A Samsung 7-inch OLED in a portable and compact form factor that's ready for gaming? Now you're talking my language. When I'm away from my desktop I'd kill for a compact game streaming device with a stunning panel to keep me going. But it turns out this isn't some new wave portable PC, it might just be the Nintendo Switch Pro.
Best wireless gaming mouse: ideal cable-free rodents
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Best wireless gaming headset: top untethered audio
Nintendo may finally unveil the long-rumoured Nintendo Switch Pro console later this year—one that is said to come with a Samsung-made 7-inch 720p OLED screen, Bloomberg reports.
Okay, I'll admit 720p isn't the wildest resolution for gaming in 2021, but when you're talking compact size and a possible stunning panel made by one of the best in the biz, I'm still very down with this idea.
OLED screens are known for their higher than usual contrast, brightness, colour accuracy, and even refresh rate. It's a technology most often found in TVs, and for the most part, has stayed clear of gaming monitors due to burn-in concerns.
The existing Nintendo Switch comes with a 6.2-inch LCD screen, and the Switch Lite a 5.5-inch LCD. Both also feature a 720p resolution, as rumoured for the Pro.
It's also reported that the Nintendo Switch Pro (or whatever the name ends up being) will be capable of 4K once hooked up to a TV. I wonder what's going on behind the scenes to get that working on the Switch's compact Nvidia system-on-chip.
Our own Dave has been in bits since the Nintendo Switch's initial release. He just can't seem to get past its potential as a mini game streaming rig. It's got the controls, the interface, and the Nvidia silicon already built for Nvidia's own efficient game streaming. But alas, it's not come to pass.
We're not entirely hard done by, though. For one, PC gamers are well served by a wave of new and exciting gaming handhelds coming to market. There's the GPD Win 3, Aya Neo, Lenovo Lavie, and even some do-it-yourself Raspberry Pi Zero designs. There's also the Alienware Project UFO concept that made Jorge cry out for a Switch Pro back at CES 2020, and worked up an appetite for portable PC gaming in yours truly.
Beyond that, however, the Nintendo Switch is also many PC gamer's console of choice, including myself. It comes with an immensely fun and sprawling catalogue of games, which are a breath of fresh air on the go, and its muted hardware capabilities are surprisingly well-suited to the task at hand.
It's tough to fault the little fella.
I'll admit, I do have some reservations for the rumoured Switch Pro, though, mostly due to Nintendo's previous attempts at semi-backwards compatibility with the Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS, which did see some games tailor-made for the more powerful model and controls unable to operate on the older models. It was a little confusing at the time, but I'm sure Nintendo's over that by now and going to stick with full interoperability for the entire Switch lineup.
That is if such a Pro model comes into existence. That's said to be planned loosely around the 'holiday season' this year, with mass production beginning this June.
