Nintendo Announces Handheld-Only 'Switch Lite'

[roseychu]

There’s a new Switch on the way, and it’s a whole lot smaller. Today Nintendo revealed the Switch Lite, designed as a less expensive alternative to the original tablet / console hybrid. It comes in at $199 — $100 less than the base unit — and for that price you get a streamlined version of the Switch, but also a few caveats. The Switch Lite is designed explicitly as a handheld: you can’t connect it to your TV, and the Joy-Con controllers are built right in. “The two systems will complement each other and co-exist in the marketplace,” Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser tells The Verge.

There are a number of improvements with the Switch Lite. It’s significantly lighter, for one thing; I played with one for around 20 minutes, and the difference was noticeable, particularly when you pick up an original Switch afterwards. The Switch Lite also feels more sturdy since the Joy-Con controllers are now part of the device. The controller layout is largely identical on the Lite, though the new Switch has a proper d-pad, replacing the not-so-precise directional buttons on the original.

“THE TWO SYSTEMS WILL COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER.”
Nintendo says the Lite features “slightly” improved battery life — the company wouldn’t get any more specific than that — due to a more power-efficient chip layout, as well as the lack of additional batteries in the built-in controllers. The Switch Lite also does away with the device’s controversial kickstand.

It’s also just a really nice piece of hardware. The Lite comes in multiple colors at launch — yellow, grey, and turquoise — as well as a special light grey Pokémon Sword and Shieldedition, and they all have a pleasant matte texture that feels great to hold. And while the screen is slightly smaller, it didn’t bother me much during intense battles in Breath of the Wild. (Despite the change in size, the resolution for the Switch Lite’s display remains the same 720p as the original Switch, though curiously you can no longer adjust the brightness.)

The new device has a 5.5-inch touch display, compared to 6.2-inch for its predecessor. If you take a single Joy-Con off of an original Switch, you’ll have a good idea of the size of the new version. There are some other nice touches as well, like bezels and an air vent that match the color of the hardware, so they blend in better. Overall it’s a solid device, and exactly what you’d expect from this kind of refresh.

THE NEW DESIGN COMES WITH SOME TRADEOFFS
The smaller iteration of the Switch has been rumored for some time, along with reports that a more powerful version of the console was on the way. According to Nintendo’s Bowser, the decision to focus on a portable-only option was based on watching how people used the Switch. “It’s more about how we’ve observed them playing,” he says of the console’s audience. “We have the ability to track how people play games and play our titles, so I would say that it’s really an option that offers more choices to people.”

RELATED
Nintendo says the Switch Lite isn’t going to replace the 3DS
But that new design does come with some tradeoffs. The most notable is the inability to connect to a television; that flexibility has been a large part of the Switch’s appeal. Similarly, the built-in controls and their lack of detachable controllers, HD rumble, and IR sensors creates some small compatibility issues. If you want to use motion controls to catch monsters in Pokémon Let’s Go, or play a game like 1-2 Switch that requires them, you’ll need to purchase an additional pair of Joy-Con separately. Currently, all Switch game packages specify when titles are playable in portable mode, and Nintendo says similar labels will be applied to the digital eShop. If you attempt to purchase a game that’s incompatible with the Switch Lite from the eShop, the company says you’ll receive a warning.

Aside from the new design and those few changes, the Switch Lite and the original Switch are largely identical. Nintendo says there’s no performance difference between the two models, and you can still use the same accessories with the Lite, including Joy-Con controllers, the Switch Pro Controller, and the Poké Ball Plus. The Switch Lite still supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC, and has built-in gyro controls.

Since its debut in March 2017, Nintendo has sold just shy of 35 million Switch units worldwide. Bowser says the timing of the redesigned Switch Lite is meant to capitalize on that initial success, and it should be bolstered by upcoming holiday games like Pokémon Sword and Shield and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

“We believe the timing is right when we have momentum,” Bowser explains. “This is the perfect opportunity for us to offer more choices, and to bring more consumers into Nintendo Switch in the third year. When you tie that with the software that we just announced at E3, we’ve got a perfect opportunity as we head into the holiday.”

The Nintendo Switch Lite is launching on September 20th — the same day as Link’s Awakening — for $199.99. The Pokémon version will be out on November 8th at the same price.

The Verge

 

[tokki]

seems interesting...so you can play all of the current switch titles on it?
i wanted a switch for a bit but just couldn't afford it...this is way more affordable imo

 

[BlessMeAchoo]

It's too bad they didn't release this along with the original, I never use mine connected to the TV so I could have saved some money lol
Plus mine has problems when the joy cons aren't connected so the lite wouldn't have that issue.

 

[roseychu]

It's too bad they didn't release this along with the original, I never use mine connected to the TV so I could have saved some money lol
Plus mine has problems when the joy cons aren't connected so the lite wouldn't have that issue.

Really?? I use it with the TV all the time haha

 

[your oppa]

omgg maybe ill buy this instead of a full switch

 

[hotsushi-kun]

Pretty interesting, its more like an Slim version of Playstation though. I own all of Playstation slim consoles though.

 

[vortex]

honestly might sell my switch to get this. my joycons act up quite a bit, and this one looks more sturdy.
and the colors are so cute.

 

[niyin]

seems interesting...so you can play all of the current switch titles on it?
i wanted a switch for a bit but just couldn't afford it...this is way more affordable imo

they said they going to report if on the back of the games' case, and on the eshop
but they showed in the announcement mostly pictures of nintendo exclusives so yeah, i think u can play most of them

anyway, wanted to get a switch but i don't have enough space to play it on tv (i have ps2/3/4 attached on the main tv lol) so i'd have played it handled or on table... this is very convenient especially for the price and the fact it has pretty much the same CPU/GPU and memory, so its not even downgraded

 

[tokki]

they said they going to report if on the back of the games' case, and on the eshop
but they showed in the announcement mostly pictures of nintendo exclusives so yeah, i think u can play most of them

anyway, wanted to get a switch but i don't have enough space to play it on tv (i have ps2/3/4 attached on the main tv lol) so i'd have played it handled or on table... this is very convenient especially for the price and the fact it has pretty much the same CPU/GPU and memory, so its not even downgraded

ah that's pretty cool
i don't see myself needing the tv connection anyway so i'll probably look into the lite instead then esp if it could play mario kart + the new animal crossing that's supposed to come out

 

[lisssie]

I already have a switch and everything, but these do look nice and I'm sure they'll sell well

 

[Kaitoh]

Definitely interesting

 

[hotsushi-kun]

Let's celebrate its fouth anniversary of Satoru Iwata, he created a lot of things that nostalgia fans will always love him no matter what.

 

[Joker]

This won’t sell. It makes no sense why would anyone buy a lower quality of Nintendo switch when you can get a good quality brand new switch for 250$-300$ if you bargain hunt. A lot of online sites are selling BRAND NEW high end switch for so cheap now a days. Save your money and wait for the switch PRO early next year.

 

[ScarletRose]

I like handhelds more so I'm definitely interested in this a little more than the normal Switch.

 

[niyin]

This won’t sell. It makes no sense why would anyone buy a lower quality of Nintendo switch when you can get a good quality brand new switch for 250$-300$ if you bargain hunt. A lot of online sites are selling BRAND NEW high end switch for so cheap now a days. Save your money and wait for the switch PRO early next year.

saying it won't sell sounds a little too much, when it got just announced lol
but anyway, "lower quality" is not really because they have the same hardware (NVIDIA customised Tegra processor) and memory (32 GB), just smaller screen and not being able to be docked, so all the good things u could get playing on a big tv screen.
(no joy-con? thank god, since its launch ppl say those things breaks and are not the best)

also, nintendo 3DS is literally at the end of its life circle, and nintendo needs a new handheld console. here a good analysis about this:



not everyone is a gamer, some ppl don't care about a PRO version or else, so if nintendo wants to release a handheld console that is cheaper, that is more friendly to casual players or even kids why not

 

[Joker]

saying it won't sell sounds a little too much, when it got just announced lol
but anyway, "lower quality" is not really because they have the same hardware (NVIDIA customised Tegra processor) and memory (32 GB), just smaller screen and not being able to be docked, so all the good things u could get playing on a big tv screen.
(no joy-con? thank god, since its launch ppl say those things breaks and are not the best)

also, nintendo 3DS is literally at the end of its life circle, and nintendo needs a new handheld console. here a good analysis about this:



not everyone is a gamer, some ppl don't care about a PRO version or else, so if nintendo wants to release a handheld console that is cheaper, that is more friendly to casual players or even kids why not

Assuming they fixed the drifting joycons well if they didn’t you’ll have 200$ paperweight lol. Like I said it’s a lower quality of the real switch. People will eat it up like sheeps. I’ll save my money for the new and upcoming Nintendo switch pro in 2020.

 

[niyin]

Assuming they fixed the drifting joycons well if they didn’t you’ll have 200$ paperweight lol. Like I said it’s a lower quality of the real switch. People will eat it up like sheeps. I’ll save my money for the new and upcoming Nintendo switch pro in 2020.

thats your opinion and u do whatever with ur money, but calling ppl sheeps that is not an argument, thats just an insult to ppl intelligence

also again, why lower quality? its literally a smaller switch, that make u play switch games. i'd agree if the hardware was different and downgraded but its clearly not.

 

[Joker]

thats your opinion and u do whatever with ur money, but calling ppl sheeps that is not an argument, thats just an insult to ppl intelligence

also again, why lower quality? its literally a smaller switch, that make u play switch games. i'd agree if the hardware was different and downgraded but its clearly not.

Show me the exact specs of it what processor etc because I’ve seen nothing no information that’s it’s exactly the same as the normal switch. Stop spreading fake news that’s it’s the same as the normal switch.



This is the only thing I’ve seen so far it’s definitely not the same as the normal switch. You see that key sentence only games that support handheld mode. Like I said it’s a low quality switch. From what I’m also reading there no multiplayer too LOL because of no tabletop mode. Yeah don’t be a sheep just spend the extra 50-100 more for the better version of switch.

 

[niyin]

first, fake news is inappropriate and its just a game console, get a grib

second, just go on nintendo official site and they have THE ACTUAL COMPARISON they even said it on the announcement. it has the same hardware but not the iconic features like docking or else because its HANDHELD

You see that key sentence only games that support handheld mode. Like I said it’s a low quality switch. From what I’m also reading there no multiplayer too LOL because of no tabletop mode. Yeah don’t be a sheep just spend the extra 50-100 more for the better version of switch.

i'd never guess why the new handheld nintendo console would support only handheld mode, really a mistery...
there is multiplayer both online and local.
also you keep saying low quality but not knowing what it means and repeating the same stuff over and over.

i was nice enough to reply after u started screaming "fake news" , im done with this argument.

 

[Pandaa]

im only getting a switch for pokemon, so might look into this version