Nintendo Switch OLED Reignites My Love of Big Games on Small Screens

I’ve been a proud and satisfied Nintendo Switch owner since day one. The console/handheld hybrid concept is the best hardware gimmick Nintendo’s come up with in years. Since 2017, Nintendo and its third-party partners have supported that hardware with an absolutely stacked software library. 

If not for my job, though, I’m not sure if I would have dropped the cash for the new Nintendo Switch OLED model. This premium revision features several cool upgrades, such as increased storage and a far more useful kickstand, but without any extra power, it just doesn't feel like the rumored Switch Pro.

However, having now enjoyed the Switch OLED for more than a month, I’m glad I own one. Nintendo’s newest model, one of our best tech products for 2021, reignited my passion for the thing I’ve found most appealing about the Switch all along. I just love playing big games on small screens.

On the Move

It’s not like I somehow forgot that the Nintendo Switch is a handheld. How could I? That’s the whole point, the ability to play any game on the TV in docked mode, as well as on the go in portable mode. Still, the past two years or so the world has been quite different compared to when the Switch first launched. Stuck at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I stopped commuting on the train, flying on planes, and riding in cars. I naturally stopped being in situations where I could enjoy handheld gaming’s convenience.

Instead, I played a lot more games on my big 4K TV. Despite appreciating the portable-only Nintendo Switch Lite’s comfortable form factor, I gradually shifted back to my original model simply because I wanted to easily play in TV mode alongside portable mode. It just makes more sense to exercise with Ring Fit Adventure without staring at a little tablet. I want to see the most detail possible when redesigning homes in the new Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC.

When you mostly play Nintendo Switch on TV, you take for granted just how much of a technical achievement it is to pack so much power into a handheld. When you play seemingly impossible ports, such as Dying Light or the remastered Grand Theft Auto trilogy, you may notice that they don’t look quite as nice as the shiny next-gen versions on other consoles plugged into your TV. But with the Switch OLED, all of the early Switch magic comes rushing back.

Unlike the Switch Lite, the Switch OLED works as both a console and a handheld. Since I didn’t have to sacrifice any functionality, and only gained features, I was already more inclined to use it. Just remember that you don’t get any visual enhancements from playing docked on a TV.

When it comes to visual enhancements, though, portable mode is a completely different story. With its standout feature, its gorgeous bigger OLED screen, the Switch OLED makes games feel new. Portable mode goes from a novelty to a serious improvement, even when playing in your own home. The Switch’s library is stronger than it has ever been, and the OLED’s upgrades dazzled me across a variety of recent releases (once I finally tore myself away from Tetris Effect: Connected).

Back in the Game

Going back to Dying Light, the zombie-based, survival-horror game inspires nearly as much tension and fear on the Switch OLED as it does on other platforms, even without 4K graphics. Dangerous night sequences become more harrowing thanks to the deeper black levels. Handheld gaming’s inherent intimacy makes the constant deadly parkour chases feel that much more immediate, while the open-world structure lets you make meaningful progress no matter how long you play. 

Speaking of open-world games, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition finally, officially brings Rockstar’s world-famous crime epics to the Nintendo Switch (after years of imitators chasing the throne). I’m not going to lie, these games have some serious technical issues, and not just on the Nintendo Switch. Still, having a full-blown GTA game on a handheld fulfills a dream we’ve had since the PSP days. The bite-sized mission structure just lends itself so well to a device you carry with you wherever. All three games are worth revisiting. Grand Theft Auto III reinvented the genre, while San Andreas injected it with funky, 1990s hip-hop flair. But the neon-filled 1980s, cocaine-fueled Florida nightmare that is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City probably shines brightest on the OLED screen. We’re really hoping these ports get fixed.

If you want to experience a different, early 2000s classic on the go, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic brings BioWare’s seminal space opera RPG to a Nintendo console for the first time. We have little doubt the upcoming PS5 remake will look much nicer, but nothing will replace the first time you unraveled the mystery of Darth Revan. HD resolutions and bright OLED colors mean even old laser swords look clean as you engage in tactical battles, thoughtful storytelling, and rich character-building.

Dusk is technically a new game, but this radical ode to 1990s shooters recreates the chunky abstract early 3D aesthetic of games like Blood and Quake. The developers even made a prequel, Dusk 82, that harkens back to even older PC games. Fortunately, Dusk’s retro graphics look especially crisp on the Switch OLED screen, a far cry from blurry CRT TVs of the past. Shooting mind-flaying monsters into gory bits with two shotguns is timeless. Meanwhile, despite the questionable price, many N64 games in the new Expansion Pack tier for Nintendo Switch Online also receive similarly snazzy makeovers while retaining their throwback core.

Recommended by Our Editors

What’s Next for Super Smash Bros. After Ultimate Ends?

6 Ways Tri-Ace Can Redeem the Troubled Star Ocean Series

Digital Devil Story: A History of Shin Megami Tensei

For true old-school gaming, though, you need to stick with 2D. And wouldn’t you know it, beautiful 2D graphics absolutely pop with color and clarity on the OLED screen. The hand-drawn A Boy and His Blob Remake truly becomes a living cartoon. As you feed your blob jelly beans to turn it into useful puzzle-platforming tools (trampoline, ladder, sinkhole), you’ll witness every bit of love and care that went into the animations. There’s a dedicated hug button! Detailed sprite work, like what you’ll see in the Castlevania Advance Collection, also reveals new layers of quality on this screen.

Even the weird indie games that regularly come to Switch just get that extra little pizazz when the OLED screen shows them at their best. I haven’t played Unpacking (because I’ve been too busy actually unpacking from a move), but I’ve heard nothing but great things about the meditative organizing sim. Demon Turf is an adorably hellish, 3D platformer, with enough tricky jump techniques to make Mario blush. It renders its characters as rotating 3D sprites, a curious yet compelling look that gives the adventure an unforgettable identity. 

Speaking of unforgettable, The Good Life is the next game from eccentric designer Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro. Anyone who has played his previous bonkers experiences, like Deadly Premonition or D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die, will immediately pick up on the Twin Peaks-esque exploration of sinister undertones in a small town. But instead of psychological horror and uncanny realism, The Good Life goes for a weird yet warm sense of humor and stylized British graphics much more at home on a Nintendo system. This is a game where you turn into a cat or a dog, so of course it’s welcoming.

Fresh Eyes

The Nintendo Switch OLED model isn’t everything it could be. If I played these games and others on an old Switch I wouldn’t really lose that much. And I’m convinced this revision is a glorified placeholder for a next-generation Switch. It may not have an OLED screen, but I also can’t wait to play even bigger games on Valve’s Steam Deck handheld PC (now coming in 2022). Plus, high demand and ongoing chip shortages mean that even if you genuinely want a Switch OLED, you'll probably have a hard time finding one right now at a reasonable price.

Still, the Switch OLED is what we have right now, and it genuinely provides more tangible benefits than what I expected. They’re just benefits you literally need to see for yourself. Plus, with travel restrictions tentatively lifting, portable play is poised to make a big comeback in the coming months. If you already have a Nintendo Switch that displays on your TV, this is still ultimately a luxury item. But if you want a fresh way to play and admire games anywhere, new games and old favorites, you’ll be glad you got a Nintendo Switch OLED model.