enviroment.
@Blakeava1821 LMAO That's Too Funny!
@PALversusNTSC They seriously aren't that expensive, especially Nintendo Switch Lite Handhelds.
@SnesSwitch
You have no idea, how much this is for poor people.
But it is your choice
@Deerock69 Why I play handheld mostly, the OLED Switch looks way better than my TV in docked mode!
Props to Samsung, they know their mobile OLEDs.
Say what you want, after the Joy-Cons I don't trust Nintendo hardware quality anymore.
Never buying the OLED-model, in my opinion it's a complete waste of money, and I say that as a handheld-player who had an OLED-Vita, I don't think the prettier screen justifies an upgrade.
@Blakeava1821
I destroyed my houses & all cars I've owned so they wouldn't be mis-used. I also burn my clothes when they no longer fit me & destroy my TVs when I upgrade. When I'm finished shopping I throw my trolley in the river, you know, just in case. I dread to think what you do when ending a relationship...
Removed - unconstructive
wow 75 days hahaha thats crazy
@Lem1697 lol
he sharing his youtube channel thats not reply to yourself:
Lem16971 minute ago
@Blakeava1821 Bro why do you have two profiles and reply to yourself? Lmao. Well, guess you only have one profile now cause one of them got banned. Maybe they'll ban this one too
@talllennart I only have one profile, are you a "god"?
@Kayvoo lol
@Blakeava1821 Glad to know my unit’s scarcity went up.
That's the first signs of burn in... Screen degradation at only 2,000 hours. My OLED TV has very significant burn-in at 10,000 because it was an earlier model. All OLED screens are susceptible to burn in, it's part of the whole organic part of Organic LED. It degrades, and often times unevenly which is why LG tweaks their TV's pixel refresher algorithms every generation and is now switching to deuterium panels because everyone running 100% brightness was killing their reds. Micro LED will solve it in a few years.
@Blakeava1821 i defended you if u read it right
@Blakeava1821 Lem16971 want to ban you
I remember when Nintendo Life posted this to article on twitter, somebody said something about "destroying" the switch while some people are still struggling to get one.
I'm confident they didn't even read the subtitle.
@BlubberWhale
the Wii and Wii U, along with the Switch are the only consoles I've ever owned, so I'm probably biased, but I love the Wii U so much. It's a Wii and a Wii U in one system, and it's amazing. Although the Switch has a better game library and obviously better graphics, the Wii was iconic, and although it flopped, the Wii U made it better. So I'm very sad that the Switch sales surpassed, even though it was inevitable. (And yes, I did play mostly Wii Sports on my Wii. It's a great game.)
@Blakeava1821
you're joking.. right?
Great news indeed..
https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/q8lccj/oled_model_green_tint_at_low_brightness/
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