Should You Shell out the Extra Money for the New Nintendo Switch OLED?

During the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, more people flocked to video games for entertainment than they have in years. Many pulled out old classics from the backs of their closets to revisit some childhood favorites, while others invested in new consoles like the Nintendo Switch, causing games like Animal Crossing to soar in popularity right after launch.

For a time, it was almost impossible to get your hands on either the Nintendo Switch or the Nintendo Switch Lite, as the consoles were often sold out in stores as the company struggled to match the supply to the demand.

But now, Nintendo is releasing a new console, the Nintendo Switch OLED model, on Oct. 8. Whether or not you already have a Nintendo Switch, is the new console worth it?

While the Nintendo Switch "Pro" was long rumored to have drastically increased specs and features, the announcement was a bit underwhelming, given all of the hype around the OLED model. The upgraded console has a larger screen size, twice the internal storage, and a wider kickstand to improve your play experience on the go — but beyond that, there aren't very many differences between the two devices.

The display performance of this upgraded console is bound to be better than the original — so if you're a graphics geek, this is something you'll likely appreciate about the OLED model.

That being said, both the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch OLED are running on the same CPU, meaning much of the software is the same. While there were rumors that Nintendo was asking developers to begin making games with 4K graphics, it does not appear that this one currently supports that.

It's entirely possible that a future software upgrade will make 4K graphics possible on the Nintendo Switch OLED model (considering the original Switch always had Bluetooth capability and Nintendo only recently turned it on for Bluetooth headphone compatibility), though at this time that is not confirmed.

As it is with most consoles, if you don't already own it, it might be worth it to spend a little bit of extra money to have the most current generation console — to increase its longevity, if anything.

At this time, Nintendo has not announced any games that will be exclusive to this upgraded console, and while it doesn't have as advanced of graphics and resolution as consoles like the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S have, it'll likely perform better than the current Nintendo Switch will.

Buying the newer console will also make it more likely to last long after the Nintendo Switch is replaced with another next-generation console. If you plan to play it often (or even on the go), purchasing the OLED model might be worth your money.