Published , by John Gaudiosi
Published , by John Gaudiosi
If you’ve ever been holding your Nintendo Switch and thought that you could use another four or five inches of screen size, the Orion peripheral by Up-Switch might be exactly what you need. This portable HD 11.6-inch IPS monitor will dwarf even the beefy OLED model.
The Orion is listed on the Up-Switch website for a price of $299.99 USD and, while it looks primarily marketed towards beefing up your screen size for the Nintendo Switch, is also compatible with Xbox (it doesn’t specify which one), PS5, PS4, smart phones, and laptops (again, no smart phone or laptop models are specified). What’s wild is that the Orion is listed at the same price point as an actual Nintendo Switch straight from Nintendo’s website. You could literally just buy a second Nintendo Switch instead, although I guess that doesn’t fix your need for another four or five inches on your current screen.
The additional size doesn’t stop with the screen, though, as the Orion comes in at a whopping 1.5 lb, which is more than a half-pound heavier than the OLED and standard Nintendo Switch, and more than double the weight of the Switch Lite. Using the Orion with an OLED model would push the weight to 2.43 lb, which in the gaming universe is considered properly encumbered. If you want a bit more context in terms of the weight, the Xbox Series S only weight 4.25 lb.
Unfortunately, the Orion has zero product reviews on the Up-Switch website, but there is a giant description that states, “It’s time to play your favorite Nintendo Switch games without compromise!” I’m going to pause on that one, because while adding a Nintendo Switch Lite in screen size is at least interesting, I feel like there’s a massive compromise, mainly that you’ll need a weight-lifting regime to build up the muscle mass required to hold this for long periods of time.
In all seriousness, I’d try this thing out. I’m not at all confident that it solves any problems for me in terms of the Nintendo Switch. Perhaps it makes sense if you’re trying to take your PlayStation or Xbox on the road and don’t have a monitor or television to plug it into. Then again, you could just buy a Nintendo Switch instead and take that with you.