Nintendo FINALLY unveils its top-of-the-line Switch console with an OLED screen after no-show at E3 – and it’ll be available for $350 in October
- Nintendo announced the long-expected Switch (OLED model) on Tuesday
- The new console, available on October 8, will be priced at $349.99, $50 more than the base model Switch
- It will have a seven-inch OLED screen, 64GB of storage and wired LAN port
- It also comes with a kickstand for tabletop mode, to allow three modes of play
- The new console will come in two color schemes: a white set and a neon red/neon blue set
After failing to unveil a new console at the E3 video game conference in June, Nintendo finally announced the long-expected Switch (OLED model) on Tuesday.
The new console, available starting on October 8, will be priced at $349.99, $50 more than the base model Switch.
Long rumored to be called the Switch Pro, the new console will have a seven-inch OLED screen, 64GB of internal storage, a wired LAN port and it comes with a kickstand for tabletop mode, similar to a tablet.
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It will come in two color schemes at launch: a white set that has white Joy-Con controllers, a black console and a white dock; and a neon red/neon blue set, that has neon red and blue controllers, a black console and a black dock.
Nintendo finally announced the long-expected Switch (OLED model) on Tuesday. The new console, available starting on October 8, will be priced at $349.99, $50 more than the base model Switch
It will have a seven-inch OLED screen, 64GB of internal storage, a wired LAN port and it comes with a kickstand for tabletop mode
Nintendo said the Switch (OLED model) will also come with better speakers and the same estimated 4.5 to 9 hour battery life, dependent upon usage.
In an interview with The Verge, Nintendo confirmed the new console will have the same CPU and RAM that previous Switch models have.
Nintendo shares were up 2.3 percent to $75.15 in early New York trading following the announcement.
Nintendo shares were up 2.3 percent to $75.15 in early New York trading following the announcement
Industry analysts had speculated that the Switch would be replaced by the new console, but it appears that the Switch, as well as the $199 Switch Lite console, will remain for the foreseeable future.
‘The new Nintendo Switch (OLED model) is a great option for players who want to experience the new vibrant screen when playing in handheld and tabletop mode,’ said Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, in a statement.
‘With the addition of this new model to the Nintendo Switch family of systems, people have an additional choice of a system that best fits the gaming experience they desire – whether it’s Nintendo Switch (OLED model), Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch Lite.’
In May, Dr. Serkan Koto, CEO of Tokyo-based game industry consultancy Kantan Games, told DailyMail.com that it was ‘high-time’ for an upgrade to the Switch.
‘Around 75 percent of Switch software sales come from Nintendo’s first-party games, so I think hardcore gamers will always opt for Xbox or PlayStation even if there is a Pro version,’ Toto told DailyMail.com via email at the time.
‘However, the better specs will make it easier for third-party developers to port games from other systems to the Switch, and Nintendo itself can produce better looking software, boosting the quality of future releases such as Zelda or Splatoon 3.
The Switch is still great but technically, it is a four year old piece of tablet-grade hardware.’
On the company’s earnings call, held in May, Nintendo said that it was at the mid-way through the life cycle of the Switch console, but declined to disclose details about hardware updates.
Coincidentally – or not – the Switch (OLED model) launches on the same day that Nintendo will bring the long-awaited Metroid Dread to market, a video game sequel that was almost 20 years in the making.
The Switch (OLED model) launches the same day that Nintendo will bring the long-awaited Metroid Dread to market, a video game sequel almost 20 years in the making
HOW MOBILE GAMING AND THE SWITCH SAVED NINTENDO
Prior to the launch of the Switch in 2017, Nintendo had a rough few years.
Following disastrous sales of its Wii U console, investors clamored for the Kyoto-based firm to close down its home console division and focus on smartphone games.
Super Mario Run, the first time one of Nintendo’s iconic video game characters appeared on a device that wasn’t built by the company itself, set download records across the globe when it launched in December 2016.
Super Mario Run topped 40 million downloads just four days – becoming the fastest game to reach the milestone in App Store history, Nintendo revealed at the time.
However, Nintendo shares tumbled after it was revealed only a tiny percentage of players were willing to pay the £9.99 charge to unlock all of the content in the game.
‘Mario is arguably the most popular gaming franchise in the world, yet we see only about 8 percent of those who try the game actually purchasing it,’ Sensor Tower analyst Spencer Gabriel said.
Since then, the Switch has consistently been the best-selling console, and is on to pace to break the Wii’s lifetime sales figures in a few years, thanks to the Switch, Switch Lite and the upcoming Switch OLED.
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