Nintendo teases that the Switch 2 screen will be around 30% bigger than the original, but I desperately hope they won't make us wait for an OLED option

Switch 2 screen size
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo was shy about sharing Switch 2 details in today's reveal, but the company did take measures to suggest that the new console's screen will be substantially bigger than that of the original.

The Switch 2 trailer shows the original console's screen growing directly into the successor model, and comparing screencaps from the video of both models in Photoshop, the Switch 2 screen appears to be over 30% larger than the Switch 1's display. That's a very inexact sort of comparison, but the rampant leaks leading up to the Switch 2 reveal suggest it's within the ballpark of reality.

Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer - YouTube Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer - YouTube
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A nearly year-old Bloomberg report based on interviews with tech industry analysts suggested that Switch 2 would have an 8-inch screen. Genki's controversial Switch 2 mock-up - which the company backtracked on but which matches the official console reveal almost exactly - also featured an 8-inch screen, as noted by IGN.

The Switch 1 features a 6.2-inch screen, so if the leaks about Switch 2's 8-inch screen are accurate, that's about a 30% increase in size - roughly matching what Nintendo showed in the trailer. It's also nearly 15% bigger than the Switch OLED screen.

But that might just get us to the disappointing part here. The Bloomberg report suggested that Switch 2 would have an LCD screen rather than OLED, and Nintendo hasn't yet confirmed one way or another what screen tech it's using. Sure, an LCD screen does the job, but personally I've spent a couple of years getting used to the gorgeous output of my OLED TV, and I think the tech looks even better in smaller screens like that of the Steam Deck OLED. Switch 2 going back to LCD wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me, but I sure hope Nintendo at least offers the option of an OLED model at launch.

Here's what you need to know about Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatibility. You can follow our Nintendo Switch 2 live coverage for all the news about the console.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.