Nintendo has finally revealed the long-awaited miniature Switch, after months of rumors and speculation. The unit will cost $199 and will have three color options to choose from: blue, yellow, and grayish-black. The unit is of course much smaller than the standard Switch, but that does come with both positive and negative aspects.
In terms of positive elements, the battery life has been improved. The older Switch had a max life of about 6 hours. The new slimmer version has about another of gaming under the hood. This comes at the cost of a few features though, like a smaller screen. The original 6.2″ touchscreen has been shrunk to 5.5″. The JoyCons have also been shrunk, but at least the D-pad has been improved. Also, no docking or TV output as this is purely a handheld device.
And speaking of JoyCons, these are not detachable, so games relying on separate controllers will need their own second set. Although you will be able to make use of any existing sets you own, so that’s good. Although with the lack of HD rumble or an IR Motion camera, Nintendo Labo and other games relying on that are also out.
As part of the push to promote the new console variant, Nintendo is releasing a console bundle that many a gamer is about to be really excited about. For the same price of $199, Pokemon fans can grab a custom silver Nintendo Switch Lite with a color scheme mimicking that of Pokemon Sword and Shield. Of course the console bundle also comes with the new Pokemon game as well. The back sports a graphic of Zacian and Zamazenta, the Galar region’s legendary Pokemon.
Nintendo hasn’t revealed much about what else they plan to do in terms of other console bundles though. It’s very possible we could see a Lite variant of that $250 Zelda: Breath of the Wild bundle from a while back. Nintendo could easily bundle that game, a custom Lite, and some digital codes for Zelda games on the Nintendo Switch Online service for fairly cheap.
The Nintendo Switch Lite base model will arrive September 20. The Zacian and Zamazenta edition will be available starting November 8 for $199.99.
