Nintendo is reportedly considering plans to launch a Switch 2 OLED model — though remains concerned over how much it might cost.
A fresh report by ZDnet quotes industry sources familiar with plans for Nintendo to launch an upgraded Switch 2 model with a 1080p OLED screen supplied by Samsung.
But while apparently in discussion, these plans still remain uncertain due to the increased costs involved, it’s reported. OLED screens are widely considered better quality than LCD, which Switch 2 currently uses, but come with higher manufacturing costs that will need to be passed onto the consumer. And that’s on top of the spiralling cost of existing semiconductors and other electronic components — an issue that has already seen Nintendo announce $50 Switch 2 price rises just a year after the platform launched.
Should Nintendo move forward with its Switch 2 OLED plans, development on the model could begin late this year, with mass production then pegged for late 2027 or 2028. This would place its launch around the same time, roughly three to four years on from the Switch 2 launch.
Of course, the original Switch also saw an OLED model release — just over four years on from the console’s initial launch — and there has long been expectation that Nintendo would do similar with its console successor. Some fans had even hoped that Switch 2 would launch with an OLED screen as standard, though Nintendo has confirmed previously that it opted to revert back to LCD in order to keep costs down.
So far, there has been no word on a Switch 2 Lite, despite success of the Switch Lite, the more affordably-priced version of Nintendo’s hardware that featured a smaller screen and price point.
Nintendo has already begun adjusting its base Switch 2 design for Europe, meanwhile, with fresh versions of the Switch 2 and its various controllers rolling out from this fall onwards, now with user-replaceable batteries to comply with EU legislation. Nintendo will not be updating its aging Switch 1 hardware — and instead will simply remove it from sale in mid-February next year. There’s also been word of a slightly improved screen on the way — which may improve the Switch 2’s ghosting issues — though nothing official has yet been stated.
Not got a Switch 2 yet? In the U.S., Canada and Europe you have until September 1 to buy one before its $50 price rise kicks in.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
