Nintendo’s OLED Switch isn’t the Switch Pro, and that’s okay

The long-rumored OLED-equipped Nintendo Swap is lastly actual! But it surely’s not fairly the improve we had been anticipating. For months, reviews claimed a “Swap Professional” would additionally ship some form of 4K upscaling functionality and sooner efficiency. However this new mannequin, which can promote for $350 when it’s launched on October eighth, doesn’t go almost that far. As a substitute, it’s extra of a minor step ahead that fixes a number of of the Swap’s unique design flaws, however doesn’t dramatically change the system. And you recognize what? That’s high-quality.

For those who’ve been following Nintendo for any period of time, it shouldn’t be shocking that the corporate isn’t actually involved in becoming a member of a spcs race. Let Sony and Microsoft duke it out for 4K dominance — Nintendo can present there’s nonetheless loads to like about video games in 1080p and beneath. Sticking with the identical {hardware} additionally means builders don’t have to fret about splitting the Swap consumer base, a difficulty that’s plagued Nintendo methods over the previous few a long time (was the New 3DS really value it?).

The worldwide chip scarcity could have foiled Nintendo’s plans to stuff higher {hardware} on this Swap, as properly. The system presently makes use of a customized model of NVIDIA’s Tegra X1 system-on-a-chip, which was quietly up to date in 2019 to extend the console’s battery life. In line with numerous reviews, Nintendo was exploring docked 4K upscaling utilizing NVIDIA’s DLSS know-how, which makes use of AI processing to bump lower-resolution textures as much as one thing that appears far sharper. However that know-how would have required an up to date Tegra chip that introduced over a number of the {hardware} from NVIDIA’s current RTX GPUs. That’s not an unattainable job, but it surely’s one that will have required extra work than NVIDIA was in a position to accomplish in the course of the hellscape of 2020 (no less than, whereas maintaining the ultimate price cheap).

That doesn’t imply desires of a 4K-capable Swap are lifeless, it’s simply one thing we’ll have to attend a yr or two to see. Nintendo would additionally want so as to add extra RAM to the Swap so it might higher deal with the 1080p textures required for DLSS upscaling. That’s not simple to do with the system’s meager 4GB of RAM, so a future console would wish 6GB or 8GB. And don’t overlook, Nintendo additionally must steadiness delivering stable battery life with the Swap in handheld mode, so it must be cautious about shoving in demanding new {hardware}.

For house owners of the unique Swap, or newcomers to the platform, this OLED mannequin nonetheless looks like an attractive improve. The bigger display screen makes the system look extra fashionable, with much less of a chunky show bezel. OLED will even make video games look dramatically higher, particularly whereas enjoying outdoors in direct daylight. There’s additionally a wider kickstand, just like the one of many Microsoft Floor tablets, which ought to make moveable play much more steady. There’s additionally 64GB of inner storage, as an alternative of 32GB, and “enhanced audio,” which might simply refer to higher audio system — Nintendo isn’t getting very particular.

And in case you’re actually into on-line multiplayer, you’ll doubtless admire the Ethernet port constructed into the OLED Swap’s dock. (And if that’s the principle draw for you, Nintendo says the dock can be suitable with the outdated Swap fashions.) Because of the bigger display screen, although, Nintendo says the OLED Swap could run into points with some Labo kits and different video games.

I get it, $350 is rather a lot to shell out for a barely higher Swap. That’s notably true when you will get the disc-less PlayStation 5 for $399, or the complete PS5 and Xbox Collection X for $499. However for Nintendo diehards, the enhancements are undoubtedly tempting. Simply don’t be stunned if the corporate finally ends up dropping the 4K-capable Swap in the course of the 2022 vacation season.