The New Nintendo Switch: A Hands-On Review of the OLED Model

The new Nintendo Switch is here, and it's a significant upgrade from its predecessor. With an OLED screen, improved kickstand design, and enhanced features, this latest iteration promises to be one of the best gaming consoles on the market. But does it live up to the hype? In this article, we'll take a closer look at the new Switch, both in terms of hardware and software.

One of the most noticeable upgrades is the OLED screen. This high-resolution display provides an incredible viewing experience, making games look more vibrant and detailed than ever before. However, it's not just about aesthetics; the OLED screen also reduces screen burn-in, a common issue with LCD displays. We had the chance to test the Switch in action, playing through Metroid Dread, a side-scrolling 2D game that showcased the Switch's capabilities.

Another area where the new Switch excels is its kickstand design. Gone are the days of flimsy plastic standpops that would inevitably fall over with minimal use. The new kickstand is redesigned to run along the entire width of the console, providing stability and support for the Switch when docked on a table or surface. We were impressed by how well it held up, even when we attempted to shake it or lean it precariously. This little change makes a big difference in terms of overall usability.

Speaking of usability, the new Switch also boasts improved docking capabilities. Gone is the old USB-C port that would occasionally lose its connection with the console; instead, we get an Ethernet port for faster internet connectivity and a more reliable experience. While it's not as flashy as some other features, this small upgrade has been a welcome change for us.

In terms of performance, the new Switch carries over most of its predecessor's specs, including the NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, 720p resolution on the internal screen, and 1080 output to your TV. However, with the OLED display in place, we noticed an immediate improvement in visual fidelity – games looked more vibrant, detailed, and just plain better.

Another notable feature of the new Switch is its storage capacity. While the base model still only comes with 32GB of internal storage, the upgraded version offers a whopping 64GB. This is particularly welcome news for those who like to store their entire game library or download a bunch of DLCs at once.

But here's the thing: do you really need this upgrade? If you're not one of the frequent travelers or heavy Switch users, you might be able to get by with the original model. The new features are certainly nice, but they come at a price – the OLED Switch is now $350, compared to the regular Switch's $300.

That being said, we can already see why the Nintendo team decided to push for this upgrade. With an OLED screen and improved kickstand design, this Switch promises to be more reliable, more visually appealing, and just plain better overall. If you're due for a new console or are simply looking for an excuse to splurge, the new Switch is definitely worth considering.

The Release Date: October 8th

As with most major hardware upgrades, there's no official release date announced yet – but based on industry trends and previous announcements, we can expect it to hit stores around October 8th. Be sure to stay tuned to CNET for our full review of the new Switch once it hits the market.

The Verdict: A Solid Upgrade, But at What Cost?

While the new Nintendo Switch is undoubtedly an improvement over its predecessor, it's hard not to feel that some of these upgrades come at a bit too high of a price. The OLED screen is certainly a nice touch, but is it worth another $50 compared to the regular Switch? We'll have to wait and see how users react once this new model hits stores.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni got a chance to get my hands on the new oled screen nintendo switch and one upgrade really stood out to me as a game changer but it was not that oled screen i got a chance to go to a hands-on event with the new oled nintendo switch it was also a chance to play metroid dread which is one of nintendo's big new holiday games and i spent about an hour with both the game and the system and that was my first opportunity to pick up and feel and look at in person this new version of the switch it's really the first second third i would call it the fourth version of the switch there was the original there was what we call the v2 which was just ever so slightly tweaked the next year they get better battery life and a slightly different processor then there was the switch light so now we have the oled switch and the big difference here is the body size is essentially the same the screen however is bigger and there's a thinner bezel around the screen there's less dead space so that bigger screen again fits in kind of the same size body and of course it's not a regular old led screen it is an oled screen that's the technology that's on you know iphones and the best big screen tvs uh basically everyone who's a serious gamer a movie watcher has a big oled tv and now you've got an oled screen on the nintendo switch you are faced with overwhelming power your highest priority it should be simply to survive inside it's still basically the same switch it's got the same uh nvidia tegra x1 processor it's got the same joy-con controllers on the side it does the same 720 screen resolution on the internal screen and 1080 output onto your tv still doesn't do 4k and frankly with an oled screen it would have been cool to have you know 1080 resolution on it but playing metroid red on it it certainly looked fine but even in this very limited hands-on opportunity i really noticed something that stood out to me a lot more than that oled screen it is a big improvement on one of the real weak points of that original switch design it was the nintendo switch kickstand on the back in the original version it was widely bonked as being a little tiny little plastic kickstand piece that would kind of pop out but would fall over very easily or just pop out of the system completely if you put the kickstand out and put your switch on a table and gotta control and try to if anyone walked by and just brushed against the table the whole thing might fall over it was not a great kickstand the new kickstand is completely redesigned it runs the entire width of the system it looks a lot like the microsoft surface kickstand which everybody loves is one of the best design parts of the microsoft surface pro line that's a big tablet that has a kickstand it comes out you can bend it to any angle just about and it'll stay wherever you put it so you can take your surface and put it on the table and make it lean down more lean up more and it feels very stable and very sturdy the new nintendo switch kickstand feels pretty much the same way i love moving it to different angles i could lean it back more if i was standing over it i could make it more upright uh more vertical and it stayed everywhere i put it and it did not feel like the switch was going to fall right over if you're planning on getting the new switch and you're going to be using it in handheld mode a lot well you know that's pretty cool because the oled screen that's a big upgrade right there and the kickstand also a big upgrade i used it with joy-con controllers attached sitting on the table at a nice angle just kind of leaning over and putting my hands on it while i was playing metroid dread which is a side scrolling 2d metroid game nintendo says it's the first uh 2d metroid game i think in 19 years uh it's a lot to me that their big holiday game is a 2d game but hey you know what people like it one part about the new oled twitch i didn't get to check out was the new bass it's pretty much like the old bass that's the thing you slot your switch into in order to connect it to your tv but this base loses a usb port that was on it but adds an ethernet port which could be important if you have spotty wi-fi or you just want to do super fast downloads or you're one of those people who actually takes an ethernet cable and plugs them into your game consoles to me anyone like that is complete maniac but you know you do you now of course all this comes at a little bit of an extra price the oled switch is 350 versus the regular switch which is three hundred dollars the switch light is even less you do get of course the oled screen uh you get the better kickstand you get the uh advanced dock and you get 64 gigs of built-in storage space versus 32 gigs which is nice because the first thing anybody ever has to do with a switch is go out and get a micro sd card and put it in to store your games on that said for 300 you can get an oculus quest too which also has pretty advanced displays and that has 64 gigs of storage in it so based on my little hands-on session with the switch i already pre-ordered one of these and i'm feeling pretty good about that pre-order i still have the original basically day one switch from when that first came out if you just bought a switch last year or six months ago do you need to upgrade to the new one it doesn't feel like it right now if you're a frequent traveler and go everywhere if you switch okay this seems like a great upgrade if you're somebody who keeps your switch docked all the time always playing it on the tv basically never take it with your handheld style well then obviously you don't need this this new nintendo switch it comes out october 8th just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season so stay tuned to cnet because we are going to have a full review of the final hardware very very sooni got a chance to get my hands on the new oled screen nintendo switch and one upgrade really stood out to me as a game changer but it was not that oled screen i got a chance to go to a hands-on event with the new oled nintendo switch it was also a chance to play metroid dread which is one of nintendo's big new holiday games and i spent about an hour with both the game and the system and that was my first opportunity to pick up and feel and look at in person this new version of the switch it's really the first second third i would call it the fourth version of the switch there was the original there was what we call the v2 which was just ever so slightly tweaked the next year they get better battery life and a slightly different processor then there was the switch light so now we have the oled switch and the big difference here is the body size is essentially the same the screen however is bigger and there's a thinner bezel around the screen there's less dead space so that bigger screen again fits in kind of the same size body and of course it's not a regular old led screen it is an oled screen that's the technology that's on you know iphones and the best big screen tvs uh basically everyone who's a serious gamer a movie watcher has a big oled tv and now you've got an oled screen on the nintendo switch you are faced with overwhelming power your highest priority it should be simply to survive inside it's still basically the same switch it's got the same uh nvidia tegra x1 processor it's got the same joy-con controllers on the side it does the same 720 screen resolution on the internal screen and 1080 output onto your tv still doesn't do 4k and frankly with an oled screen it would have been cool to have you know 1080 resolution on it but playing metroid red on it it certainly looked fine but even in this very limited hands-on opportunity i really noticed something that stood out to me a lot more than that oled screen it is a big improvement on one of the real weak points of that original switch design it was the nintendo switch kickstand on the back in the original version it was widely bonked as being a little tiny little plastic kickstand piece that would kind of pop out but would fall over very easily or just pop out of the system completely if you put the kickstand out and put your switch on a table and gotta control and try to if anyone walked by and just brushed against the table the whole thing might fall over it was not a great kickstand the new kickstand is completely redesigned it runs the entire width of the system it looks a lot like the microsoft surface kickstand which everybody loves is one of the best design parts of the microsoft surface pro line that's a big tablet that has a kickstand it comes out you can bend it to any angle just about and it'll stay wherever you put it so you can take your surface and put it on the table and make it lean down more lean up more and it feels very stable and very sturdy the new nintendo switch kickstand feels pretty much the same way i love moving it to different angles i could lean it back more if i was standing over it i could make it more upright uh more vertical and it stayed everywhere i put it and it did not feel like the switch was going to fall right over if you're planning on getting the new switch and you're going to be using it in handheld mode a lot well you know that's pretty cool because the oled screen that's a big upgrade right there and the kickstand also a big upgrade i used it with joy-con controllers attached sitting on the table at a nice angle just kind of leaning over and putting my hands on it while i was playing metroid dread which is a side scrolling 2d metroid game nintendo says it's the first uh 2d metroid game i think in 19 years uh it's a lot to me that their big holiday game is a 2d game but hey you know what people like it one part about the new oled twitch i didn't get to check out was the new bass it's pretty much like the old bass that's the thing you slot your switch into in order to connect it to your tv but this base loses a usb port that was on it but adds an ethernet port which could be important if you have spotty wi-fi or you just want to do super fast downloads or you're one of those people who actually takes an ethernet cable and plugs them into your game consoles to me anyone like that is complete maniac but you know you do you now of course all this comes at a little bit of an extra price the oled switch is 350 versus the regular switch which is three hundred dollars the switch light is even less you do get of course the oled screen uh you get the better kickstand you get the uh advanced dock and you get 64 gigs of built-in storage space versus 32 gigs which is nice because the first thing anybody ever has to do with a switch is go out and get a micro sd card and put it in to store your games on that said for 300 you can get an oculus quest too which also has pretty advanced displays and that has 64 gigs of storage in it so based on my little hands-on session with the switch i already pre-ordered one of these and i'm feeling pretty good about that pre-order i still have the original basically day one switch from when that first came out if you just bought a switch last year or six months ago do you need to upgrade to the new one it doesn't feel like it right now if you're a frequent traveler and go everywhere if you switch okay this seems like a great upgrade if you're somebody who keeps your switch docked all the time always playing it on the tv basically never take it with your handheld style well then obviously you don't need this this new nintendo switch it comes out october 8th just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season so stay tuned to cnet because we are going to have a full review of the final hardware very very soon\n"