Best Displays for Nintendo Switch OLED in Docked Mode

We recently decided to return to gaming on the Nintendo Switch, namely the newer OLED version with the 7” screen and embedded LAN port in the dock. We thought this offered a good opportunity to share some thoughts on Nintendo’s hybrid console, which we bought on day one back in March 2017 and thus were very curious about the more recent OLED revision.

The good news is that if you enjoy gaming on the go, prize flexibility, and don’t care that much about graphics, then the Switch is still a wonderful platform. The more qualified news is that if you do care about graphics, then the Switch is best enjoyed either on the OLED screen of the unit itself, or on smaller form factor displays. To be fair, the OLED upgrade really speaks volumes about Nintendo’s commitment to portable gaming, as the new model doesn’t confer any advantages in docked mode compared to 2017 launch Switch. We’ll need to wait for the inevitable Switch successor to get better docked performance.

Despite releasing five years ago and being barely more powerful than an Xbox 360 or PS3, the Switch manages to deliver impressive gaming, especially in first party Nintendo games. If you like your Mario and Zelda titles, then you can look forward to 720p 60Hz on handheld and 1080p 60Hz docked, by and large. However, more mainstream or core titles like The Witcher 3 simply don’t look anywhere near as good as they do on PS4 or Xbox One, let alone PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or baseline gaming PCs. Any graphically complex game needs to make compromises in textures, object geometry, and visual effects to run on Switch at an acceptable framerate. That doesn’t mean AAA games look bad on Switch, they just look much more simplified and “flatter” than on other platforms, which leads us to the next point. 

The Switch’s 720p or 1080p visuals don’t translate very well to big screen TVs and monitors. When playing The Witcher 3 and Sniper Elite 4 on Switch OLED with a 55” QLED TV, the visuals were obviously inferior to the same games running on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The bigger the screen, the more apparent any shortcomings with graphics performance, and at heart the capable Switch was designed to be a very good portable console, with TV output as an option. We really don’t think the console was meant for anything larger than 32” if we’re being totally honest. 

Indeed, a fast 1080p gaming monitor with HDMI plays great host to a docked Nintendo Switch OLED. While not as sharp as the 7” handheld screen, this is the best we got to great looking graphics with the console in docked mode. Our attempts to tweak big screen TVs didn’t succeed in making Switch visuals shine, but with the proper monitor we had good results out of the box and with no need to even tinker with settings. Something to think about if you’re a Switch fan!