With the huge success of the Nintendo Switch, it's no surprise to see a variation on the original console making its debut today. The Nintendo Switch Lite is a smaller, cheaper version of the device, made exclusively for handheld use – the Joy-Cons aren't detachable, and there's no big-screen dock.
At US$199.99, it's two-thirds the price of the big Nintendo Switch, and that's a substantial drop in price: enough to make gamers who thought twice about picking up the original gaming device take the plunge with the Switch Lite.
Almost all the games are going to be the same though, and will run on both the Nintendo Switch or the Nintendo Switch Lite – they'll just be on a 5.5-inch screen rather than a 6.2-inch screen. Nintendo says some titles may have "restrictions" in terms of the tabletop mode that the Switch Lite won't support (you can wireless connect an extra pair of Joy-Cons to the new handheld if you want to).
"Adding Nintendo Switch Lite to the lineup gives gamers more color and price point options," Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser said in a statement to the press. "Now consumers can choose the system that best suits how they like to play their favorite Nintendo Switch games."
Another small tweak on the Nintendo Switch Lite is the introduction of a proper d-pad, replacing the discrete directional buttons of the original. It doesn't support HD Rumble or the IR Motion Camera either, and there's no kickstand (because there's no tabletop mode to take advantage of).
Thanks to the more compact casing and smaller screens, you should be able to get more battery life out of the Nintendo Switch Lite: Nintendo is quoting 3-7 hours between recharges, depending on the game you're playing, compared with the 2.5-6.5 hours officially quoted for the Nintendo Switch.
The new Nintendo Switch Lite should attract even more gamers into the Switch fold, and can also be seen as a true successor to the Nintendo 3DS. The new cut-down console goes on sale on September 20, and your color choices are yellow, gray and turquoise. You can check out Nintendo's preview video below.
Source: Nintendo