Released in 2016, the Switch is Nintendo’s best-selling console to date, having sold 85+ million units as of 2021, and has outsold the Nintendo 3DS, Game Boy Advance, and Sony’s PlayStation Portable. Powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra X1 Mariko GPU, the Switch can handle most AAA titles on the go, which makes it even more impressive considering the fact that the Tegra X1 launched in 2014.
Nintendo Released a budget-friendly variant of the Switch called Switch Lite which was priced at $200. The console is shipped with built-in buttons and joysticks instead of detachable JoyCons and cannot be docked. It launched with 3 color variants – Grey, Turquoise, and Yellow, while 2 more colors, Coral and Blue, were introduced in the later years.
An enhanced version of the Switch was recently announced and is officially called the Nintendo Switch OLED which features a slightly larger, 7-inch screen, increased storage, and an improved adjustable stand along with more new features and improvements. But are these changes enough to justify ‘upgrading’ to one?
Nintendo Switch vs Nintendo Switch OLED: Specs, Price and more
Both versions are almost identical due to their similar weight and dimensions, however, the biggest change here is the inclusion of a 7-inch OLED screen as opposed to the Switch’s 6.2 inch LCD display and has smaller bezels. OLED screens tend to have better colors, black levels, and contrast levels in general. Both consoles are capable of rendering games at 720p in handheld mode and 1080p in docked mode.
Switch OLED boasts 64GB of internal storage, unlike the base model Switch’s 32GB storage so you can store more games on your device. The rear stand on the Switch OLED is now wider and sturdier as compared to the small stand on the previous Switch. Nintendo has also revised the Switch Dock, which now includes an Ethernet port for better internet connectivity, though the dock no longer has a USB Type-A port. The dock can be purchased separately from Nintendo’s online store and is compatible with the old Switch.
The revised Switch also comes with improved ‘onboard’ speakers, though Nintendo has yet to elaborate further, we can assume that the speakers are simply louder than before. Both consoles feature the same chipset and RAM, and as a result, the OLED Switch is just the same as the old Switch under the hood.
Switch OLED sounds like a perfect option for first-time buyers, but not for current owners of the Switch, unless you own a Switch Lite. Nintendo Switch OLED model is priced at $349.99 and is set to release on October 8.
Recommended | Windows 11 For Gaming: How Microsoft Has Optimized the OS for Gamers
