What’s The Best Portable Projector for The Nintendo Switch?

Written by James Core in Buying Guide

One portable device deserves another. The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo’s answer to the lackluster sales of the Wii-U, creating a home gaming console that doubles as a hybrid portable console for good measure. It’s a powerful device that allows you to play it with your HDTV set or projector like a normal home console or take it with you on the go like a portable console such as the Nintendo Game Boy, DS, or 3DS. It’s the best of both worlds.

With that said, what’s the best portable projector for the similarly portable Nintendo Switch? Which portable or pocket projector brand should you purchase in order to play Breath of the Wild with an audience? Or play multiplayer Smash Brothers Ultimate perhaps? Read on to find out. 

What Is The Nintendo Switch?

Nintendo’s latest videogame console as of writing in 2020 is the Nintendo Switch. It competes with Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One as part of the 8th Generation of consoles. It’s both a portable and home console. It was released back in March 3, 2017. This hybrid model can be used as a portable device like a Game Boy or 3DS. It can also be used as a normal game console at home like the NES, the Wii, or the GameCube. It uses Joy-Con controllers that are wireless and based off the Wii Remote and requests by customers to have a smaller version of such.

 

  • What Are The Joy-Con Controllers? Joy-Con controllers are wireless and have standard buttons for directional control, menu selection, and player action. It even has analog sticks, motion sensors, and tactile feedback to boot. They’re unique in that they can slide and attach themselves to the sides of the console with screen that looks like a gigantic tablet with touchscreen. This allows you to do handheld-style play on the detachable console screen.

 

  • Grip Accessory, Twin Grip System, and Multiplayer: The Switch also comes with a grip accessory that provides the traditional home console a method of transforming into a gamepad version of itself. You can also individually use the Joy-Cons in hand like the Nunchuk and Wii Remote from the Nintendo Wii console. This twin grip system allows you to do local multiplayer modes and games with ease. The software of the console also supports online gaming to boot for your online multiplayer needs.

 

  • The Switch Software and Online Connectivity: The Nintendo Switch software is indeed renowned for its support for Internet connectivity and online gaming, which is a huge deal because it allows you to do multiplayer at home or while on the go anywhere with a fast enough Wi-Fi connection. You can also use your mobile plan in order to play online games in tandem with your Switch. It even has local wireless “ad hoc” connectivity that can assist you in connecting to other nearby Switch consoles so that you can play Smash Brothers together.

 

  • Switch Games Available in ROM Carts and Downloads: You can avail of Switch games on physical flash-based ROM cartridges as well as digital distribution online. Just buy the games on the Nintendo eShop to own various titles, from Breath of the Wild to Super Smash Bros Ultimate. What’s more, the system doesn’t have region lockout included. Nintendo has implemented other means of discouraging piracy than the old region-based lockout for their cartridges and discs in the past.

Brief Nintendo Switch History

NX was the codename of the Switch while under development. The concept for the hybrid console originated from Nintendo’s reaction to several financial losses in 2014 from the Wii-U sales, a fellow 8th Generation console that was supposed to be the Wii’s sequel. Additionally, the mobile gaming market’s competition remained under NIntendo’s belt to boot, so making a home console that can double as a portable one makes the most sense to them. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s president at the time, pushed Nintendo towards novel hardware and mobile gaming as well.

 

  • The Hardware Design: The Nintendo Switch is designed to have multiple modes of use to appeal to a wider demographic of videogame players than before. It uses more standard electronic components such as a chipset based off of the Nvidia’s Tegra to ensure the console is developed easier and faster before the 9th generation of videogame consoles come to pass. This new chipset also makes it easier for programmers to program their games since it’s more compatible with all existing engines compared to using propriety hardware from Nintendo.

 

  • The Wii-U Struggle: Nintendo learned from its mistakes in making the Wii-U and the sales it lost. To be more specific, it struggled getting external support from third parties, thus leaving it with a weak software library composed of “shovelware” that the Wii itself suffered from at the end of its lifecycle. Nintendo proactively searched for support from third-party publishers and developers to assist in building the game library of the Switch along with Nintendo’s expected line of in-house first-party titles.

 

  • Independent and Third-Party Videogame Studios: Another thing that helped prop up Wii-U sales despite its struggle is to compete with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is the rise of the indie gaming scene around the early 2010s. This is the reason why when the Switch was launched they also reached out to indie developers for their new console. Even though the company expected 100 titles for the first year, by the end of 2017 they instead got 320 titles from independent, third-party, and in-house developers instead.

 

  • Unveiling, Launch, and Sales: October 2016 was when the Nintendo Switch was first unveiled. Then, it was released on March 3, 2017 in most areas around the world. Nearly 3 million units were shipped within the first month it was launched, which exceeded Nintendo’s projection of 2 million units. Within a year, it outsold the lifetime sales of the Wii-U and it shipped over 14 million units to users globally. Although the PS4 had a significant head-start on the Switch in terms of lifetime sales, the Switch nevertheless is the fastest-selling home console in both the U.S. and Japan since 2018. It sold more than 41 million units around the globe as of September 2019.

 

  • The Reason for The Switch’s Success: The Switch isn’t just a rehash of the Wii like the Wii-U. It doesn’t have an awkward-to-program-and-implement tablet controller scheme gimmick like the Wii-U did. Its strong sales were also tied to some of Nintendo’s best first-party titles to date, such as Super Smash  Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Pokemon: Let’s Go, and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Each title sold at least over 10 million units each. The Nintendo Switch Lite, a more handheld version of the console, was then made available in September 20, 2019.

 

Finding The Best Portable Projector the Nintendo Switch

According to Amazon.com recommendations and our own research on the topic, the Artlii 4000 Lux Full HD 1080P Support Projector is probably the best portable projector for the Nintendo Switch. Sure, there might be plenty of other projectors out there that are compatible with Nintendo Switch, but this particular projector is recommended by Amazon for good reason—it’s portable and it offers just the right amount of high-resolution display to fit the needs of the gamer on the go.

  • A Good Quality Projector: It’s always expensive to invest in a good quality projector. When looking for a Switch-compatible projector that’s portable to boot to match the portability of the console itself, it’s highly recommended that you avoid projectors made specifically for the Switch. Those questionable products have a lower quality to price ratio compared to getting a conventional projector that’s not necessarily made with the Switch in mind. If you insist on adding a projector peripheral to your Switch, get one with an HDMI connector. The TV remains your cheapest option for widescreen display.

 

  • The Things You Need to Unpack About Projectors: There are certain things you need to unpack when it comes to using projectors compared to HDTVs and panel displays. More to the point, the Switch doesn’t have many special requirements for TVs and projectors to make it more universally appealing and usable on any display appliance. You’re good to go as long as your projector is capable of outputting 1080p resolution at 60 hertz. Your HDMI input should also be an HDCP complaint. That way, you’re assured everything will work and all those HDMI handshakes are ironed out.

 

  • DLP versus LCD versus LCoS: Digital Light Processor (DLP) projectors are more cost-effective than Light Crystal Display (LCD) projectors when they have comparable specs with each other. You can go the LCD route if you value what it offers specs-wise over DLPs despite the latter being more advanced in tech terms. However, no projector is cheap across the board. Also, Light Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) projectors are probably the most expensive option of them all since they’re essentially a hybrid of DLP and LCD the same way the Switch is a hybrid of home and portable consoles.

 

  • Avoid Cheap Toy Projectors: Avoid travel, budget, cheap, or toy projectors since they give you a terrible output in exchange for their low quality. If your projection is lower quality than what you’re getting from the Switch’s built-in screen/controller then that’s not a good investment. It’s presumably under the two thousand bucks range of laser projectors. In fairness, you have less to worry about with them. Just plug them in and point them at a wall or screen. However, you’ll need some distance to get a viewable angle and it needs a pitch-black room to not look faint or ghostly.

 

  • Large Screen with Bright and Crisp Image: What’s the point of getting a bigger blown-up image of what you’re seeing on your Switch screen if the image comes out faint, terrible, and barely visible? This is why you should invest in the Artlii 4000 Lux Full HD 1080P Support Projector. It has enough brightness to be a conference room or presentation projector that can pierce through rooms with the brightest of ambient light. Furthermore, its display offers an unbelievable viewing experience over a 200-inch projection screen and a 1080p image filled with vivid, natural color reproduction.

 

  • Built-in Dolby Stereo: Most projector manufacturers add the built-in speaker of their projector as an afterthought, figuring that most consumers will invest in their own Bluetooth or home cinema audio system anyway. However, Artii understands the importance of high-quality audio for a portable projector that can be used on the go with the Switch or for backyard movie nights. The audio output is so loud you’ll turn it down right away. It’s perfect when you’re playing alone or with friends or with an audience even! The powerful 3W speakers will give you all the bass and treble you need for your listening pleasure.

 

  • Lower Noise and Dual Fan Cooling: You won’t be distracted while playing most any 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit, polygonal, 3D, and so forth game as it’s projected on the wall or the big screen by a loud fan on your device. Artlii is a Full HD projector that doesn’t only support all sorts of connectors. It also has an effective noise reduction system that assures you of a cool device and a quiet fan so that the only sounds coming from your projector are those from its built-in Dolby stereo and not a noisy fan whirring around to cool it off. You won’t be bothered while playing or even watching a movie on the big screen ever again!

 

  • The Ideal Switch Projector: The Artlii 4000 Lux Full HD 1080P Support Projector is your ideal videogame console projector for Switch because it’s portable and it displays crisp images and amazing sound from its high-fidelity stereo that you can totally connect a Bluetooth or wired speaker on for additional surround sound and music pleasure. It also supports full 1080p that the Switch is capable of meeting, unlike the lower-specs of the Wii. It doesn’t offer 4K Ultra HD resolutions though but it’s still amazingly bright with its 4,000-lumens of piercing brightness even when playing in daylight or outdoors.

 

  • Stand and Manual Keystone Correction: The Artlii 4000 Support Projector comes with a small stand on the front of it. You can adjust it to allow you to tilt it up to project it at screens that are higher rather than perfectly parallel to its lens. What’s more, the device also comes with manual keystone correction that allows you to correct the keystoning effect when projecting at an awkward angle, thus assuring you a square or rectangular videogame or movie image every time when push comes to shove. You don’t need boxes or books to prop it up properly.

 

  • A Cinematic Screen: Instead of looking for walls to project the projector on when playing Super Smash Bros. or Pokemon on the go, you can instead use a 200-inch projection screen for it or something similar like a wall with projection screen paint on its surface or curtains if you’re in a real pinch. Just remember that the rougher the surface you’re using, like a brick wall or the pavement, the less clear the image will be. Screen not included with the package but screen size for the Artlii 4000 can be as small as 44 inches or as big as 200 inches.

 

  • Universal Connectivity and What’s in The Box: The Artlii 4000 Projector also comes with connectivity with HDMI, VGA, USB, AV, and so forth so that you can even use old-school videogame console or VCRs on it on top of using it for the Switch, PS4, and Xbox One as well as Blu-Ray or DVD players. The whole package itself includes the Artii Portable Home Cinema Projector, English instruction booklet, a full-featured infrared remote control, a 1.5 meter HDMI cable, a power cable, and an AV cable.

 

  • What The Artlii 4000 Brings to The Table Overall: The Artlii 4000 specifically offers the average Switch with a 4,000 lumens or lux brightness to combat the detriments of daylight or ambient light, a 16:9 aspect ratio, a screen size that measures from 44 inches to 200 inches, a built-in speaker, the 1920 x 1080 supported resolution, 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, VGA port, AV port, and Micro SD port. Additionally, this device weighs only 5.5 pounds and has dimensions of 12 x 9 x 4 inches. It’s as portable as you can get. You can bring this with your Switch since both can fit inside a backpack or purse.

 

When All Is Said and Done

The Nintendo Switch is a new-gen console by Nintendo made for the late 2010s. It’s supposed to compete with the Sony PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One because its Wii-U console went below sales expectations. The Switch is supposed to be their portable console release but with a twist—it combined home console and portable console concepts together into one single device. In light of its portability yet usability at home, it makes sense that you have an accompanying projector on hand in case you want to play on the go without lugging around a huge TV screen with you.  When all is said and done, you can’t go wrong with the cost-effective value of the Artlii 4000 Lux Full HD 1080P Support Projector as your portable Switch projector of choice.

 

References:

 

Image Credit:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanthescooterguy/24253947158/in/pool-nintendoswitch/

James Core

I love my projector system and I am here to help you find the right projector for your needs.

Recent Posts