It’s been a little over two years since the Nintendo Switch was released, and the Japanese gaming giant has now unveiled a more economical version of the console dubbed the Nintendo Switch Lite.
In an announcement video posted just a few hours ago, the console’s General Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi gave the lowdown on the new device — it’s “dedicated to handheld play”, comes in three colours (Yellow, Grey and Turquoise), and has a reduced weight and screen size of 277g and 5.5-inches respectively.
To put things in perspective, the original Nintendo Switch weighs 399g and has a 6.2-inch screen.
As expected, there are some compromises — the Joy-Con controllers aren’t removable anymore, and the absence of a dock means that you won’t be able to connect it to a TV either. On top of that, other small features like the IR Motion Camera and HD Rumble have been removed as well.
It’s clear that the Nintendo Switch Lite was designed with single-player gameplay in mind, though you can work around this by buying additional Joy-Cons.
You’ll still be able to play with other Switch Players via Wireless Play too, so this concern is a moot point if everyone in your group of friends gets one.
On a more positive note, pretty much all Nintendo Switch games will be compatible with the Lite, so if you’ve been meaning to pick up titles like The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of The Wild and the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield but were holding out because of the price, now’s your chance.
The Nintendo Switch Lite will be released on the 20th of September, and will retail for $199.The announcement video was unclear if these details apply to the Singapore market, but considering that the Nintendo Switch currently retails for we S$459 we’re guessing local prices to be somewhere within the $250-$350 range.
Header Image Credit: Nintendo
