With today’s announcement of the Nintendo Switch OLED, there are a ton of questions that need to be answered. Thankfully, the company has been forthright with details on its upcoming hardware revision. Unfortunately, it appears that the Switch OLED is missing some oft-requested features. Most notably, the Switch OLED doesn’t come with a new version of its Joy-Con controllers or improved hardware.
Nintendo confirmed in a statement to Polygon today that the Joy-Cons customers will get with the Switch OLED are the same as the base model Switch’s. Speaking to Polygon, a Nintendo representative said: “The Joy-Con controller configuration and functionality did not change with Nintendo Switch system (OLED model). The configuration and functionality is the same as that of the Joy-Con controllers for the Nintendo Switch system.”
That’s a bit of a surprise, considering the issue of Joy-Con drift that has plagued consumers since the Switch’s release. Joy-Con drift is an issue with the controller’s joysticks, which can dislodge from a neutral position and make inputs without you actually moving them. It’s not an uncommon complaint to hear from Switch owners, and Nintendo’s inaction on the issue, which essentially forces users to buy a new set of Joy-Con controllers, is surprising.
Just as surprising is the lack of hardware upgrades in the Switch OLED, as confirmed by The Verge. Speaking to the outlet, a Nintendo spokesperson confirmed that the “Nintendo Switch (OLED model) does not have a new CPU, or more RAM, from previous Nintendo Switch models.” There was some speculation on this issue, as Nintendo vaguely lists the console’s CPU/GPU combo as an “Nvidia custom Tegra processor.” That language stayed the same between the base Nintendo Switch and the OLED model, and now it’s been confirmed that they are the same.
If it wasn’t obvious, this isn’t the “Switch Pro” that some were hoping for. Previously, it was rumored that the mobile console’s next hardware revision would come with vastly improved performance, boasting 4K resolutions while docked and support for Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling tech.
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