The announcement of the Nintendo OLED Switch at the beginning of the week did not quite provoke the expected reactions. Still, only three months separate us from its release, and GameSpot has already had the opportunity to take it in hand.
An article in which Alessandro Fillari recalls that it is definitely not a "Switch Pro", but that the few adjustments made by Nintendo on its new console are enough to offer a more comfortable experience.
Read also:
Nintendo Switch Pro: the OLED version finally unveiled, scheduled for release in October
A more captivating screen
As its name suggests, the Nintendo Switch OLED differs from the original model (released four years ago) by its OLED type screen. For those who are not familiar with this technology, let's summarize it very roughly. Where an LCD screen is permanently backlit over its entire surface, the pixels of an OLED panel are independent. This has several advantages. First, the contrast ratio is said to be “infinite”, in that a black pixel is… perfectly off. No more blacks that look more like gray. Brightness is also better on an OLED display, and colors generally more vibrant. Finally, and for the reasons explained above, the energy consumption of the screen is reduced compared to an LCD matrix.
So many technical arguments that GameSpot highlights in its article. "I was able to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild − at the very beginning of the game, up to the famous view of the Hyrule landscape − and the new screen brings a lot of brilliance thanks to the color contrast “enthuses the journalist. A finding that applies to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well, which "looks incredibly fluid and clean on the new model's OLED screen".
Nevertheless Alessandro Fillari repeats it: this new Nintendo Switch is above all aimed at players who prefer nomadic play. For people who already enjoy their games docked on a nice OLED TV, this won't change anything.
Note in passing that the screen of the Nintendo Switch OLED is slightly larger than that of the Switch (6,2 inches) and the Switch Lite (5,5 inches), with its diagonal of 7 inches obtained by reducing the borders − the console benefits from the same dimensions as its predecessor. Therefore all accessories previously compatible with the classic model (including the Joy-Con) will remain on this new Switch.
Read also:Xbox Series S: a dedicated xScreen screen could arrive in a few months
More punchy sound and more malleable support
Another novelty of this Switch OLED: its speakers. Larger than those of the Switch, they offer according to GameSpot a new sound coating for console games. More precise, the sound is above all described as more powerful, to the point of making the Switch OLED “more recommendable [than the classic model] when playing in public, with friends or alone. »
In multiple game configurations, the new, wider support also offers more possibilities to adapt to the position of the people facing the console. It must be said that Nintendo goes a long way in this area; difficult to comfortably play the Switch in a low-cost plane, for example.
Ultimately, GameSpot confirms that the new Switch OLED arguments are tangible. In this case, the console screen "make the portable game more beautiful than it has ever been", writes the journalist of the American site.
Should we conclude that Nintendo has succeeded? After the disappointment of discovering that the Switch OLED is not a “Pro” model, it must be recognized that Nintendo does not do anything other than what it has always offered in the past. GameSpot draws a parallel with the Game Boy Advance SP or the New 3DS XL. Consoles which, technically, differ at the margin of their models, but which offer future buyers an additional option to choose the console that suits them the most.
The Nintendo Switch OLED will be released on October 8 for €359. It will be available in white or blue and red. The new dock, including an Ethernet port, can be purchased separately at a still unknown price.
