I've made peace with it: now's the time I swap my standard Nintendo Switch for the Nintendo Switch OLED. Congratulations, Black Friday, you've got me.
It's a considerable about-turn for me. I wasn't all that fussed when the brand-new console from the house of Mario launched at the end of last year. Sure, the Nintendo Switch OLED has a gorgeous new screen and a superior kickstand compared to the flimsy wet noodle precariously attached to the OG Switch, but both provoked little more than a shrug of indifference from me.
My thinking was also guided by the fact that my game time on the Switch was infrequent back then. Nothing on the console grabbed me. I was maybe picking it up a handful of times each month and mostly just impatiently waiting to fire it up again for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
And even though there was an opportunity to trade in my current Switch to save on the new console, it felt like I'd be doing it for the sake of it rather than out of a real desire for the OLED version. Plus, in the back of my mind, I was expecting the announcement of the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro at any minute.
It's happening, right? Maybe? Any minute now...
Nintendo Switch OLED: why I'm upgrading
So, what's changed? Well, two things, really.
The first is that I'm on the Switch a lot more lately. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has gripped me, for one, and it's great to play in handheld mode. When I'm sitting on the sofa with 20 minutes to spare I jump into a quick hunt or I've found commuting to work is the perfect time to farm some monster parts. It's here I think I'd appreciate the upgrade to the brighter and sharper OLED display as a way to distract from the unease feeling of wiping out entire ecosystems hanging over me.
And while it's been a mostly positive experience dabbling with Xbox Cloud Gaming for my games fix away from the TV, the unreliability of a mobile connection when cut off from a stable WiFi connection has shown the limits of that exciting if still upcoming tech.
The second is that it's Black Friday - you might've heard of it - and there are actually some strong Nintendo Switch OLED deals available today.
The one that's got me ready to smash that buy button in between hunting down all the best Black Friday deals for you to check out is this excellent value bundle at Argos. It comes with a Nintendo Switch OLED, one extra game and a £20 Argos voucher (already pre-spent on some new pots and pans - premium adulting here) all for a grand total of £329.99.
The choice of games isn't the usual shovelware, either. It's some of the console's biggest titles, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Splatoon 3, and even the brand new Pokémon Scarlet or Violet. One of these for just £20 feels like actual theft.
And while there isn't a bundle deal as strong in the US, you can still save $30 on just the Nintendo Switch OLED at Woot. One to consider on that side of the pond
So, by the time I've traded in or fobbed off my current Switch second-hand, along with one of those Pokémon games (sorry, not a fan) I expect I'll have paid somewhere around £100 for the improved console. That's worth it in my eyes.
Is there a chance I get burned by the announcement of the Nintendo Switch Pro as soon as I make the upgrade? Almost certainly. But at least you can come back and thank me for manifesting the more powerful 4K version of Nintendo's console after months of hushed whispers and disappointment.
However, if you feel like joining me on the upgrade path, you can also browse through all the best Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals available today and make the leap, too.
