Switch 2 using LCD over OLED took “a lot of consideration”, Nintendo says

Nintendo has explained its reasoning behind choosing to implement an LCD screen in the Switch 2 instead of an OLED display, which was featured on the premium Switch OLED model.

In a conversation with the media during a developer roundtable event attended by Eurogamer, Nintendo Switch 2 hardware lead Tetsua Sasaki stated that the decision was not straightforward and required considerable thought.

“You know, throughout the development process – and even now – there have been numerous advancements in LCD technology,” Sasaki noted. “During our development, we closely examined the LCD technology that was available to us at the time.”

“And after much deliberation, we opted to remain with LCD technology.”

Sasaki then turned to the journalists present and asked for their impressions after trying out the Switch 2. Most responses were favorable.

Speaking from my perspective as someone currently playing on the Switch OLED, I was astonished by how much more akin to that experience Switch 2’s LCD display felt when compared to the one found in the older Switch 1. A crucial factor, in my opinion, is that Switch 2’s LCD screen now includes HDR support.

“Even with the OLED variant of Nintendo Switch, we didn’t… have the capability for HDR, but that’s an added feature we now support,” emphasized Nintendo Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto.

Switch 2’s display is “a notable enhancement over its predecessor, much closer in clarity to the Switch OLED than I anticipated, with the additional advantages of its larger size and HDR,” I remarked in my review on Euroga