Is the Nintendo Switch OLED a great product? Yes, absolutely. If you don't own a Nintendo Switch it's the obvious purchase if you want to play the best Nintendo Switch games. However, if like me you do own an original Nintendo Switch, that $349/£309 spend is a much less clear-cut recommendation.
Yes, the Nintendo Switch OLED comes with a slightly larger OLED screen rather than the original Switch's LCD one, but really that is about all the upgrade you get for your spend. And, being candid, that lack of upgrade has stopped me pulling the trigger on upgrading to OLED to date, with me still gaming on my original console.
My original Switch is a bit worse for wear, too. Its original set of Joy-Cons are now defunct due to stick drift, the flimsy kickstand was accidentally snapped off by my daughter and the console's battery life has degraded noticeably, too. Sounds like I'm in need of an upgrade, right?
Well, you couldn't be more right, but rather than buying Switch OLED I am instead buying G-Case, a brand new all-in-one modular gaming case for the console. Here's what G-Case is and why I think it is the smarter buy for me.
G-Case for the win
G-Case, which is being funded right now on Indiegogo, is a new all-in-one modular case and set of accessories for Nintendo Switch (and Nintendo Switch OLED). Its key features include:
1. It's a case for Nintendo Switch that features a modular battery system. Each battery delivers 5,000mAh of juice and can be hot swapped off the back of the case in seconds. This means that with your console in the G-Case your console's battery life is markedly increased by up to 5 hours. Own more than one battery and you can keep gaming for crazy amounts of time without a recharge. Oh, and those modular batteries can also be used to charge anything else as they feature a USB type-C port.
2. The G-Case also features modular, interchangeable grips. This grips have been designed to fit different palm lengths, meaning that you can quickly customise the console's grip depending on who is using it, be that adult or child, or by grip preference. Grips include Mega, Omega and Air.
3. The G-Case itself is also modular, with its Joy-Con holding sides removable and then con-joinable together to form a Joy-Con holding gamepad.
4. The G-Case comes equipped with a heavy-duty industrial kickstand that runs the length of the case. This kickstand is a massive stability upgrade over both the Switch and the Switch OLED, making table top mode gameplay easier and safer than ever.
5. The G-Case can be outfitted with a Bluetooth 5.0 aptX-LL module for $20 extra spend, which is a straight connectivity upgrade over both the Switch and Switch OLED's wireless connectivity capabilities. This is powered by the Qualcomm CSR8670 chip, which reduces latency down to 40ms. The result is that you can connect two headphones to the console at once, as well as enjoy superior range and stability for all Bluetooth accessories.
6. The G-Case comes with cart storage slots built-in to it. This means that you can carry even more games around with you and have the carts available for swapping within seconds. The carts sit under the G-Case's grips.
7. There's a great selection of accessories available for G-Case, too, including a carry case, all-in-one dock, controller adapter so you can use, say, a PS5 controller with Nintendo Switch and a travel kit.
Why G-Case is my ideal Nintendo Switch upgrade
Factor all these things together, as well as the fact that the G-Case Family Pack bundle (which includes the G-Case, OneDock, Adapter, Carry Case, Travel Plug Kit and Backup Modular Battery) is available right now for $179/£138, which is half the price of the Switch OLED, and I think it is easy to see why this works for me.
My degraded Switch battery gets an immediate shot in the arm, and with extra batteries ready to go I can game on the go without constantly fretting about finding a power socket.
The controller adaptor means that I can help alleviate my Joy-Con woes by using different controllers (I've got two PS5 controllers that would be perfect!), and I can not just restore kickstand functionality to my Switch but make it better than ever, and even better than the experience delivered on Switch OLED.
I can also upgrade my original Switch with the very best Bluetooth connectivity on the market, too, meaning that I can pair whatever wireless headsets and accessories I like with the console and enjoy superior connectivity quality and stability.
I can also increase the protectivity for my Switch, thanks to the really robust G-Case carry case, and carry around more physical games from my pretty large library of titles, too.
Yes, the G-Case does nothing to improve the visuals delivered by the Switch's LCD screen, but personally I'm totally cool with that. I think the visuals delivered by the standard Switch's screen are still perfectly good and when I'm not gaming on the go I use the Marseille mClassic to upscale visuals to near 4K on my LG C1 OLED TV.
So, sorry Switch OLED, I'm going G-Case
This is my case for buying the G-Case. For me, this just seems the perfect product to breathe another year or two of life back into my original Nintendo Switch. And, by that time, hopefully we will have some concrete news of the officially unconfirmed but obviously coming down the pipe Nintendo Switch Pro, which will hopefully deliver the Switch OLED's newer screen but with a proper internal hardware upgrade.
Should gamers who own a Nintendo Switch OLED also consider G-Case in my opinion? Yes, for sure, even if it is likely that they won't be experiencing my own original Switch issues. The simple fact of the matter is that G-Case looks like a fantastic accessory for both Switch and Switch OLED and makes both consoles better. I mean, do you want an extra 5 hours or more of battery life on your Switch OLED? Do you want an upgraded kickstand, modular grips, extra game cart storage and next-level Bluetooth connectivity? If so you've got a very good case to buy.
If, like me, you like the idea of the G-Case, you can read all about it and pre-order one for yourself over at the product's official webpage.
