After several months of leaks and speculation and non-committal responses by Nintendo, they have finally officially unveiled the Nintendo Switch Lite, a handheld-centric variant of the Switch. As its name implies, the Switch Lite doesn’t connect to a TV and is designed purely as a handheld console, which also means its Joycons cannot be disconnected. So if you want to play a motion controls-based game, you’ll have to purchase Joycons separately.
Meanwhile, Nintendo have also made some changes to the console itself. For starters, the direction buttons of the Switch have been replaced by an actual, proper direction-pad (about time). Meanwhile, the IR motion sensors of the Joycons, as well as their HD rumble feature, have both been removed in the Switch Lite. The console itself is also much smaller, lighter, and more compact than a regular Switch, to make it much more portable. Meanwhile, it also boasts a battery life of between 3 to 7 hours. You can check out a full list of differences between a regular Switch and the Switch Lite on Nintendo’s official website.
The Switch Mini will launch worldwide September 20 this year for a price of $199. It will be available in three different colours: yellow, gray, and turquoise.
“Adding Nintendo Switch Lite to the lineup gives gamers more color and price point options,” said Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser in a press release. “Now consumers can choose the system that best suits how they like to play their favorite Nintendo Switch games.”
You can take a look at the announcement video for the Switch Lite below.
https://youtu.be/jZOPC6J4fAA
