Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) - Oh, Leds, this is so exciting.

Well, there's your "Switch Pro" I guess. Bigger, nicer screen, better stand, little improvements like that but not a *new* Switch or anything.
I won't pick that white one up right away, but I think as soon as we see a cool special edition - Zelda, Pokémon or what-have-you, I'll get involved.

It's a no from me.

I wonder if they have actually fixed the Joycon drift but not advertised it, as it would negatively affect sales of the current Switch model if they said "yeah we fixed the drift issues but please keep buying the original".

That doesn’t really meet the hype that had been building up for a rumoured Switch Pro over the last couple of years. That’s a little bit disappointing, as I was quite open-minded about upgrading my release day Switch to something with more power, more memory, more battery life and more features. Despite the enhancements, this OLED Model doesn’t really give me a compelling reason to pay another £300 for a Switch. Still, nothing lost and nothing gained I suppose. At the very least, this better fix those aforementioned Joycon drift problems

I’m disappointed

You'd think Nintendo had killed everyone's first born with some of the online reaction to this. It's basically the same jumps they done with the DS & 3DS which is perfectly fine, so do I need one? Probably not right now but if my launch Switch get's worse this OLED version is the easy choice between the standard and lite versions we already have.

The_Jaster wrote:

You'd think Nintendo had killed everyone's first born with some of the online reaction to this.

The online reaction seems to be really severe, and needlessly so. That said...

neil wrote:

I’m disappointed

...that's perfectly fair, I think. I wonder why there was such a discrepancy between what had been rumoured and what's actually coming out...?

On another note, GAME have opened UK pre-orders at £309.99:

https://www.game.co.uk/en/hardware/nintendo-switch-consoles/oled?&cm_sp=homepage-_-banner0-_-NSWOled

I will probably buy one at launch and sell my old one, but I was ready for an upgrade. I guess Switch 2 is where that upgrade will arrive now, which is fine. But I was excited for fancier graphics.

Never, ever believe Nintendo leaks and rumours, basically.

I don't know whether to be disappointed or not.

On the one hand, I have a chip in the plastic of my current Switch (meaning I couldn't sell it back), which is a launch model and has the dodgy battery that comes with that. It's also occasionally had problems with reading carts. I was quite looking forward to a new model that would be worth me shelling out, and this isn't it, not at that price.

On the other hand, I didn't like the idea of a new more powerful model that would result in games being developed with it in mind, with those games not running or running like treacle on the base Switch. Also, I don't care so much about fancier graphics. And frankly, Neil's right: everything that had been said up to now came from InSiDeRs, who it's surely been proving beyond doubt now can't be trusted to get these things correct. Finally, given the global component shortage, a much more technologically advanced Switch would probably have about fifteen copies sent to the whole of the UK this year.

I think the bottom line is that this suggests that Joy-Con Drift will continue to be a problem, and that's a chuffing travesty.

neil wrote:

Never, ever believe Nintendo leaks and rumours, basically.

Just never believe rumours/leaks for anything period.

TCK wrote:

I wonder why there was such a discrepancy between what had been rumoured and what's actually coming out...?

While I don't think you can pin point it down to one specific reason it could be as simple as Nintendo deciding to leave that bigger upgrade for a brand new console/handheld instead.

It doesn't do much for me since I just play the Switch docked but it makes sense that this exists. For what it is, it's probably come out later than it should have. Then again supply issues are totally understandable at the moment.

The disparity between the top end of what was rumoured and what the current Switch can actually do probably meant that those rumours were never really on?

Balladeer wrote:

I think the bottom line is that this suggests that Joy-Con Drift will continue to be a problem, and that's a chuffing travesty.

Bad. When you think about it, given how expensive a single Joy-Con is, and how portable the switch is, the one thing they need to be more than anything else is reliable. Not sorting that out is the sort of thing I'd expect from EA and not Nintendo.

Regarding the Joy-Cons, the hope for me would be that they'd quietly fix any going forward anyway, there's no reason the Joy-Cons on this can't be of a higher quality in the same way the new Zelda ones could. They're definitely aware of how big an issue it is so the question remains whether it's worth the effort of fixing future ones or whether they can afford to keep selling sub-par controllers, now I've wrote this I'm starting to think the latter.

Anyway the OLED, looks neat but I don't think its for many of us on here, it'll become the standard so anyone looking to get a Switch or replace their old naff one has a safe option. It's the DS/3DS XL all over again really, maybe we'll see a "new" model soon in the same vein but I'm not expecting it now, not until the need for more power becomes a necessity, the Switch is still doing really well in its own lane, it doesn't need to be drawn in to a console war.

I'd say I'm a little disappointed in a way myself but only because we'd been told to expect something better, really it's the "leakers" people should be mad with, not Nintendo.

The_Jaster wrote:

It's basically the same jumps they done with the DS & 3DS which is perfectly fine, so do I need one? Probably not right now but if my launch Switch get's worse this OLED version is the easy choice between the standard and lite versions we already have.

Jumps from DS to DSi or 3DS to New 3DS where pretty big like exclusive games & performance boost etc, where this seems more like a 3DS XL type upgrade.

On the rumors/leaks actually lot right like OLED, LAN, More Storage, Trailer instead of event. The thing they got wrong was more power.

If we get a special edition like Buska says in the OG post, that might tempt me or work gets them in then a double discount event (would be £248).

masofdas wrote:

The_Jaster wrote:

It's basically the same jumps they done with the DS & 3DS which is perfectly fine, so do I need one? Probably not right now but if my launch Switch get's worse this OLED version is the easy choice between the standard and lite versions we already have.

Jumps from DS to DSi or 3DS to New 3DS where pretty big like exclusive games & performance boost etc, where this seems more like a 3DS XL type upgrade.

Yeh I meant to put it was like the XL upgrades in there, just forgot afterwards as I rewrote my post a handful of times.

I feel like they maybe delayed the announcement of this from its expected timeframe of pre-E3 time because expectations were getting so wild.

It was baffling that so many people thought there would be 4K games since that would create such a big disparity between a Switch Pro and OG Switch. Even consistent 1080p with a lot them being 60fps (a la base PS4) would have been a massive upgrade.

Personally I'm not really fussed since I'm not really a fan of mid-gen hardware upgrades anyway. I won't be getting this new Switch any time soon or at all, but it does seem to be an improvement in every way (I know how good an OLED screen is from my Vita) so it's nice that this will become the standard.

Kriken wrote:

It was baffling that so many people thought there would be 4K games since that would create such a big disparity between a Switch Pro and OG Switch. Even consistent 1080p with a lot them being 60fps (a la base PS4) would have been a massive upgrade.

Would it though like we've seen Nintendo in the past have these type of upgrades and other tech look at the Xbox One to One X, Witcher 3 is 900-1080p 30fps on Xbox One where the One X is native 4K 60fps, I would say that's a big disparity between them. Also was a 4-year difference (so would have been similar here) in the launces of those Xboxes and even now there's a Series X and S right at the beginning of a new gen, where you can play Rocket League in 120fps on one of them at 1512p the other 756p.

Not saying I thought it should be 4K as it be a portable system but could have very much seen it being hey Botw2 is 900p 30fps on OG Switch and on the Pro you can have 1440p 30fps or 1080p 60fps along those lines, and going forward view consoles & the games for them more like PC/Mobile gaming.

Also, on the Switch 2 which has been brought up and seen some reactions after the OLED announcement, how is Nintendo treating the Switch? Like if it's like any other console then you don't get many variants and the avg lifespan is 5.4 years meaning very well would be looking at Switch 2 soonish.

Yet if it's more like a handheld which so far it might be as we've had the Lite which could be equal to GameBoy Pocket or DS Lite and now this OLED which could equal GBA SP or 3DS XL, then they've had a lifespan on avg of 7.75 years with multiple variants and part from the GBA all had an upgrade system (Nintendo counts the Color as an upgrade, before you say anything) that we might still have a Switch Pro to come and many years left in the system, like I doubt we would be surprised if BotW 2 gets pushed to 2023 for instance that then would be a big game 6 years after launch.

Kriken wrote:

It was baffling that so many people thought there would be 4K games since that would create such a big disparity between a Switch Pro and OG Switch. Even consistent 1080p with a lot them being 60fps (a la base PS4) would have been a massive upgrade.

It was thought to be a kind of upscale to 4K with the NVIDIA DLSS technology. Not that wild.

masofdas wrote:

Jumps from DS to DSi or 3DS to New 3DS were pretty big like exclusive games & performance boost etc, where this seems more like a 3DS XL type upgrade.

And that was when they were supporting home consoles and portable systems.

I don't think the traditional handheld upgrade model applies to the Switch, because it's a home console too. If we were playing DS games on our TVs in 2007 and then expected the DSi to be equivalent to a Gamecube, then the comparison may apply. Same applies with the New 3DS and expecting HD graphics from it. Suddenly having a PS4 or PS4 Pro equivalent was always unlikely, but I could see it happening in a couple of years with their next console: the Nintendo Switchty Phwoar.

Surely in that scenario worse as Nintendo userbase in theory could been split into three, never thought a Pro Switch would split exclusive content like 3DS and New 3DS, though

Still there where Pro versions of those if you apply the handheld model and other companies home system have had Pro systems (pretty big cap between Series X and S, yet that works) if you go console route. Then like I mention we see in PC and Mobile gaming differences, like I had to play Nier Reincarnation on my phone on low settings.

Like I just seen Scullions review of Monster Hunter Stories 2 which starts of about a Switch Pro would be handy because of framerate, stuff like that could be done remember Hyrule Warriors on 3DS to New 3DS that's what I was expecting, not 4K 120fps Ray Tracing as that's just silly.

masofdas wrote:

Like I just seen Scullions review of Monster Hunter Stories 2 which starts of about a Switch Pro would be handy because of framerate, stuff like that could be done remember Hyrule Warriors on 3DS to New 3DS that's what I was expecting, not 4K 120fps Ray Tracing as that's just silly.

This is exactly why a Switch Pro shouldn't exist unless it has exclusive games. If the base Switch is already struggling, a Switch Pro isn't going to help existing users yet the games will still be advertised as Switch games.

Just make a new console that's backwards compatible and be done with this shit.

I sort agree as look at Cyberpunk but how many years did we go before that was a issue? And seen likes of DF say Series S will be a issue because of such like that game, yet here we are.

Still as Pro rumors already started and got thread for that, basically on OLED if I see cheap or cool edition I may pick up otherwise I'm fine with mine.

It's always been an issue though? Dynasty Warriors 8 runs like piss during the battle of Chi Bi sections on base PS4. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples in games I've not played, it's just that DW8 is playable and Cyberpunk was a disaster.

The OLED model is the way. It's not exciting, but it makes sense as a premium Switch even if it has come out quite late in the day. The Switch isn't as powerful as a base PS4, let alone whatever benchmark the Pro is alleged to hit. It's one thing to have games that run a bit shit at times on a base model, but the difference between a Switch and the Pro is ridiculous. The speculation has it closer to an PS5 than a Switch. That's not sustainable.

I don't care if people bandy about terms like upscaling. Of course it would use upscaling, the PS5 uses upscaling, my PC used DLSS upscaling to run Cyberpunk and Control in 5k, but that doesn't mean anything. It's just a way to get hardware to punch above its weight in terms of resolution, but you still need the grunt to handle that. DLSS takes a lot of compute power. It's complex maths performing split second calculations to guess what each upscaled pixel should look like every time a frame is rendered.

It's complicated stuff that requires a lot of power to leverage properly. If you have a chipset that can handle DLSS, then you have an RTX chipset, which, fyi, is way more powerful than the one in the Switch. Sure, if an RTX chip went into the Switch it'd be custom made, so you can't directly compare it to what's on the market, but the cheapest graphics card available right now that handles it is still £300... and that's not a 4k 60fps with DLSS card in most games. The electrical power requirements for an RTX chipset are high. How is that going to work in a handheld? They need powerful cooling too, how are you going to manage that? None of us have a clue because we're not engineers.

It's all clickbait until Nintendo's engineers show us what they've got.

[mic drop gif]

I know you'd know more than me Muss, I'm just going by owning these Pro systems/history and sites like DF along with the other speculation from "insiders" (never heard Switch Pro be close to PS5 but you hear so much), MS for instance going hey its like a PC/Phone and like said elsewhere new stuff already being rumored about a Pro Switch.

Yeah definitely, there are a lot of rumours all over the scale. I've got no doubt that some or many Switch Pro-totypes exist. Nintendo are doing R&D and I'm sure leaks are coming out of there. They might even be getting in-house developers to mess around with things that are somewhere on that scale between a Switch and a PS5 to help them work out the opportunity costs.

The standard of upscaling on the new gen consoles and PC is really high, it just comes with those high graphics card costs. They'll get cheaper over time but there's only so much economies of scale or selling at a loss will take out of that for now, particularly with the shortages we're still experiencing at the moment. You can upscale without DLSS, but you're going to get games looking worse when you do that. I'm not saying Nintendo couldn't come out with a Switch that upscales, but there's a lot more engineering that goes into a handheld than a normal console I imagine. It has to be durable, light, and with a decent battery life and a portable form factor. It's a tough job and I'm sure whenever Nintendo are up to doing something new, they will, and we just have to wait until then before we'll really know what they think is possible.