🤔 Nintendo is reportedly exploring the possibility of launching a Switch 2 OLED
✍️ It’s weighing up whether the project is financially feasible given the market conditions
📅 If so, we could see mass production begin at the end of 2027, with the console launching in 2028
💨 This is earlier than we perhaps anticipated, based on the previous time lag from the original Switch to the first Switch OLED model
Nintendo is reportedly considering launching a Switch 2 OLED model sooner than we perhaps expected.
As reported by ZDNet South Korea (thanks, TechPowerUp), one South Korean display industry analyst has stated that Nintendo is evaluating whether a Switch 2 OLED model is financially feasible.
If it’s deemed that the OLED model is feasible, then Nintendo reportedly intends to start development towards the end of next year, with mass production by the end of 2027.
This could lead to a 2028 release date for the Nintendo Switch 2 OLED, with Nintendo potentially choosing a rigid OLED panel from Samsung Display.
The problem with this is the severe price difference between the 1080p LCD screen Nintendo currently uses for the standard Switch 2 and the rigid OLED panel reportedly being considered for the upgraded model.
With this in mind, Nintendo made the decision to raise Switch 2 prices rise worldwide effective in September, which sees the console cost $500 in the US and $680 in Canada because of a range of factors such as rising memory prices and volatility in global markets for things such as oil markets and global exchange rates.
The report states that as a result of this and the potential cost increase an OLED screen would bring, Nintendo would have to pass this to consumers, which “could range from double to triple digits by the time the Switch 2 OLED version hits the market”, as per TechPowerUp.
It also posits that if memory and storage pricing and availability issues carry on, then Nintendo hasn’t ruled out a further price hike for the standard Switch 2, which could also throw the OLED Switch 2 into jeopardy as it may not make financial sense.
The first-gen Switch benefitted greatly from an OLED variant, which enlarged the screen to 7 inches, although it didn’t change the 720p resolution on offer.
Based on the timeline from the original Switch to the Switch OLED, the potential 2028 release date is actually sooner than we might initially expect – previous predictions have suggested it could come in 2029, if it ever comes at all, judging by the current rumors.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.