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Nintendo has finally lifted the curtain on its mid-generation Nintendo Switch update, and it’s ingeniously called the Nintendo Switch OLED. Not the Nintendo Switch Pro, as so many others have speculated, but the Nintendo Switch OLED.
Why? Well, because of course it comes with a 7-inch OLED display, which should make Switch games more vibrant and appealing when played in portable and tabletop mode. It’s also slightly larger than the 6.2-inch screen of the original, so competitive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe games when played in tabletop mode should feel less cramped.
So the new display is a huge plus, because anyone who has seen an OLED display in action can attest to how its inky blacks and superior contrast ratios make it one of the best display techs around. Nintendo’s artistic style and bold color scheme will also lend itself wonderfully to the punchy picture quality that an OLED display can also deliver.
But what about the rest of the OLED Switch package? Well, there’s more to be bored than satisfied, with five notable issues that make Nintendo’s new $ 349.99 / £ 309 / AU $ 539 machine a tough sell to anyone but new users. So that ultimately raises the question: who is the Nintendo Switch OLED really for?
It is not for people with a 4K TV
One of the most widely suggested rumors about a Nintendo Switch upgrade was that the console would output 4K resolution when docked. And honestly, it made perfect sense. 4K has become the norm for most homes these days, and Switch games tend to look noticeably soft when outputting at 1080p on larger screens.
Surely, then, the new Nintendo Switch releases in 4K? Well no. Surprisingly, in 2021, we’ll still be tied to 1080p resolution when playing Switch on a TV, which looks horribly outdated when 4K TVs offer quadruple the pixels of 1080p. Yes, Nintendo probably should have updated their software to support higher resolutions, but the results would have been extremely impressive. See how well Mario Kart 8 Deluxe performs in 4K in the video below.
It’s such a shame that the OLED Switch can’t come out or at least upgrade to 4K when connected to a TV, which the Xbox One S was able to do when it launched in 2013. I guess we’ll have to. do it wait for Nintendo Switch 2 before Ultra HD hits a Nintendo console.
This isn’t for the people who wanted Switch games to perform better
Without 4K output on the new Switch, it’s less surprising that running games on the OLED Switch doesn’t result in any tangible improvement in a game’s frame rate or graphics quality, but it certainly would have been the welcome. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X making 60 fps the standard and support for 120 fps now widely adopted by Microsoft’s flagship console in particular, it’s unclear that the majority of Switch OLED games will run at 30 fps. and less.
An increase in power could have helped smooth out older titles such as The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, which never managed to shoot at 30fps. More games could have targeted 720p native resolution when running in portable mode, instead of the sub-native resolution numbers we see today, like how The Witcher 3 performs at 540p. Urgh.
He (probably) didn’t fix the Joy-Con drift
The dreaded Joy-Con drift is still a perennial flaw for Nintendo, and generally one of the main reasons people tend to avoid buying the console, especially with all the noise surrounding repairs and replacements. While things have improved slightly since the original Switch was released in 2017 (likely thanks to the motivation of 25,000 complaints in Europe alone and various class actions), the new OLED Switch doesn’t mention having finally fixed the issue. material for good.
This means that if you take the plunge, you can still experience the Joy-Con Drift, which sees your character or the on-screen reticle move around on its own without any user intervention. It would be more than a slight kick in the teeth after giving Nintendo your hard-earned money, and the issue has been rampant since the console’s launch.
Since most of the perks of the new Nintendo Switch OLED are in handheld mode, that’s a real concern that, hopefully, Nintendo hasn’t overlooked this time around.
There is still no Bluetooth audio
Wireless headsets and earphones are commonplace these days, and it could be argued that the people who continue to hold on to wired products are clinging to retro technology that is slowly becoming obsolete.
Nintendo doesn’t seem to share this point of view, however, as it insists on sticking to wired headphones and excluding a large chunk of people who would very much like to use their existing Bluetooth wireless headphones with the console. A lack of Bluetooth compatibility in the original Switch console was annoying enough, but for something slated for a late 2021 release date? Unforgivable.
This is particularly frustrating given that the Nintendo Switch already supports Bluetooth 4.1 for communication between the Joy-Con controllers. There is a workaround, but Nintendo style requires an additional investment. You can buy Bluetooth adapters that plug into the USB-C or 3.5mm audio jack that allow you to use your AirPods or your choice of wireless headphones and play your favorite games wirelessly, but this doesn’t is not ideal.
The screen is bigger, but at what cost?
The new Nintendo Switch OLED has smaller bezels than the original, giving it a modern facelift as well as a larger screen, increasing the existing screen from 6.2 inches to 7 inches. That would be nice, but the resolution is still capped at 720p in portable mode, which could mean you’ll get fewer pixels per inch and potentially a less crisp image as a result.
You’ll still get the original 1080p resolution when the console is in docked mode, but given the proximity to the screen when playing as a portable device, the extra 0.8 inches of screen will need to stretch the screen. image quality. It’s claimed that if you hold a 7-inch display at least 16 inches away from you, the pixels become indistinguishable anyway, but it’s pretty daring to assume that gamers will keep the OLED Switch at a significant distance at all times, and A lot of Switch games don’t even run at 720p, with Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Doom all falling below the Switch’s native 720p resolution.
Nintendo games are hardly known for their impressive realism, but popular titles like Zelda: Breath of the Wild offer great graphics, and playing them in docked mode was already better than playing them on a cramped screen. If the larger display size has an impact on the quality of the game, the benefits of OLED will be outweighed by the decision to play them at a higher resolution.
The situation could be similar to that of the Nintendo 3DS XL, which despite having a larger screen made games look more pixelated.
The OLED Switch is a tough sell
The Nintendo Switch is therefore not an attractive proposition for those who wanted better performance and 4K output, and those who play exclusively in portable mode will have already opted for the cheaper Nintendo Switch Lite.
As a replacement for the aging Nintendo Switch, it makes more sense, but it costs $ 50 more than the original, and it doesn’t contain the kinds of upgrades people are clamoring for. New users will obviously benefit from the opportunity to purchase the best Nintendo Switch made to date, but for everyone, it’s hard to justify upgrading to the OLED Switch.
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