YouTuber runs Breath of the Wild for 1,800 hours to test Switch OLED burn-in danger

"OLED burn-in should not be a concern to you... like, at all"

Master Cycle Link Switch OLED
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Since launching in October 2021, many people have been putting the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model through its paces to find out its true capabilities. The latest of which has seen a popular YouTube creator leave the system running for 1,800 hours (75 days straight) to test burn-in danger with some impressive results.

The test was conducted by Bob Wulff, better known as Wulff Den, who left a static in-game screenshot of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild running at full brightness on their Switch OLED, before uploading the results. The original intention was to just run the system for a week but Wulff wanted to see how far the Nintendo machine could be pushed.

Incredibly, no noticeable difference to the screen or colour was visible after the vigorous stress test. It was only noted that the whites were a little dimmer and a small green tint could be seen in some of the blues/whites. It's very reassuring for anyone that has put thousands of hours into their Switch device or intends to over the coming years. You can check out the findings for yourself below: 

"There is no difference in any of the colour tests that I ran, you can also notice there's no noticeable burn-in marks after almost being on for 2000 hours," Wulff said. "The only difference you can kind of see is the white in the shrine ceiling, it's ever so slightly dimmer and the blueish-white has a slight green tint to it."

Summing up his thoughts, Wulff later concluded that: "If you're worried about OLED burn-in on your Switch because you have like 2000 hours in a game, I think you can relax a little bit. I don't think it's a practical concern for anybody. I think maybe in like 10 years now, we might see a home screen that was in light mode burn-in on a display unit somewhere or something. But for the most part, you got nothing to worry about."

It isn't over yet, however. Wulff intends to continue running the Switch OLED as long as possible to further their findings. Whether or not it survives another 2,000 hours is yet to be seen, although, Nintendo is likely happy with the results so far. 

Matt Poskitt
Freelance Writer

Matt is a freelance writer for T3, covering news and keeping up with everything games, entertainment, and all manner of tech. You can find his work across numerous sites across the web, including TechRadar, IGN, GamesRadar, Tom's Guide, Fandom, NME, and more. In his spare time, Matt is an avid cinema-goer, keen runner and average golfer (at best). You can follow him @MattPoskitt64