Theres a new Switch on the way, and its 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 cant 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. Its 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.
Nintendo says the Lite features “slightly” improved battery life — the company wouldnt 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 devices controversial kickstand.
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Its 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 Shield edition, and they all have a pleasant matte texture that feels great to hold. And while the screen is slightly smaller, it didnt bother me much during intense battles in Breath of the Wild. (Despite the change in size, the resolution for the Switch Lites 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, youll 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 its a solid device, and exactly what youd expect from this kind of refresh.
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 Nintendos Bowser, the decision to focus on a portable-only option was based on watching how people used the Switch. “Its more about how weve observed them playing,” he says of the consoles audience. “We have the ability to track how people play games and play our titles, so I would say that its really an option that offers more choices to people.”
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 Switchs 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 Lets Go, or play a game like 1-2 Switch that requires them, youll 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 thats incompatible with the Switch Lite from the eShop, the company says youll receive a warning.
