After much online chatter over the last few months, Nintendo has finally announced a new member of its portable handheld gaming family. The Switch (OLED model) boasts a vibrant 7-inch screen, more built-in storage, and comes with a dock sporting a wired LAN port.
The latest Switch measures 4 x 9.5 x 0.5 in (102 x 242 x 13.9 mm), including the Joy-Con controllers, and tips the scales at 11.2 oz (320 g) on its own or 14.8 oz (420 g) with controllers attached to the sides.
Within that bigger and heavier frame you'll find a thin-bezel 7-inch OLED touchscreen at 1,280 x 720 resolution for portable, handheld gameplay or Tabletop mode using the adjustable wide kickstand around back to get just the right viewing angle.
There's a custom Nvidia Tegra processor inside, along with 64 GB of internal storage (which can be expanded via microSD), and wireless connectivity shapes up as Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The 4,310-mAh Li-ion battery is reckoned good for up to nine hours of per-charge play time – the same as the Switch update announced in 2019.
Nintendo is promising an enhanced audio experience from the two onboard speakers, but audio can also be output via a 3.5-mm jack or via the HDMI port in the new dock for TV mode – which ups the resolution to Full HD at up to 60 frames per second for output to a living room television. The dock also sports two USB ports and a wired LAN port for online gaming stability.
The new OLED Switch is reported compatible with the full library of Switch games, carries a suggested retail price of US$349.99, and will be available from October 8 in white or blue/red. The video below has more.
Product page: Switch (OLED model)
