Nintendo Switch Lite announced as a smaller, more affordable take on the original, arriving on September 20

Rumours that Nintendo is secretly working on two next-generation Switch consoles – a smaller, more portable and possibly also more affordable version and a more powerful take on the original - have been doing the rounds for some time now. Well, the formal just got real. The console in question is officially called the Nintendo Switch Lite, and as the name suggests, it’s a smaller, more affordable Switch – designed specifically for handheld play. The Nintendo Switch Lite will arrive on September 20 and will cost $199 (which roughly translates to Rs 13,600).  

The Nintendo Switch Lite is essentially a handheld, but with the original Switch hardware. Which means, there are two very specific things to know about it. Even though the Nintendo Switch Lite will potentially be able to play all Switch games (and it will potentially be able to support all the Switch accessories including the Switch Pro Controller and the Poke Ball Plus), you won’t be able to dock the console and play them in TV mode – also, you can’t detach the Joy-Con controllers, so that’s that.  

Design-wise, the Nintendo Switch Lite looks a lot like the original – only smaller. There are two big changes though. The Nintendo Switch Lite has a proper d-pad and there’s no kickstand at the back.  

As opposed to the original, the Nintendo Switch Lite comes with a smaller 5.5-inch touch-screen display – the resolution remains to be 1280x720 pixel, which is nice, but you can’t manually toggle the screen’s brightness here. The Nintendo Switch Lite is powered by the same Nvidia Tegra X1 processor with 32GB of internal storage which is further expandable via a microSDXC card. Nintendo claims the Lite will have slightly better battery life – for some perspective, the battery inside the original is claimed to last for over six hours depending on the game and usage conditions.  

Connectivity options on the Nintendo Switch Lite include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, 3.5mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port.  

The Switch has been a runaway hit for Nintendo – for some perspective, it has (already) earned the reputation of being the fastest selling gaming console in the US. The Nintendo Switch Lite is clearly intended to cash in on its success – before the arrival of a true successor which is also tipped to be in the works as we speak.  

Also Read:  Smaller, Possibly More Affordable Nintendo Switch Arriving In September: Report