Why I got an OLED Switch?

I got myself a new Nintendo switch, this is the OLED version and my daughter has the original neon version. (I gave it to her after some light use) I thought I would compare them.

And I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with it so far. So let’s go ahead and unbox it and see what you get inside here. So obviously get the two joy-cons. The ones that come with this version are white!

First Impressions

I think they’re pretty snappy but you can’t get them in neon with the OLED version, you have to buy them separately. They are the same as the original ones, that come on the standard neon switch. So they do fit on other switches, which is pretty cool. You also get a white dock with this version, which is a slight improvement from the last one. The new dock also includes an ethernet port inside, so it’s wired up to the network (if preferred) when it’s docked up. This provides a faster and more reliable internet connection instead of wifi which is a nice feature.

The OLED Nintendo Switch comes with the switch controller and also the attachments for the joy-cons themselves. These allow you to play in two-player mode by adding two buttons at the sides of the joy cons.

Straight off the bat, you can tell it’s got a great screen and it has more real estate on there. One of the great features of the OLED version is the kickstand. It’s much improved from the last one, I had the original one and it broke off within a month. ( I still haven’t fixed it ). It was not very durable & quite easy to knock off, but this new kickstand is brilliant. It’s a lot sturdier and it has different positions you can use, you can get it a lot lower and higher so it’s a lot more flexible.

Side by side the new OLED and the original switch are similar but have some key differences. They’re the same inside but the screens are different. This is the biggest thing for me, the smaller screen always puts me off getting the original one. Don’t get me wrong, the original switch was a good idea and seemed to work well, but this new OLED screen just pops. The OLED screen provides better colours and It’s a bit bigger. It fits in the same form factor (so you can use the same cases as before )and works with all previous games etc.

For me, the main reason I wanted this was to be able to play on the go. You can use it on the dock If you wanna play with friends on the TV etc. So you can have the best of both worlds. If the latest graphic performance doesn’t bother you like with the PS5 or XBOX then this is a really easy sell.

I would recommend the standard switch and OLED switch because of the ability to use docks. But if you are cost-conscious and primarily use it handheld, I would go for the Nintendo Lite. This has the same internals again, but cannot just detach JoyCons and is incompatible / doesn’t come with a dock.

One thing the be mindful of with the OLED screen is that even though it’s a bigger screen the resolution isn’t any different. The OLED screen still outputs at a resolution of 720p. I don’t think it seems to make any difference at this form factor, but you are paying a premium for a brighter and more vibrant display.

Maybe the next-gen version of the Nintendo Switch could be a ‘Nintendo Pro’ or something and have an upgraded resolution, maybe to 1080p.

Also, I wanted to comment on the battery life of Nintendo OLED. I think that is working quite well and It seems to last a very long time, especially in standby mode!

Now let’s talk about accessories. The two main accessories I’d recommend getting for the OLED switch are the Nintendo case and a decent-sized SD card.

The Nintendo case is pretty cool. It was a decent price & not too expensive. I think there are better ones out there but I think it does the job & It’s just needed to protect the console when I chuck it in my bag on my travels.

The SD card which you definitely need to download games from the store etc. But the one I did pick up was a Nintendo-branded one as it was on offer and was actually cheaper than the SanDisk-branded ones.

Conclusion

So in conclusion, guys, I think this is a great buy. If you’re gonna buy one, and you want a dock and you want all that functionality, a bigger screen etc. you might as well go for it as it’s not much more than the original one.

The only other one I would consider is the Nintendo lite. I’d go for this if you just want to save a bit of money and you just want to use it handheld. ( this one is ideal for young children )

But all in all, I’m happy with the OLED version. It has great features like a screen and a better dock, and you’ve got the improved kickstand.

It’s an overall better experience for me, mainly due to the screen if I’m being honest. Let me know how you found it below and If you’ve got one or which one you prefer.

Thanks for reading!