Nintendo has announced their first Switch (OLED model) to be released in the near future, with a release date set for 8th October, 2021. While it does not seem like Nintendo is planning on selling the console by itself, previous owners of the original Switch or certain amounts of DLC are eligible to get an upgrade discount from Nintendo’s online store “N-Shop”. The price for this particular model is $349.99 and although some consumers were upset by this increase, Fils-Aimé explains that consumers should have anticipated Nintendo’s prices rising given inflation
The Nintendo Switch has been a hit in the gaming industry ever since it was announced last year, with many believing it would be Nintendo’s greatest success. However, Nintendo has failed to introduce new games and DLC for us consumers as often as we have expected. Nevertheless, they did just provide a new reason why the Nintendo Switch is still relevant today.
This afternoon, Mr. Fils-Aimé revealed that there will be an OLED model of the beloved handheld device to supplement the previously released LCD handheld device. This news came only four months after the release of their latest title, Super Mario Odyssey (US). The main difference between the two models is the increase in screen resolution, with the OLED model boasting a much higher one.
Seniors at Nintendo have been reluctant about releasing a new version of their popular handheld device till now, but they did say that “consumers should be asking for it”. The new Switch will retail for $799 and will come in black color. Furthermore, Nintendo said that several third-party manufacturers were already working on creating cases to house both of these devices together as well as making adapters that are compatible with various accessories and brands.
We reached out to Mr. Fils-Aimé and asked him if people would be able to play all the latest titles using this newer Switch model but he didn’t reply directly and only said “the device is ready for hardcore gamers”. It is safe to say that we will be seeing much more of this revolutionary handheld by Nintendo in the coming months, not only financial wise but also regarding software as well.
If Nintendo were to sell the Switch separately, it would be more expensive than when bought with games. Using their online store prices as an example, they would have to sell it for $849.99 if sold separately from a game or accessory pack (which offers a 10% discount), thus creating quite a big gap in pricing.
While using third-party cases and adapters are indeed possible, we do not know whether or not Nintendo will consider licensing these accessories to competitors. This could greatly reduce the amount of profit made by Nintendo on every sale and also make future development by third parties difficult as Nintendo controls how consumers use certain hardware.