Forget The Switch 2 And Score A Switch OLED For $100 Off With This Killer Deal
Nintendo is making history with the Switch 2, it's latest-generation handheld game system that raced to more than 3.5 million units sold in a mere four days, making it the company's fastest-selling console ever. It also outpaced every other console launch to date, regardless of manufacturer. To say it's a popular item is an understatement of epic proportion. However, if you're having trouble finding one in stock and just want to play some great games on a proven form factor, an argument could be made for buying the first-gen Switch instead.
That argument gets even stronger with the Nintendo Switch OLED (White) being on sale for a comparatively low $249.95 at Woot (29% off). That is a $100 discount over MSRP and a stellar value for a portable console that still holds mass appeal. You have to act fast, though, as this deal will undoubtedly sell out.
In case you're not aware, Woot is a deals site that Amazon acquired in 2010. That means you can optionally log into your Amazon account to complete your purchase, using whatever payment methods you already have saved. The bigger question is, should you entertain the original Switch now that the Switch 2 is out?
There is no right or wrong answer, as it just depends on your situation. That said, it's worth noting that the Switch OLED is the latest iteration of the original Switch, and still the only Switch that features an OLED display (the Switch 2 is LCD). It also doubles the storage of the non-OLED models to 64GB, which you can expand further with a microSD card (the Switch 2 requires microSD Express for expanded storage, with cards being more expensive for the time being).
Nintendo redesigned the dock to include a built-in Ethernet port, and concocted a better kickstand for the Switch OLED compared to the original Switch. And with this deal, you get all those upgrades for less money than what you'd spend on a regular Switch (which sells for $299 on Amazon).
The Switch is also a mature platform at this stage, with over 12,000 games available. Yes, the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with a lot of Switch titles and it introduces a bunch of noteworthy upgrades (it's bigger, faster, supports higher resolution gaming and ray tracing, has improved Joy-Con controllers, and the list goes on), and that's something to consider. But it also costs $449.99 for the base console, or $499.99 for the Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle, if you can find either one in stock.
At $249.99 for a brand new (read: not refurbished) Switch OLED with a 90-day Woot warranty, it's certainly worth consideration. The only real caveat is that it's the international version, not the US-specific model. What does that mean? Nintendo's games are not region locked, so you're good there. However, you could run into DLC issues on some games, which can be region locked.
"I have many games from different regions, and I’ve never ran into a game that [is] region locked DLC. Although if you did run into that roadblock, there’s an easy solution - create a user profile on your Switch for that region and any DLC locked to that specific region will now be available for you to play. Assigning a region to a profile is done manually, so you can create a user profile for each region if needed, all on one switch," a user on Woot says.
We'll take their word for it, as we've not spent any hands-on time with an international model. As long as you're fine with that possibility, though, this is a killer deal.
