Nintendo Announces New, 'Improved' Switch, But Few Are Impressed

Rumors of a new and improved Nintendo Switch came to fruition today, but many are disappointed by how "new" and "improved" the new Switch really is.

Today, Nintendo announced the Switch OLED model, which features a larger, 7-inch OLED screen, an adjustable stand, a built-in LAN port, 64 GB of storage (up from 32 GB) and Enhanced Audio.

Though these are indeed improvements on the currently available Switch model, the upgrades disappointed many fans who were hoping for more than what is, essentially, simply a bigger screen and a LAN port. While some aspects of the Switch OLED align with the rumors that swirled earlier this year, the new Switch will not support 4K resolution, which was a big point of hype among Nintendo fans, nor will there be improved battery life. Furthermore, a Nintendo spokesperson told The Verge, "Nintendo Switch (OLED model) does not have a new CPU, or more RAM, from previous Nintendo Switch models."

Fans of Nintendo were quick to express their disappointment with the new Switch, arguing it was too similar to the current model to justify a separate purchase. Nintendo has been guilty of similar "new" product rollouts in the past, as fans pointed out consoles like the Game Boy Advance SP and New 3DS were essentially the same consoles as their predecessors. New 3DS trended on Twitter as people expressed their disappointment. At the very least, Nintendo will not make some games Switch OLED exclusive, as they did with the New 3DS.

wow the duke is selling the new switch already pic.twitter.com/xGTCSgqO9a

— Lulu🌈🎏 (@luulubuu) July 6, 2021

New 3DS is trending and I know they are making fun of the new Nintendo switch model. Won’t blame them lol pic.twitter.com/0YBgo0Xi0K

— Mr. Relax 🆖 (@MrRelaxive) July 6, 2021

I said what I said. pic.twitter.com/BgyrrFYgMw

— Lulu🌈🎏 (@luulubuu) July 6, 2021

Nintendo Switch OLED… being ordered by nintendo. pic.twitter.com/FBbEm90nBn

— 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓💫 (@Trickster____) July 6, 2021

side by side comparison of the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED pic.twitter.com/7KcERu8684

— JOURDON⚡ (@DynamoSuperX) July 6, 2021

The Nintendo Switch OLED model will sell for $350 and be released on October 8th, 2021.