Full and pretty long Nintendo Switch OLED review, from a serious gamer.
Ummed and arred about this console for quite some time before taking the plunge and buying it with a bundle, case, game and SD card. I have other individual reviews for those products on my profile. When I say I am serious about gaming I am playing at least 5 times a week have been playing now for over 2 decades and have had all the latest consoles, handhelds and PC’s so am confident I can give a full review of this console. I haven't purchased online so couldn't comment on that side of the Switch but everything else I have engaged with.
First of nice and simple I like it I’m also glad I have it. The OLED Switch is the one I think you should go for in my personal opinion, having played on the normal Switch and seeing the size of the Lite Switch I feel like for the extra money the OLED is the best choice. Also the Switch lite is unable to dock and remove it’s controllers which is half the point of the Switch in my opinion. The blacks and colours really pop on the small OLED screen, and the majority of games really do look visually great. (More on the TV bit later.) You get that little bit extra screen size with the OLED but at no extra addition to the console size. The screen size is really decent, I was surprised in a good way that I wasn’t struggling to see everything on the screen or read text. Mainly as they know the games are on Switch zoom in and the text becomes enlarged so you can easily read it. Hand held visuals I’d rate 8/10.
The games are really well done, as anyone will know Nintendo know what they are doing, and you get the full Nintendo experience here, it is one that they have perfected over the years. There are also new ones to engage with new player, but veterans will feel at home with returning classics and updated character games which make you feel right at home. The online store too also has what seems like an endless (it isn’t) number of games on sale all the time, it’s around about 1100 at any one given time, these range from really basic games that are only found on the store which can be £0.90 or the known Nintendo titles that have 20% off the main price. But there is something for everyone some of the smaller titles are fun, well designed and easy going, I have enjoyed both Lost in Bermuda and Trifox games from the store which I picked up for next to nothing. This is really nice coming from console and PC gaming were the price of gams can exceed £100 so paying 90p is a really nice change. Even the cheap games are well done too which is nice, it seems like the developers do take their time with the games, I assume that this is the case as the switch store is the only store front where you can sell games for the switch platform. Games I’d rate 9/10
The console itself is a nice design visually one that does look simple yet modern. However I feel like it could be a little too flat/ thin for those used to a controller or with slightly larger hands. Whilst you can buy ergonomic attachments or stand-alone controllers, this is for the standard controllers that come with the Switch. I fell as if the Steam Deck design is far superior the thicker handles fit in the hand much better for comfortability and for longer periods of gaming. The charging point too is also at the bottom, which gets in the way more than you might think and you unable to stand the console up really when charging, without bending or resting the console on the charging cable, something I don’t like doing. The stand and buttons that you press do feel good too, my only gripe is the back bumper buttons aren’t spaced as well as I would have liked and those with slightly larger fingers may find it hard to hit the right bumper button as required. Having said that for children which is probably the larger intended audience it probably works really well, also there is no stick drift for me yet, and the buttons feel like they have been designed to last for a long time. Design/ ergonomics of the console I’d rate 6/10.
The TV mode is the big, advertised part of the Switch and probably why it got its name. This is something I really haven’t done all that much, but I will say that I have a 4k 32” all singing all dancing gaming monitor which on my PC looks gorgeous, absolutely stunning visuals, (review on my page.) Now I know it isn’t as powerful yes and I wasn’t expecting it to be as good but I wasn’t exactly blown away (I played Lego Star Wars,) again it’s ok but I wasn’t impressed, its 720p output really isn’t all that much in today’s market with ultra 4k, ray tracing and the works, so I’ve kept mine in handheld mode pretty much 99% of the time of ownership. As I have a PC this really wasn’t my intended use for the Switch so if it is something you’re thinking about having as a main home entertainment system for the TV I would look at the Xbox series S, for slightly cheaper you’re going to get a much better picture. Visual for TV mode I’d give a 4/10.
The portability factor is good. Its big enough that you can see a lot of stiff on the screen at any one given time, but its small enough to fit into my jogging bottom front pocket and fits into a bag and can be easily carried around without weighing you down all day. It’s something that I like to be able to pick up and put down I can take it to work play a couple levels of Mario and then put it away again ready for whenever that maybe. Having a case is a must, as the joy cons could easily get damaged as well as the screen could become easily scratched if it is lose in a bag all day. Portability I’d rate 10/10.
Overall, I really do genuinely love the Switch, I recently sold my consoles as I am fully PC now but have still kept my switch. The games are great its portable and it looks surprisingly good in handheld mode on the OLED variant. Yes, the ergonomics aren’t perfect and yes, I would like it if they were better as we know it is possible as we have the Steam deck to prove that they can be better. However, if it is that much of an issue there are excellent 3rd party add-ons you can get to make the Switch more comfortable for those longer game sessions. This is something I think people of all ages and game abilities will like, the majority of games are fun, and it’s nice not to have to shoot something all the time for once, (there are shooters for those of you who want them.) I highly recommend it for handheld gaming at home or on the move, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are looking for this as your only gaming console and your looking to play this mostly on a TV, I would as mentioned have to recommend a PS4/5 or Xbox s/x for gaming on the TV.
Hope this helps someone make their decision, I think you'll like it from what I have experienced with the Switch so far.
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Reviews with images
Great for games
The battery life on the switch is perfect. Lasts about 5/6 hours for me at the moment. Although I suppose it depends on what game you’re playing.The games on the store have a great collection and you get points with them too to save on future purchases which is nice.You can even buy game cards for it from eBay or CEX second hand which is nice since they are often significantly cheaper.It’s fast and doesn’t seem to have any problems playing any of my games at the moment.It comes with lots of accessories straight out of the box which is amazing. Had its own HDMI cable for the tv setting as well as the dock for this too.Comes with a controller to insert the controllers into as well to make it feel a bit more like a console.I like that you can use each controller separately for multiplayer games (Mario kart of course) and it comes with accessories you need for each controller to do this!Having a usb C charger is great as I slowly seem to have more and more of these with various devices so I always have something to charge it with.It does have a lot of storage already but I can see how this could quickly fill up so I’m glad it has a micro and card slot to make sure I always have enough space for the games.Overall it’s a great way to play the games I love!
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 December 2023
Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2023
Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2022
Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
jessica
Excelente compra
Reviewed in Mexico on 21 January 2023Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
jessica
Reviewed in Mexico on 21 January 2023
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Zahra
Good quality
Reviewed in Saudi Arabia on 7 July 2024Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Red-dington
Product in great condition
Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on 16 June 2024Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Ankit Arora
great product
Reviewed in India on 22 November 2023Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Christian
Echt der hammer
Reviewed in Germany on 19 May 2022Platform For Display: OLED WhiteEdition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
