Nintendo has finally announced the new Nintendo Switch model. Ever since the original Switch launched back on March 3rd, 2017, rumors have popped up about Nintendo designing a smaller version of the platform. After a company was posting accessories for it and Nintendo not commenting on the situation, it was only a matter of time before we would see it officially announced.
Now that it’s out, here’s the information that you need to know about the Switch Lite. The Switch Lite will launch on September 20th at the retail price of $199.99 USD and will be available in three different colors: grey, turquoise, and yellow. A carrying case and screen protector will also be available, and a special Pokémon edition of the console has also been revealed.
The new console has integrated controls and is smaller than the standard Switch. It has no kickstand and does not support video output to a TV. Therefore, you won’t find a dock or HDMI cable included. The Switch Lite can play all the games that support handheld mode, although Nintendo notes that some games “will have restrictions”… so there’s a chance that some games may need an update to play on the Switch. It has also been confirmed that you can wirelessly connect Joy-Con controllers to the console. It has been also confirmed that you will be able to transfer your save files from your Nintendo Switch over to the Switch Lite (via the cloud) but this won’t be available at launch.
Speaking of things that won’t be available, the Switch Lite is not dockable … so you won’t be able to play this on your TV (as mentioned above). On top of that, there will be no Labo support for this model. As the Switch Lite is designed to be a true console on the go, it will have no detachable Joy-Cons … so please be careful. Lastly, since the console won’t have any removable Joy-Cons, that also means no HD rumble as those separable controllers were designed with HD rumble in mind (but there will probably still be some sort of rumble feature).
Now that this product is out in the open and also seeing what features that it doesn’t feature, it honestly reminds me of Nintendo’s 2DS. The 2DS was basically a 3DS with missing features, you couldn’t close it, the stereoscopic 3D was removed and a few other things as well (I’m pretty sure anyway). With this version of the Switch coming out in two months time, it does get you wondering about the future of the 3DS/2DS handhelds — and yes, Nintendo did say they plan to support those into the future but plans can change (or their handheld division as a whole as the Switch Lite is officially more of handheld then a console).
Even with all of the attributes this doesn’t include, it’d still be a fun system to own as this model is definitely for the person who is traveling more than the average person. Additionally, it is a Nintendo console so I’m pretty sure this will sell well to those that have been waiting for this model (and $199 USD isn’t bad for this) … but is it worth it? With how successful the Nintendo Switch has been, there is no real reason to pick up this new Switch model unless you’re hardcore collector or have to replace a broken Switch. If you haven’t picked up a Switch yet though, this might be the time that you want to grab one.
Will you be picking up the Nintendo Switch Lite? Or will you wait to read the reviews after the release? Let me know in the comments below, and stay tuned to GamingLyfe for more news!
