The Orion by Up-Switch is a casual gamer’s upgrade. It is exactly what I need when I’m finding I need the text on those RPGs I like to play magnified and although I missed the crowdfunding campaign, I’m glad it’s made it to market. I should’ve come with some extra accessories though, like a screen protector for the Nintendo Switch. I’m very worried the device’s display might get scuffed when put into this ultra-sized screen extender. There’s no padding to ensure that the investment won’t get damaged.
As much as I like this product, the only issue I’m finding is that the makers recommend their own branded external power bank for use. As long as other third party units meet the requirement (10,000mAh), any other power supply will do. At home, the company recommends using the cube that comes with the Switch, and that’s one I agree must be used. I tried other power adapters, and they don’t work as nicely.
However, not everyone will want to bring this along to a park, since the seemingly fragile construction may mean destruction of the device. The glare is bad until I find a screen protector. I can see it being useful when a gamer is winding down in their hotel room, playing a game they recently acquired at a convention, but depending on the outdoor lighting conditions, it’s not always convenient.
The built-in attachment for controllers is decent, but to make it sturdy, thankfully owners have options. Bolts are used to turn the side attachment into a PlayStation like controller.
This large 11.6 inch (29.46 cm) IPS gaming monitor is also compatible with other devices. All that’s needed is a USB-C to HDMI, or regular HDMI cable. If you want to extend your screen for monitoring emails or Discord, it works. It doubles as a spare television to watch short YouTube videos in. The kickstand is built in, but as for where one can put their smartphone or iPad device, the straps do work but owners still need to buy an adapter cable to make use of. An issue also concerns rotating the device the right way so it fills the screen instead of filling a small chunk.
The instructions state how to connect your devices, but for those who don’t read it, it can be a bit frustrating. Plus, I don’t think the native resolution is 1080p. The specs aren’t advertised since we don’t know exactly what we’re getting, The hefty price-tag is not for everyone, but for those who want more screen space, they may be willing to pay the equivalent of another Switch for the visual bump.
There’s a bit of latency for those games with high frame rates, and as for what it’s designed for, it’s simply to give players a bigger screen. It’s great for Baldur’s Gate and Civilization VI for the Switch, but as for those other ones which require touch-screen access, this device isn’t for you.
Original Orion by Up-Switch product pitch
Disclaimer: The product was provided by Up-Switch for product review and we spent several days testing it with various devices before publishing this evaluation.
