Improved Graphic Fidelity, a substantial Kickstand and a greater Internal Storage capacity, many of our boxes have been ticked!
It's been a few months since the announcement of the Nintendo Switch OLED Model. Initially deplored by a sect of the gaming community, many are now coming around to the idea of the OLED Switch and are buzzed to get their hands on a console come October 8th. As rumour would have it, the OLED Model is merely the first stepping stone in a series of internally upscaled generation-nine tweaks; the presence of several components of the new console, HDMI 2.0 outputs and 4K-ready cables, denote later patches and updates that may allow for 4K and 60FPS capacity - what we have really been waiting for.
What are the fundamental improvements?
Arriving in both White and Neon Red/Blue editions, the Switch OLED boasts a larger 7” screen, more than a 10% increase in size in comparison to its predecessor. With greater surface area comes greater chance to enjoy the console's OLED display rather than the former LCD format. I think it will be hard not to enjoy the new Switch models graphics; OLED screens tend to imbue visuals with authentic, more profound colours than its LCD-based competition. Our gaming experience will likely be intensified by the enhanced dynamic range of the screen: deeper blacks, unprecedented contrast effects – it is going to be magnificent. Now featuring a wired LAN port, we can enjoy superior graphics as well as greater ethernet-based Wi-Fi stability, reliability and speed when using the Switch OLED in 1080p docked Console Mode.
'Our gaming experience will likely be intensified by the enhanced dynamic range of the screen: deeper blacks, unprecedented contrast effects – it is going to be magnificent.'
What are the important details?
The Switch has historically, like any prestigious console, wholly stimulated the senses, it feels good, it looks good, but the visuals, whilst in classic Nintendo style, didn’t fare up well against the Xbox Series X and Series S or the PlayStation 5. In many ways, the Nintendo Switch didn’t need to compete for it possessed many other advantages: portability and accessibility, freedom to play wherever, whenever to name but a few, but now strutting along with OLED functionalities, the Switch is set to close the gap the ninth-generation has brought about. To make matters even better, the OLED Switch will now incorporate enhanced audio capabilities to mitigate the permanent need for headsets; if you forget your headphones – pas de probleme – the OLED Switch has you covered. The Switch OLED ticks all of these boxes whilst maintaining up to a 9-hour battery life, which is quite some feat when making allowances for the fidelity upgrades: one large step forward, zero steps back.
Donning both a wider and now-adjustable Kickstand, users can opt to calibrate the height of their Switch in Tabletop Mode as well as enjoy improved stability and less rattle as they play. A mild controversy followed the standard model of the Switch for reasons relating to the fragility of the Kickstand, yet as of October 8th 2021, the official release date of the Nintendo Switch OLED Model, we can, if need be, hone our sights onto a console with an arguably more substantial base.
What is the deal with internal storage?
I remember as I saw the headlines and the texts telling me to check the Nintendo site, my first thoughts didn’t concern the design of a potentially fresh iteration of the Switch nor did I consider game or Joy-Con compatibility, although the OLED Switch works with all Joy-Cons and Switch games, but won’t ‘cleanly fit with the design parameters of the Labo series’. I was anxious only about the internal storage of a new model. I accessed the website, scrolled to find the specs and I saw it: 64GB. 64! Our storage has doubled! Incredible. Taking into account the space the system itself reserves we will likely be left with just over 55GB, leaving us to fill our boots with whatever eShop (or saved data) selections that take our fancy.
'I was anxious only about the internal storage of a new model. I accessed the website, scrolled to find the specs and I saw it: 64GB. 64! Our storage has doubled! Incredible.'
This enhanced version of the Nintendo Switch, the OLED Model, brings about many a requested upgrade: increased storage capacity, wider screens with deeper graphical fidelities and a sturdier kickstand inter alia. Perhaps though the most glaring virtue of the OLED Model is its scope for future upgrades - it is a ticking-time bomb just waiting for the green light, having all the ingredients necessary to cook-up a right storm of groundbreaking portable 4K and 60FPS gaming. If you want to be in the Nintendo vanguard, and the OLED Model sounds up your street, be sure to Register Your Interest with us ahead of its October 8th release, and get your hands on a copy of Metroid Dread, too - you'll need it.
Written by Joel Gunner
Images sourced from Nintendo.