As has been speculated for months now, the Switch Lite is real and we finally have the formal announcement from Nintendo. Opinions seem to be all over the place on the hardware, but we want to break down all of the details for you. First, here’s the official announcement from Nintendo.
The Details
- The Lite will retail for $199 (currently $100 less than the Switch MSRP) and launches on September 20th.
- It will not connect to a TV via USB-C/HDMI anymore. It is purely a handheld system.
- The screen size has been reduced to 5.5 inches (down from 6.2 inches). It is still 720p.
- It does not have detachable joy-cons nor does it have rumble/IR sensors.
- As the unit is smaller, it is also not compatible with Labo kits.
- The battery is said to last approximately 30% longer than the standard Switch.
Lastly, there will be a special edition Switch Lite releasing in November to commemorate the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Our Take
This is an interesting formal announcement from Nintendo. In many ways, they’ve simply taken the Switch name and brought it forward to replace the 2DS which quite frankly, it not only what we’ve discussed for months, but brilliant as it will sell extremely well. On the other hand, the Lite is the Switch that doesn’t have the “Switch” capability and removes several key features that will impact a number of games.
It’s an interesting piece of kit but as we always discuss here at SG, Nintendo seems to know how to reach their fanbase and we have no doubts this will do the same. For us though, we anxiously await potential news of a Switch “Pro” with a bigger, 1080p screen and more powerful hardware.