Nintendo’s long-rumored smaller, cheaper version of its popular Switch was officially announced today. But should this new device, named Switch Lite, really be called a Switch?
The Lite is more portable. It’s about a half-inch shorter, an inch wider, has a smaller screen that measures 5.5 inches. Nintendo says the battery should last about an hour longer—between four and seven hours, up from a maximum of six on the bigger Switch. Also, the Switch Lite will cost $200, which is $100 cheaper than the standard Switch.
Shaving off an inch and a Benjamin does have its own price: The Switch Lite does not have its namesake ability to switch between modes of play, so it stays in handheld mode. It does not have detachable Joy-Con controllers or a kickstand to play in a tabletop configuration and curiously it cannot connect to a TV at all. It doesn’t come with a TV dock like the standard Switch, and owners cannot connect it to an existing dock or purchase one separately.
Grab and GoThe Switch Lite appears to be a spiritual successor to the aging Nintendo 3DS. The controls are similar to a standard Switch in handheld mode, though the Lite has a differently styled D-pad on its left side and does not have rumble features.
It has the same USB-C charger, a 1,280 x 720 pixel LCD touchscreen, and 32 gigabytes of game storage—thankfully, again with a MicroSD slot since about 6 GB is required by the operating system and some games can take up 7 GB or more. It also has a custom Nvidia Tegra processor, like the Switch. The Lite has a smaller battery, despite its (slightly) longer battery life. Nintendo upgraded its Bluetooth version from 3.0 to 4.1, potentially adding better low-energy support for accessories.
Photograph: Nintendo
