Meet the Switch Pro: $350 “OLED Model” launches on October 8
OLED #OLED
Welcome to the family.
OLED!
Here’s what the old Switch screen would look like on the new OLED Model…
…and here’s what the new, larger screen looks like.
OLEd means brighter colors and less motion blur.
Say goodbye to that flimsy narrow stand on the standard Switch model.
Limbo lower now…
How low can you go…?
A side view of the new kickstand.
The new dock lets you fully remove the backplate for easy access to ports, including the new wired LAN port.
Another look at the improved cable management of the new dock.
Shiny.
A short and square box (or perhaps just a piece of box concept art?)
Nintendo
Don’t let your kid near that dock with markers…
After months of rumors and reports of a coming “Switch Pro,” Nintendo has finally and officially revealed the upgraded version of its core Switch hardware. The “OLED Model” as Nintendo is calling it, will be available October 8 for an MSRP of $349.99.
As the name implies, the most immediately noticeable improvement is in the screen, which uses pricier OLED technology instead of the more common standard LCD found in previous Switch models. This should provide deeper blacks, better color display, and less motion blurring than existing Switch systems, if existing OLED TVs are anything to go by.
The OLED Model also expands the Switch’s screen to 7″, up from the 6.2″ of the original Switch and 5.5″ of the Switch Lite. This is accomplished without increasing the size of the standard Switch unit itself, thanks to a reduction in the space used for the black bezel around the tablet screen.
Those that use the Switch in “tabletop mode” will be happy to hear that the Switch’s incredibly flimsy kickstand has been replaced in the OLED Model with a wide adjustable stand that extends across the entire width of the system. This new built-in stand also lets players “freely tilt the system” to ensure the perfect viewing angle.
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Other improvements noted on the system’s newly revealed specs page include:
Nintendo says the new hardware unit will be available in two configurations: one with two white Joy-cons (and a white dock) and one with red and blue Joy-Cons and a black dock. The new system will be fully compatible with all existing Joy-Cons, Switch accessories, and games as well.
There’s no indication in today’s announcement that the actual circuitry, chips , or hardware configuration powering the OLED Model have changed at all from previous Switch hardware. That suggests there won’t be any upcoming Switch games that require the OLED Model to run, and that we won’t see notable performance improvements when games are run on the newly designed system despite earlier reports to the contrary.