Although Nintendo just revealed its brand new Nintendo Switch OLED model to the world, many gamers are mad as hell about it. We explain why.
If you’re a big Nintendo fan, yesterday was a big day. Under the cover of darkness (at least for us down under) the company unveiled its latest entry in the Switch line-up – the Nintendo Switch (OLED model). Has quite the catchy ring to it, don’t you think?
To bring you up to speed, due out on October 8 the upcoming model is a similar size to the Switch console everybody already knows and loves, but packs a larger 7-inch OLED screen. That should hopefully help make games pop a little better thanks to higher contrast, deeper blacks and all the general hullaballoo you get from an OLED display.
The refresh will also include a wider adjustable stand for tabletop mode, better audio output, a built-in wired LAN port and more internal storage. Aside from those bullet points, it’s pretty much business as usual – all for the tidy sum of $539. But once the initial excitement a new announcement wore off and the dust settled, the Internet was a raging ball of fire.
https://twitter.com/Walker134M/status/1412934773228638209
sorry I don't buy consoles with planned obsolescence built into the joysticks! or not more than once, anyway
— Max (relaxed) (@BrainDumpTweets) July 6, 2021
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So what gives?
To understand the anger, one must look to the past. Rumours of what has been dubbed the ‘Switch Pro’ have been circulating for legit years. Hell, we speculated about it back in 2019 and then again just a few months ago. While many of these rumours correctly guessed the system’s updated OLED display, the big hope for gamers was 4K and beefier specs.
At the moment, the Nintendo Switch can punch out at a 720p resolution while in handheld mode and 1080p when docked. It’s a far cry from the PS5 and Xbox Series X’s full 4K capabilities. Even the cheaper Xbox Series S can achieve 1440p.
What this means for you and me is that Switch games naturally look a little rougher, while developers occasionally struggle to port their existing big-budget titles to the much weaker Nintendo console.
There’s a reason you don’t get a yearly COD on Switch. This is it.
Watch the trailer for the Nintendo Switch (OLED model) below:
The bad news is that as the uptake of the PS5/Series X continues, things are only going to get worse as new titles become more and more demanding. In a nutshell, if you’re only a Switch owner, your list of available games is going to get smaller and smaller and people are pissed about it.
If you’re Nintendo though, the move makes a lot of sense. They keep making money from a shiny new toy and all the existing games continue to be fully backwards compatible. And believe you me, people will still buy the Switch OLED model.
Will we ever actually get the Switch Pro? Considering the company made four versions of its DS family and six iterations of the 3DS, it’s highly likely. You might just have to wait a few more years…
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