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"First things first: you don’t need to upgrade to the Switch OLED. This new model, the first upgrade to Nintendo’s hugely popular portable since it debuted in 2017, is not about *need* at all. It feels instead like it’s been designed for luxury. There’s a larger OLED screen for gorgeous colour, infinite contrast and increased vividity. Sleeker, slimmer bezels. Glass instead of plastic. Improved speakers. A better equipped dock. And an overall boost to build quality that’s noticeable the instant you pick it up in the hands.\n\nYou don’t need any of this, especially considering that the hardware internals remain unchanged. But I’ll be honest; it’ll be bloody hard to go back to the old Switch now.\n\nThe lack of meaningful increase to gaming power is undoubtedly a disappointment, though. You need only look at the internet’s reaction to Switch OLED not being the much rumoured 4K ‘Switch Pro’ to know that players wanted more than aesthetic changes alone. The OLED screen is beautiful, but this new Switch doesn’t have the grunt to throw more pixels around or give any extra processing power for games to utilise.\n\nStill, Nintendo and other developers have made fantastic use of what limited power they have over the last four years. Games like [*The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-review) and [*Luigi’s Mansion 3*](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/games/article/luigis-mansion-3-review) are stunning, even today. Gorgeous, too, is the new *Metroid Dread* which, with its hard-edge metal sheen and neon lighting, feels almost purpose built for the OLED Switch.\n\n\n\n[#image: /photos/615d71ba21050ae5a2fa5e3c]\n\nI spent my first couple of days with the OLED just flitting between playing *Metroid* and other things in my library –&nbsp;games I knew well such as *Animal Crossing: New Horizons* and ones I had been meaning to go back to for months, like *Splatoon 2.* They all look magnificent. This new screen brings the visual splendour out of games both new and old.\n\nThe improvement comes from OLED itself. The tech allows pixels to self-emit light independently with those that are enabled emitting vivid colour, as if the graphics themselves are painted onto the screen. Those that are ‘off’ have no backlight, so you get a totally black pixel instead of that very dark grey on normal LCD screens. It means a massive boost to contrast and overall crispness.\n\nIt’s the perfect fit for Nintendo’s cartoon colour, which prioritises saturated hand drawn art styles over the more lifelike games seen on Xbox and PlayStation. Vibrant artistic masterpieces like *Hades* just look better than ever. I should’ve perhaps expected this, being an owner of an OLED television, but holding the Switch OLED in the hands needs to be seen to be properly appreciated. And with slimmer bezels, the 7-inch screen is that bit larger than the original Switch’s 6.2-inch one. It sounds like a minor bump in screen space, but it’s just another part of what makes playing games on this new system even more immersive.\n\nOf course, those benefits are only to be appreciated in handheld mode. For players who play mostly on their televisions, the Switch OLED’s biggest attraction is moot. Portability is clearly the way to get the best out of this new machine, and that might affect whether you want to consider one at all. Switch Lite players will also find the return to the chunkier console perhaps difficult to come to terms with. I have favoured the Lite over the original Switch ever since it launched. Smaller, lighter, easier to hold for longer play periods. And while returning to a bigger console was definitely a compromise, it’s totally worth it for the improvements seen in the screen. OLED Lite soon, though?\n\n\n\n[#image: /photos/615d71801bb1b0e0fa52c0f4]\n\nThe other improvements to the OLED are more minor. Better speakers are great, but don’t transform the experience. The kickstand is both much sturdier and far less fiddly, but I think I’ve used the kickstand once in my entire four years of owning a Switch. The new colourway, though, I love. Black and white is much more clinical and modern than the Switch’s classic red/blue combo. Those who love the quirker side to Nintendo may be turned off, but it fits into my monochrome console setup at home. I love it.\n\nIt’s also not easy to tell if there’s been an actual material change – Nintendo declined to comment when I asked the question – but the Switch OLED’s black plastic body just *feels* more premium now, too. Almost like brushed metal. It feels almost cold to the touch, and so far picks up less fingerprints than my original unit. It’s a subtle but significant improvement to how this device feels to hold in the hands – and that’s absolutely where it’ll spend the majority of its time. Nintendo might be thought of as a game-maker for kids, but at £300\\+ this thing is anything but childish.\n\nSo, no, you don’t need the Switch OLED. But see one in person, play a game on it for a few minutes, and I’m absolutely sure you will want one. It’s a luxury, inessential upgrade. Designed primarily for portable players –&nbsp;those who want the machine that gets the most visual wonder out of the games available. Until that fabled 4K Switch does arrive, it’s the best you could ask for.\n\n**£309.99. At** [**amazon.co.uk**](https://amzn.to/3oyFSrR)\n\n#### Now read\n[**FIFA 22 is the dog that caught the car**](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/fifa-22-review)\n\n[**How Apple made the iPhone 13 camera for TikTok obsessives and Oscar winners**](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/iphone-13-camera-jon-mccormack)\n\n[**Sonos Beam is still the soundbar to beat**](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/sonos-beam-gen-2-review)"
<https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/nintendo-switch-oled-review>