This morning, Nintendo finally officially announced its long-rumored upgrade to the Switch system, but the officially, bafflingly titled “Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)” fell short of the improvement a lot of fans were hoping for, and the venting of their frustrations online may just be the most fun part of the whole thing.
For a long time, people thought we were on the verge of getting a “Nintendo Switch Pro,” which was, among other things, supposedly equipped with the ability to output its graphics to a TV at 4K resolution. Far from a New Nintendo 3DS situation (the upgraded 3DS handheld revision that featured enough hardware improvements to play exclusive games that were too graphically demanding for previous 3DS models), or even a PlayStation 4 Pro situation, the OLED Switch is more analogous to the 3DS XL version of the Nintendo 3DS—simply featuring a larger screen at the same resolution.
That’s not the only improvement, but it’s certainly not exactly an inspiring one as the main change in the anticipated, which even led to “3DS” trending on Twitter due to that comparison, as well as “Vita” because Sony’s handheld console already sported its own OLED screen when it debuted back in 2011 in Japan. That’s just the beginning of what’s been going around online, though, with my favorite joke so far being this reference to a clip from the Super Smash Bros. Brawl reveal trailer, wherein Nintendo’s big names got more “realistically” detailed graphical makeovers from their Smash Bros. Melee incarnations, except for Kirby, who looked a bit confused to find himself unchanged:
Nintendo Switch (OLED model) pic.twitter.com/dy5BwvNR09
— DC (@dcwastaken) July 6, 2021
Such is the fate of the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model).
There’s also, inevitably, a lot of talk about the “Joy-Con drift” problem that plagues the Switch’s standard controllers, which is, in itself, an entirely valid complaint no matter what the new Switch is like when the issue still inexplicably exists years into the console’s lifespan.
“It’s only mildly improved with the same joycon drift”
“But she’s got an OLED screen!” pic.twitter.com/PB6eQOwTb6— RETRO: OLD MEDIA ENTHUSIAST 🇨🇦 🏳️⚧️ 🏳️🌈💉 (@ThatRetro) July 6, 2021
With Nintendo’s initial reluctance to even admit hat problem was real, let alone fix it in the time since, it seems unlikely this new edition will address that problem.
side by side comparison of the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED pic.twitter.com/7KcERu8684
— JOURDON⚡ (@DynamoSuperX) July 6, 2021
Opening My Switch Oled on launch day gonna be like pic.twitter.com/s7lwipcZzI
— Tony Coffey🏴🦁🦁🦁 (@The__Goomba) July 6, 2021
just got me switch OLED ;p pic.twitter.com/JWc5g6OuT7
— NayNay (@FuukaFangirl27) July 6, 2021
The jokes have even, of course, crossed over with the meme of the day:
When the Switch OLED isn’t more powerful VS when you realize it’s still a new addition to the Nintendo Switch FAMILY of systems pic.twitter.com/xMPnA0LXZk
— Pogne&Roquette supremacy (@lekingfondue) July 6, 2021
And then, of course, there are logistical concerns when it comes to playing games like Smash Bros. Ultimate at tournaments, which involves using USB peripherals:
Remember when you were able to plug in your pro controller, GameCube adapter, and USB speakers into a switch setup at the same time?
No longer possible. Nintendo removed one of the USB ports to make room for the LAN input.
TOs are gonna have fun! 🙃https://t.co/KisTTtLjCf pic.twitter.com/3tLvN9ArW0
— hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) July 6, 2021
To be fair, though, I don’t own a 4K TV and would have no use for such an upgrade myself, and I’m guessing plenty of gamers on a budget are in the same boat. It’s possible a technologically beefed-up “Switch Pro” could not just introduce 4K resolution but improve other performance aspects on some games the way the PS4 Pro does, which would be nice, but I’m more focused on being glad that they didn’t go full New 3DS with it and wind up with some games that are only playable on a system that’s really just a half-step between console generations.
If, for instance, the Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel were to only be available to “Switch Pro” owners, I’d probably just wind up never getting to play it, rather than spend all that money for a slight upgrade on a console I already own—one that could very well see a proper sequel come supplant it in the next few years—just for that and probably a handful of other exclusive games. After all, the New 3DS only wound up with a handful of exclusive titles that the original 3Ds couldn’t play, likely because cutting down on potential customers by requiring an incremental hardware upgrade just didn’t make a lot of sense for most games, and on the other side of the coin, that was probably a huge bummer for people who did plunk down the extra cash for the new system with not many games they couldn’t have just played on hardware they already owned.
They certainly could have made a bigger upgrade without taking it that far, and I get why some people are disappointed—and especially appreciate all the jokes—but I also doubt I’m alone in being perfectly content with the Switch I have.
(featured image: Nintendo)
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