nintendo switch lcd display free sample

TOKYO—If Nintendo Co. finds success with its videogame console, Switch, it could brighten the future not only of Nintendo but also of Japan Display Inc., a struggling display maker that won the contract to make the Switch’s screens.

People familiar with the matter said Nintendo picked Japan Display as the exclusive supplier of the Switch’s 6.2-inch touch-sensitive liquid-crystal display. The Switch, which can be used both as a stationary console and a hand-held player on the go, is to go on sale globally March 3.

Yamashita: Of course. First, the newly adopted OLED display is able to express colors vividly, and the screen size was increased from 6.2 inches to 7 inches. I think that you will immediately see how large the screen is as soon as you pick it up.

However, the development of this model was not actually decided solely based on adopting the OLED display, even though it is the most distinctive feature of this model. The OLED display technology itself existed in the Nintendo 3DS 7 era, and we were continuously investigating its technological trends, but it did not quite match with our conditions, and it was never adopted for Nintendo game systems. However, the number of products equipped with OLED displays is increasing around the world, and the technology has been improving. So upon verifying and reinvestigating with our partner companies on what conditions were possible for what we needed for our game console, we determined it was the right time for us to adopt the technology.

Yamashita: Originally, we did think about making the display larger. On this model, we made the screen larger, and in turn made the bezel surrounding the screen narrower. So one of the biggest challenges in making improvements to reach this new model was trying to increase the screen size while maintaining the console’s size and product strength.

Shiota: This OLED display uses organic material that enables display of vivid colors. Also, a deeper black can be displayed, so there’s a stronger contrast between white and black, and it’s now possible for a crisp color display. However, we needed to fit all the peripheral parts necessary to display images on the OLED screen—like the integrated circuits and cables—into the narrower bezel. It would’ve fit in the bezel width of the existing model, but it wouldn’t work in the same way this time around. So we consulted with the display manufacturer, and ultimately, we put the integrated circuits on a film and folded this film back into the bezel.

Yamashita: Also, even though the colors have gotten more vivid with the OLED display, some customers may feel like the colors look too vivid. Taking that into consideration, we made it so that the player can select a standard color mode, to make it look like the conventional LCD display. If you prefer the vivid colors of the OLED display, you can keep it in the vibrant color mode that is default out of the box.

I see. So you can choose your preferred color style as you like. So it seems it’s not just a simple matter of a brighter or bigger screen with this OLED display.

Yamashita: It was important not just to make the display more vivid but also to make the display itself thinner. These are part of the “visible changes,” but it also enabled us to make the stand bigger. The stand is used for tabletop mode, where you play by placing the console on a table, but you may experience glare depending on the angle of the screen. So we made it so that you can change the angle of the screen, making it easier to see and to create your ideal playing environment. In order to fulfill this while maintaining its size, it was necessary to reduce the thickness of the display itself.

Yamashita: Yes that is correct. The width of the console has increased by 3 mm, but the thickness and height have not changed. Nevertheless, the display area has grown from 6.2 inches to 7 inches. It was a difficult task to fit two bigger hinges on the console under such circumstances. In order to establish this design, it was necessary not only to adopt a thin OLED display, but to also come up with a new layout so that the parts inside the console, such as the board, display, rechargeable battery, etc., are laid out in a tightly condensed form. Therefore, there was a lot of trial and error here as well, trying to figure out the configuration to accommodate both the hinges and the stand.

Shiota: The thickness of the console hasn"t changed from that of Nintendo Switch, so it was like the hinges and the display were fighting over the limited space (Laughs).

Yamashita: No, in terms of the compatibility of Nintendo Switch – OLED Model being able to fit in the existing Nintendo Switch dock, the thickness isn’t something we could easily change. Also, if we made it thicker, then there would be a gap when you attach the Joy-Con controllers. That wouldn’t be a good fit, so making the console thicker wasn’t an option. By the way, we changed the material for the stand from plastic to metal, and this is because compared to plastic, metal can be made thinner while still maintaining its strength. This is another thing that isn’t mentioned on the official website, but you might notice when you try it out.

Shiota: We could make the stand thinner by using metal, but because the surface area of the stand was bigger, even with the thinner OLED display it still wasn’t enough. The people in charge of the stand and the display discussed things like changing the thickness of the display screen cover, and in the end they worked together to make many adjustments, stretching the limits.

Shiota: To have hinges that can support the stand at any angle already makes it pretty heavy, but when you replace plastic with metal, even at the same volume, it will be considerably heavier. But, for the overall weight of the console unit, it’s an increase of only about 20g. To put it differently, it’s because we scaled down in other places. Even with the original Nintendo Switch, we naturally tried to scale down everywhere we could to make it as light as possible, so it was not easy to find something we could scale down even further. But thanks to the help of the mechanical engineers, they came up with various ideas of scaling down while still maintaining its strength, and I believe we were able to achieve our goal.

Yamashita: Lots of people were working on the design, like the ones responsible for the stand and for the display, but it’s not like all of them were independently coming up with separate approaches for improving each part. Rather we were cooperating together with the common goal of bringing out the best of Nintendo Switch while maintaining the console size and weight as much as possible, and we worked out the layout within the console through trial and error. As a result, elements like increasing screen size, using an OLED display, and strengthening and increasing the size of the stand all came together like pieces of a puzzle, and the prototype for this OLED Model started to come together.

Yamashita: Including the OLED display and the adjustable stand has improved the experience in handheld mode and tabletop mode, so we thought about whether we can also improve the experience in TV mode, when it’s connected to the TV. And so we included a wired LAN port on the new dock. Recently, even TVs and DVRs have started including wireless LAN connections, and there are situations now where too many devices at home are using a wireless connection. For these people, using a wired LAN connection will mean they can play comfortably online without any interference from all the other wireless devices at home. It’s a small change, but it should be an improvement to the TV mode experience.

The Nintendo Switch is a clever piece of hardware that lets you play your games on the go or connected to your TV. Ordinarily, the Nintendo Switch works perfectly, letting you play the great Nintendo franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Animal Crossing without complaint.

However, the Switch isn"t immune to problems. There are plenty of potential issues you might encounter in the hardware and software. If you"re unlucky and find yourself with a console that won"t play ball, we"ve rounded up the most common Nintendo Switch problems and how to fix them.

There are various ways to make your Nintendo Switch battery last longer. For example, lower your brightness via System Settings > Screen Brightness. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth via System Settings > Airplane Mode and toggle it On.

Since the battery is lithium-ion, its effectiveness will decrease over time. According to Nintendo, after 800 charge cycles the console battery life will decrease to about 80% compared to a new console.

The Switch offers 32GB internal storage, part of which is reserved for the system. This means that if you like to download lots of games and store them on your system long-term, it won"t take long before you run out of space.

There are a couple of ways around this. First, you can use the Switch"s data management tools to free up space. Go to System Settings > Data Management > Quick Archive. Here you can uninstall software, which you can always redownload later.

Second, you can buy a microSD card (up to 2TB) and insert it into your Switch. Then, go to System Settings > Data Management > Move Data Between System / microSD card. This lets you shift games from the internal storage to the external.

If your Switch screen is grubby, perhaps from fingerprints or when you took it outside, take a microfiber cloth and wipe the screen from top to bottom. Don"t forcefully push on the display. You can use a tiny bit of water if needs be—just to lightly moisten the cloth, not so it"s dripping.

If the screen is scratched, that"s trickier. Scratches are a common problem when taking the Switch in and out of the dock. You might be able to buff light scratches out with a cloth, but don"t hold out too much hope. Applying a screen protector might hide the smaller scratches, and it"ll keep you safe for the future too.

If there are deep scratches that you can"t cope with, it is possible to buy and replace the screen yourself. But this is an advanced procedure, so you"re better off speaking to Nintendo about a repair. Just be aware this isn"t covered by warranty.

If your Joy-Con controllers are drifting, you might find none of this works. This is a known and oft-reported hardware problem with the Nintendo Switch. After ignoring the issue for ages, Nintendo has finally acknowledged the problem and will now repair your Joy-Cons (or Switch Lite, where you can"t detatch the controllers) free of charge.

There are plenty of reasons to keep your Switch connected to the internet. You can benefit from software updates, download games, play against others online, and more. So when your Switch can"t connect to the internet, it"s frustrating.

If a dead pixel occurs after you"ve owned the Switch for a while, you might need to put up with it (it"ll only be on the console itself, and it won"t appear on the TV when docked).

Your Nintendo Switch has a 12-month warranty. This means that if the console fails due to a fault in Nintendo"s hardware, the company will repair it for no cost. As such, if you notice a defect in your Switch that you"re unable to resolve, don"t delay in contacting Nintendo to report it.

At first glance, the Nintendo Switch OLED seems like a nice but inessential upgrade that gives Nintendo’s popular console a bigger, bolder screen. But now that I’ve got my hands on one, I’m taking every opportunity I can to play games on it — and I’m not sure I can go back to my regular Switch.

The Nintendo Switch OLED is the obvious Switch to get for first-time buyers, combining a gorgeous 7-inch handheld display with some smart design changes that make the console more comfortable and versatile. But is it worth the upgrade if you already own a Switch or Switch Lite? Here’s what I think after spending many, many hours playing games on Nintendo’s new hardware.

Who it’s for: The $349 Nintendo Switch OLED is the model to get for first-time Switch buyers, or anyone willing to upgrade for the biggest, most colorful display available in Nintendo’s console lineup.

What you need to know: As its name suggests, the Nintendo Switch OLED introduces an immersive 7-inch OLED screen that makes games look much more vibrant when playing in handheld or tabletop mode. You’ll also get an improved kickstand and a sleeker-looking dock with a built-in Ethernet port for more solid online play.

How it compares: The Switch OLED has the biggest and best display of the Switch lineup, with a 7-inch OLED screen that trumps the 6.2-inch Nintendo Switch and the 5.5-inch Switch Lite, both of which have less vibrant LCD displays. It also has twice the internal storage of other Switch consoles at 64GB. But it’s got the same processor and display resolution as previous models, meaning you won’t see games perform better or look sharper on a TV on the OLED version. If you can live without OLED and want the cheapest and most portable member of the Switch family, the handheld-only $199 Nintendo Switch Lite is still a great buy.

The Nintendo Switch OLED’s new display is a pretty dramatic upgrade from the original model’s — and not just because the colors are prettier. The new system bumps the display size from 6.2 inches to 7 inches while keeping the console’s dimensions roughly the same, resulting in a screen that’s both richer and more immersive. But let’s talk OLED first.

For the uninitiated, OLED is a display technology that’s built to deliver bolder colors, stronger brightness and sharper contrast than what you’ll get on a standard LCD screen. And similar to what we’ve experienced on some of our favorite TVs and laptops, the Switch OLED’s screen adds a significant layer of visual pop that makes some of the best Switch games look even better.

From the second I booted up the Switch OLED and put it next to my regular Switch, I immediately noticed a big difference. Even the home screen looks nicer on Nintendo’s new console, with a deeper shade of gray in the background, bigger and bolder text and a more vibrant row of game icons that were just begging me to play them. So I did — and was treated to some pretty great results.

The Switch OLED made just about every game I threw at it look better than usual, but there were some notable standouts. When running and gunning in Metroid Dread, I noticed some especially rich reds and blues on Samus’ suit, and stopped to take in the game’s colorful, moody sci-fi backgrounds on more than one occasion. A sea of satisfying neon lights beamed out of the screen when I drove through a busy metropolis in Cruis’n Blast, and the hand-drawn fantasy worlds of Hades — a game I’ve poured dozens of hours into on multiple platforms — looked more vibrant than I’ve ever seen them.

But no game quite showed off the Switch OLED’s prowess quite like Tetris Effect Connected, a trippy take on the classic puzzle game that constantly throws striking new visual themes at you. The game’s colorfully animated puzzle blocks contrasted beautifully with its deep black backgrounds on the new Switch’s screen, adding a level of eye-popping immersion that made this already stunning title hard to take my eyes off of.

It’s not just the addition of OLED that makes the new Switch’s screen so great — the larger 7-inch canvas is just as significant. With more screen space and much slimmer bezels surrounding the display, it was a lot easier to get lost in an ethereal Tetris Effect level, or keep track of the many demonic enemies trying to kill me in Hades.

Once I picked up my original Switch after spending significant time with the OLED, the old display looked tiny and kind of dull by comparison. The OLED model won’t make your games look significantly sharper or more detailed — it’s got the same 720p display resolution as the Switch and Switch Lite — but its bigger screen size and gorgeous color quality make it very hard to go back.

Shiny new OLED screen aside, the Nintendo Switch OLED is simply a sleeker and slightly more versatile piece of hardware. The power and volume buttons are wider and more distinct from one another, and the fan vents up top are thinner and less distracting. The entire tablet portion of the console has a matte finish, which both feels nicer to grip and is far less prone to fingerprint smudges (seriously, you don’t want to see the back of my OG Switch). But the biggest upgrade to the Switch OLED’s physical design is its much-improved kickstand.

The original Switch has a flimsy, inch-wide kickstand that’s prone to popping out and doesn’t do a great job supporting the console in tabletop mode, which is why Nintendo replaced it with a new adjustable stand that spans the entire rear of the console. On top of feeling much sturdier and less wobble-prone than the previous stand, this new version also allows you to prop the Switch up at multiple angles. which I found handy for finding the perfect view while getting beat up in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl on my coffee table.

The new console also features what Nintendo is calling “enhanced audio,” but while everything from the sounds of shooting aliens in Metroid Dread to the pulsing beats of Tetris Effect sounded great, I can’t say I noticed a significant bump in volume or audio quality compared to my old Switch. You’re still better off pairing your own Bluetooth headphones for the best possible sound.

The Switch OLED ups the system’s internal storage from 32GB to 64GB, giving you twice the amount of free space for game downloads and screenshots. It’s a welcome upgrade, but I still found myself filling the console up after downloading eight or so titles, and would still recommend that any Switch owner gets at least a 128GB microSD card for their system.

Lastly, I’d be remiss not to talk about the gorgeous new white Joy-Cons that my review unit came in. They’re functionally the same as previous Joy-Cons (and unfortunately aren’t sold separately for current Switch owners), but they combine nicely with the bezel-less screen and refined design to make the Switch OLED feel less like a toy and more like a modern piece of tech.

The Nintendo Switch OLED also comes with an overhauled dock, which you’ll use to charge the system and play it on your TV. It won’t make your games look or run any better than the previous Switch dock, but it’s sleeker than before, has some useful upgrades and looks especially stunning in white — though it does have some drawbacks.

The new dock now has a built-in Ethernet port, allowing you to enjoy a wired internet connection for faster downloads and more solid online play without the need for an adapter. It’s a useful addition, and one that I appreciate as someone who plays lots of competitive games online, but it does replace the additional USB port that’s found on the classic Switch dock. This might not be a huge deal to most players, but folks who use lots of third-party accessories (like controllers and headsets) should keep in mind that the new dock has only two USB ports instead of three.

The Switch OLED dock is also more spacious — perhaps too spacious — when it comes to actually docking the system. While the added breathing room seems like it could prevent the screen from getting scratched, it also causes the Switch to wobble a bit when docked, which makes me worry slightly about its long-term durability.

It’s worth noting that while the Switch OLED’s dock has been refined a bit, the experience of playing games on your TV is exactly the same as it was on the previous system. The system is powered by the same processor as before, and here are no big performance upgrades — your games will still run at 1080p on a television, and you won’t see any improvements to things like textures and load times. Alas, my dream of a Nintendo Switch that loads games as fast as my Xbox Series S or PlayStation 5 continues to be just that.

The Switch OLED is on the higher end of the Switch lineup when it comes to battery life, though you’ll want to keep a portable charger handy if you’re playing demanding games like Breath of the Wild for long stretches of time.

To see how long Nintendo’s new console could survive an extended gaming session, we fired up Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and ran an endless eight-character battle with brightness set to max and all items turned on for maximum chaos. The Switch OLED lasted for four hours and 16 minutes — that’s better than what we got from the Nintendo Switch Lite (3:50) and the launch Nintendo Switch (2:45), but not quite as good as the 4:50 we got from the refreshed Nintendo Switch model from 2019.

Our Switch OLED runtime is a bit behind Nintendo’s estimate of four and a half to nine hours, which is the same rating that the 2019 Switch carries. We’ve seen some OLED devices drain battery faster than their non-OLED counterparts, which could be the case here. Still, you’ll enjoy a pretty significant battery bump if you’re upgrading from a launch Switch, and will get a bit of extra juice if you’re coming from a Switch Lite.

The Nintendo Switch OLED is the best version of Nintendo’s current console yet, with a beautiful and big display for playing games in handheld mode, a great kickstand for tabletop play and a sleek dock for connecting to your TV. If you don’t already own a Nintendo Switch, this is the one to get.

As for everyone else? If you already own the standard Switch and mostly play games on your TV, the Switch OLED won’t do anything new for you. It also has the same core performance as previous consoles, so don’t expect better graphics or load times. For those who use handheld or tabletop mode a decent amount, you’re getting a much better screen, a handy kickstand and — if you’re coming from the launch Nintendo Switch — a decent battery life bump. Those upgrades might not be worth the steep price for everyone, but as a Switch owner who spends a good chunk of their game time in handheld mode, I’m having a very hard time going back after living with the OLED for a few days.

If you’re like me and are considering making the jump to OLED, you can always trade in your existing Switch to make that price tag sting a little less. GameStop is currently offering up to $220 in store credit for the standard Switch, while trade-in site Decluttr will give you $150, to name just a few examples. If you go the Decluttr route, you can get up to $30 extra in trade-in value by using our code “CNN2021” at checkout through the end of the month.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Nintendo Switch OLED is pretty hard to find right now, and like those seeking PS5 restocks and Xbox Series X restocks, you’ll have to check your favorite retailers often for a chance to buy one. But if you’re getting your first Switch — or are willing to upgrade for the best screen on a Nintendo console yet — it’s worth taking the time to hunt one down.