Team Talk | What do you think of the Nintendo Switch Lite?

---

After months of persistent rumours, last week Nintendo finally revealed the purported Switch Mini to be the Switch Lite, scheduled for release 20 September. Strictly a portable console, Switch Lite is of a smaller stature and lighter weight, while boasting greater battery life to keep you gaming on the go for longer. At a cheaper RRP to boot, you’d think everything was gravy, but that’d be to overlook the lack of TV support, detachable Joy-Cons, motion controls, HD rumble, and an IR camera. Keeping that upstairs, do the pros outweigh the cons?

---

by Sam Sant

---

@SlamShotSam

---

by Team PTC

---

@pass_controller

---

Sam

I’m not opposed to the concept of the Switch Lite, but at what point is a Switch no longer a Switch? The console - now family of consoles - is so called because of the ability to switch between TV, handheld and tabletop modes. It’s a diverse feature set marketed elegantly, or at least it was, until the big N went ahead and muddied things.

The company has a history of confusing kiddies’ nanas, whether that’s by not making it crystal clear that the Wii U was a new console and not a tablet peripheral for the Wii, or the fact that the 2DS is actually a platform where you play 3DS software. I can see similar confusion ensuing here, with many Christmas morning tantrums to follow. 

Seriously, my older brother actually wants a Switch for Christmas this year - yes, he’s 31 and has a list this far in advance - and I’ll be sure to contact anyone looking to buy him one and make sure they know that, bizarrely, the old model is the one to get if they don’t want tears.

I mostly resent the fact there isn’t a redesigned dock to accompany it, though. I’ll just keep slotting my phat Switch in and out like I’m playing classic board game Operation, only without the fun, since touching the sides irreparably gouges a pricey bit of kit...

Switch Lite: The Switch that doesn't switch.

Liam

Do I need a Switch Lite? Absolutely not. My original Switch is still serving its purpose well, both at home and on the road, but that hasn’t stopped me coveting one since the redesign was announced.

The sleek new addition to the Switch family is, in my opinion, a much better-looking console than its bigger brother. The lack of removable Joy-Cons and the addition of a proper d-pad give it a solid, more premium look and perhaps make it a bit more robust, too.

I have no problem with Nintendo muddying the waters by making a Switch that doesn’t switch. I use mine as a handheld most of the time, and had the Lite been available at launch, the lower price, longer battery life and appealing design probably would’ve swayed me to go that way from the start.

The only part I don’t like is the smaller screen. Some of the more visually demanding games already feel a little cramped on a regular Switch’s 6.2-inch display, so to reduce it even further to 5.5-inches could be pushing it.

But, as I said, my original Switch is still serving me well, so I won’t be getting one. I’ll wait for the inevitable release of a ‘New’ Nintendo Switch instead.

Sticking with this guy is probably for the best.

Chris

I've never been into the portable side of gaming so, from a purely personal standpoint, the best outcome for me would be the Switch Lite bombing catastrophically, reaching the unenviable status of Atari E.T. cartridges and (fingers crossed) Google Stadia. It's not that I actively want Nintendo to fail, I'd simply prefer them to concentrate on the things that I might care about. 

It seems Nintendo have "fixed" one glaring issue with the Switch (the poorly designed dock which Sam alluded to) at the cost of functionality. This is absolutely fine if you just want to play Skyrim on a train, but I suspect no-one has done that more than once, and even then only to say they've done it.

If you're a fan of gaming on the go, you might get a lot more out of Switch Lite. Sure, it lacks some of the features of the Switch and may be a little more cumbersome than a DS, but we can't expect too much from a company who willingly hired and promoted a guy named after the antagonist of their biggest franchise.

Pictured: Bowser Bowser wins Doug Bowser's heart by sharing his best princess abduction tips.

James

First things first, the Switch Lite is not aimed at me, and that's OK. In the past I've never opted for one of Nintendo's snazzy, reworked consoles, missing out on the Game Boy Advance SP and even the DS Lite back in the day.

As recently as the 2DS Nintendo has proven there’s a market for something like this though, and it's encouraging that the company is still pushing more options for consumers (and making a spot of money at the same time).

The company has struggled to meet its massive yearly projections and it feels as if Nintendo is the underdog, despite it making over $11billion a year, and this move is one which keeps them on parents' minds for Christmas time.

A "pro" version could come next Christmas, but in the meantime this gives developers confidence there are no plans whatsoever to leave the Switch console family languishing like Ninty did the Wii U, hopefully meaning there are more long-term third-party projects on the way. 

In terms of the console itself, not having detachable Joy-Cons is a bit of a shame, but otherwise the tighter size and canny cost-saving measures seem smart and should bring plenty of joy (despite the cons, ba-dum-tss), to young'uns this Christmas.

2006 brought us Nintendo's original Lite handheld in the DS Lite.

Rob

So much speculation, so many supposed leaks, and finally, here we are: the Nintendo Switch Lite!

As you may be aware, I've been on the fence with the Switch since its release some two-odd years ago. Is the Lite the answer to my prayers? In short: I think it just might be.

I was one of the ~17 people to own a Wii U in the UK - I still have it by the way, along with a healthy backlog of games to start/finish. Do I feel burnt by it? No, not at all. Did I feel let down by Nintendo's lack of long-term support? Oh, yes indeedy.

But the Lite offers new hope to this cynical old bastard. I really don't get much time to play games at home these days, so a dedicated portable device seems the way to go - and the Xbox, 3DS and Wii U are all ready for a trade-in, too! 

The only thing left holding me back are the games on offer (I need at least five big hitters before I’ll drop coins on a console), but with the impending release of both Fire Emblem and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, I think we might finally be there. 

​Gimme a good Zelda bundle on day one and I'm ready to come back home, Nintendo.

Considering the Switch Lite launches on the same day as Link's Awakening, it's baffling that there doesn't appear to be a bundle for Rob.

---

---

What are your thoughts on Nintendo's Switch redesign? Let us know with a comment below.