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[Naked Snake]

Erica Griffin is a nerd and very picky when it comes to display quality and color calibration. I always appreciated her smartphone reviews containing a very detailed section just analyzing the screens. She did a video a while back about 3DS TN vs IPS (and variations within), and now she's done one on Switch vs New 3DS XL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvDdaVZ7MCU

Switch screen can display full sRGB color gamut. 3DS doesn't come close:

3DS display severely lacks saturation in Reds (and some Blues), easy to see in skin-tones:

Switch screen has good calibration, black levels and contrast ratio (over 1000:1)

Nice colors that are not over saturated or have strange hue as on 3DS:

Though colors have a bit of a cool tone:

But 3DS is much worse:

Decent Gamma:

Good gray scale:

Brighter than 3DS XL (near 400 nits vs less than 200):

She mentions possible variations between units, but in her anecdotal experience it seems to be much more consistent than 3DS in that regard. I have also personally compared several Switch units and 3DS ones and found this to be the case.

Her overall score of the displays:

Switch: 9-9.5 out of 10
3DS: 4-5 out of 10 (depending if you get IPS or not)

PS: at the end she says something I'm not sure I understood correctly, but I think the gest of it is not to use the Switch "browser" video streaming to judge colors because they're not right (e.g. watching Youtube through current methods). Here's a comparison of the colors between Youtube on Switch (in its current unofficial form) and the same image on a webpage.

Kudos to Nintendo. You done good this time.

 

[Toki767]

Definitely more satisfied with the Switch screen than any other screen Nintendo has used.

 

[Koppai]

Definitely more satisfied with the Switch screen than any other screen Nintendo has used.

Yeah for real, the colors on the Wii U Gamepad looked so washed out it made me hate actually using it. The Switch has a gorgeous screen!

 

[Vital Tundra]

My only issue is the screen not being glass.

 

[Naked Snake]

My only issue is the screen not being glass.

She comments on that and says it's probably the right choice for durability considering the target demographic (kids drop stuff, glass shatters on impact), and recommends using a glass screen protector.

 

[James Scott]

She comments on that and says it's probably the right choice for durability considering the target demographic, and recommends using a glass screen protector.

Yeah, the tempered glass from am film is pretty fantastic and cheap.

 

[Spukc]

Well i got to give it to her she is very picky.
But my gosh i used to work at retail and i used to avoid those people as the plague impossible to please.

 

[AquaWateria]

My only issue is the screen not being glass.

I'm actually happy since phones these days break so damn easily.

 

[Atheerios]

The 3DS screens are ridiculous

 

[valkillmore]

For the minor issues she identifies with the screen, can one reasonably expect Nintendo to address them with subsequent hardware revisions? Has Nintendo done this in the past with previous portables they've taken through product revisions?

 

[Platy]

Saying she is very picky is an understatement xD

Amazing review!

 

[AndyMoogle]

My only issue is the screen not being glass.

Considering that my iPhone screen shattered from one drop, I'd say it's a good thing.

 

[RootCause]

Switch display is lovely.

 

[Buggy Loop]

My only issue is the screen not being glass.

1 drop for completely unusable screen and expensive maintenance?

That's not for the targeted demographic.

Just buy a tempered glass, best of both worlds.

 

[Naked Snake]

For the minor issues she identifies with the screen, can one reasonably expect Nintendo to address them with subsequent hardware revisions? Has Nintendo done this in the past with previous portables they've taken through product revisions?

Guys, we found someone who is more picky than Erica!

 

[valkillmore]

We found someone who is more picky than Erica!

I'm not really haha. I was just curious if Nintendo has addressed display quality in the past along with other areas of improvement for example battery life, with regard to their portables.

 

[dhonk]

I'm not really haha. I was just curious if Nintendo has addressed display quality in the past along with other areas of improvement for example battery life, with regard to their portables.

uhhh

 

[KingBroly]

uhhh

I still love the design of the original GBA. I wish there was an official version of it with a backlight

 

[SciencePilot]

Great review. It's actually surprising to me how much better the Switch is than the 3DS. Things like this explain the higher cost.

 

[valkillmore]

uhhh

True.

 

[Zafir]

Yeah the screen is much improved over its predecessors.

Just a shame there's still issues in manufacturing. Mine came with some dust under the screen. =/

 

[-Mutsukki-]

Yeah the screen is much improved over its predecessors.

Just a shame there's still issues in manufacturing. Mine came with some dust under the screen. =/

That's unfortunately every piece of hardware with a screen. Manufacturing errors will realistically never disappear

 

[VanWinkle]

Nice. It really is a pretty good screen. I'm used to high end displays on phones so it's not anything SPECIAL necessarily, but playing MK8 on it is honestly a really nice experience.

 

[ggx2ac]

Iirc Japan Display Inc. (They produce the Switch LCD screens) also make LCD screens for Apple products so that definitely speaks to the quality of their product.

 

[Kudo]

I initially dissed Switch for having 720p screen in 2017, but now that I have the thing I must admit I was very wrong, each day I hope Crunchyroll and Netflix would hurry the up with their apps so I could use it for streaming.
The IPS screen Switch uses is just delight to look at.

 

[Zafir]

That's unfortunately every piece of hardware with a screen. Manufacturing errors will realistically never disappear

As true as that may be, it's always seemed to be a larger issue with Nintendo devices for whatever reason.

 

[Insane Metal]

I'm baffled at the "1000:1 contrast is good" comment

Ok then

 

[TheGamingBox]

I'm baffled at the "1000:1 contrast is good" comment

Ok then

i dont think you actually know anything about contrast ratios if you are baffled by that

 

[The Hermit]

Last time I've watched her video it was comparing 3DSs panels ( TN vs IPS) and I was impressed how thorough she was and how random those panels were.

Nintendo did good with the Switch in this aspect, thank God.

 

[Madao]

i wonder which path the Switch will follow regarding hardware quality.
will the revisions be like handheld revisions and get better or like console revisions that only got worse over time?

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Switch is definitely the best handheld I've used from them.

 

[sikkinixx]

Considering that my iPhone screen shattered from one drop, I'd say it's a good thing.

I love this logic. like saying "I rammed by car into the curb and it ripped up my rims! Just buy shit ugly steel ones since you will just wreck it anyway!"

 

[Luigiv]

I'm baffled at the "1000:1 contrast is good" comment

Ok then

I'm assuming she means 1000:1 static contrast, which is still considered very good for an IPS LCD. Alot of LCDs that boast better contrast ratios do so by quoting the dynamic ratio, which factors in backlight dimming.

 

[rekameohs]

My only issue is the screen not being glass.

I'm alright with it since Switch is a lot more child-friendly than typical tablets. Then a glass screen protector is cheap and simple.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

I'm glad the screen isn't glass due to breakage but goddamn if my skin isn't just crawling every time I play the thing in handheld mode because I just know the damn thing can scratch if I look at it wrong.

It's mostly a home console because of that.

 

[big_z]

I pointed out the 3ds screen lottery years ago and then it became a big thing. It drives me nuts and I wonder if it was the gaf thread that set he off. Might owe her an apology lol. But on the upside I'm happy Nintendo is at least putting some quality into the screen this time. Takes a little bit of the anxiety out of buying a switch.

 

[Version 3.0]

I love this logic. like saying "I rammed by car into the curb and it ripped up my rims! Just buy shit ugly steel ones since you will just wreck it anyway!"

People aren't buying aftermarket plastic screens for their Switches, so your analogy isn't very good.

But if you were making cars that would often be driven by children, ugly steel rims might not be a bad idea.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

While I definitely prefer an AMOLED panel for contrast, gamma, and black levels, the display in the switch is easily their best yet. So much better than the atrocity that was the 3Ds Xl panel. Turning the brightness down added a piss filter lol.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

i used my 3DS today for the first time since I bought my Switch and man that screen is bad. It's pretty rough going back to it

I'm baffled at the "1000:1 contrast is good" comment

Ok then

Well that's actual contrast ratio vs the 1 trillion to one or whatever you see on TV boxes and promo stuff. For an LCD panel, 1000:1 is decent

 

[antonz]

I pointed out the 3ds screen lottery years ago and then it became a big thing. It drives me nuts and I wonder if it was the gaf thread that set he off. Might owe her an apology lol. But on the upside I'm happy Nintendo is at least putting some quality into the screen this time. Takes a little bit of the anxiety out of buying a switch.

Switching to a single supplier for the screen I imagine plays a big factor and the fact they left their usual suppliers behind.

 

[Astral Dog]

Yeah for real, the colors on the Wii U Gamepad looked so washed out it made me hate actually using it. The Switch has a gorgeous screen!

Yeah i too wish she compared it to the Wii U gamepad instead

 

[10k]

God this video just outlines how fucking cheap the tech was in 3DS to make autostereoscopic 3D affordable.

Bless the Switch. I love this thing more and more everyday.

I will say though I'm curious about the 2DS XL. That thing looks sleek as fuck.

 

[Astral Dog]

For the minor issues she identifies with the screen, can one reasonably expect Nintendo to address them with subsequent hardware revisions? Has Nintendo done this in the past with previous portables they've taken through product revisions?

the common expectation is that they get worse over time

 

[Cerium]

Iirc Japan Display Inc. (They produce the Switch LCD screens) also make LCD screens for Apple products so that definitely speaks to the quality of their product.

Using a single screen manufacturer is surely going to bottleneck their production though.

Would it be worth it to increase production with multiple suppliers even if it meant inconsistency in the screen?

 

[KtSlime]

I love this logic. like saying "I rammed by car into the curb and it ripped up my rims! Just buy shit ugly steel ones since you will just wreck it anyway!"

If your suggestion is that people should be more careful to not drop their Switch, might I suggest to you not to scratch the screen? Then you should have no worry if the screen is glass or plastic.

 

[pretty done]

The 3DS screens are ridiculous

I've been saying this since 2012. Amazing game library butchered by some of the worst hardware I've ever used.

 

[Astral Dog]

I initially dissed Switch for having 720p screen in 2017, but now that I have the thing I must admit I was very wrong, each day I hope Crunchyroll and Netflix would hurry the up with their apps so I could use it for streaming.
The IPS screen Switch uses is just delight to look at.

Many Switch games are going to be sub HD/native already. Believe they made the best decision possible

People just want to look at a number.

 

[Cerium]

Many Switch games are going to be sub HD/native already.

We only have two examples so far and one of those was due to lolUnity and a 60fps patch.

 

[Draper]

Yep, it's a very impressive screen.

Too bad it's not really a handheld...

Guys, I'm doing it! I'm taking this plane down!

 

[Astral Dog]

We only have two examples so far and one of those was due to lolUnity and a 60fps patch.

Yep but its launch.better to keep expectations low than to be dissapointed.i expect Nintendo to do well on that though