Switch Lite: Two-thirds the Cost, A Third of the Personality

Well, it finally happened.  For months, maybe even more than a year, there were rumors of a Switch "Pro" and a Switch "Mini" in the works, and although there's no official announcement for the "Pro", Nintendo has today announced the "Mini" as Switch Lite.

It's a smaller version of the Switch with a smaller screen of 5.5 inches as opposed to 6.2.  The controllers are permanently attached, feature no IR scanning or rumble, and also is unable to hook up to a TV, even if it's just via a cable and not a dock.  Since it's missing all these features, you'd expect it to be cheaper, right?  It is.  It'll be released on September 20th for an appealing 200 dollars.

There are lots of people who haven't jumped on the Switch bandwagon because of the 300 dollar price of entry.  For them, the Switch has no appeal as a console as it's considerably weaker than the Xbox One and PS4, so those people have clearly viewed Switch primarily as a handheld, and 300 dollars a bit much for a handheld.  200 dollars will definitely attract a lot of people, but at the same time, there's nothing Switch about the Switch Lite anymore.

The name Switch meant that the hybrid console could "switch" from being a console to a handheld, but that's no longer the case with the Lite.  Another one of Switch's biggest selling points was the Joy-Cons: removable controllers you could pass to people who didn't have their own Switches, and they could play with you wherever you are.  The Lite doesn't have the social aspect anymore.  The Lite won't even FEEL like the Switch, because it lacks the luxurious HD Rumble.  So what are you really getting for the 200 dollars?

Sure, you saved a hundred bucks, but in my opinion, the cost saving is not worth losing all the functions that the Switch has.  Just being able to take a game you play on the go and hooking it up the TV is worth the extra 100.  I guarantee Smash players dock their systems when they have friends over.  Considering you can't even pass off controllers to people with the Lite, I don't see anyone buying a Lite that will actually buy Smash.  It'll be perfect for indies, single-player games and RPGs, but again, everything would be better played on the larger Switch thanks to its opportunities.  Also, if you managed to scrounge up 200 bucks, you probably could wait a little longer and save up an extra 100 dollars by the time September 20th came along.  You'd be MUCH better off getting a full-featured Switch.

This is just the 2DS all over again. I mean, look at it.

Aside from it being ridiculously ugly, you can also see how the 3DS was not only stripped of its functionality, but also its personality. No longer a 3DS, the 2DS was missing not just the 3D ability, but also the very convenient clamshell design.  As an effort to make the 2DS a cheaper handheld, they also managed to compromise its portability due to it being harder to fit in a kid's pocket.  Granted, portability hasn't been compromised by the Lite's redesign, in fact improved, it still is suffering from its personality being stripped away.  It's also a rebranding issue, another line that Nintendo has to manage. 3DS. New 3DS. 2DS. New 2DS. All the XLs.  Wii. Wii U. Switch, and now Switch Lite. Let's just be honest... grandparents are going to be confused as fuck.

But saving a hundred dollars on the Switch means they could probably use that money to buy a couple more games.  So, the Switch Lite will end up selling Nintendo more games and more Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions.  From a business standpoint, it makes perfect sense.  Yet, another problem exists.  As the Lite will serve strictly has a handheld Switch, this all but cements the end of the 3DS's lifespan with no room for a successor.  The 3D function has been killed off by the 2DS line, and those were around 200 dollars.  Why on Earth would Nintendo make another handheld follow up for around that amount when the Lite already serves that?  Hell, the Switch itself served as the unofficial successor to the 3DS.  It was only a matter of time before Nintendo and its fans finally came to grips with it.  The 3DS/2DS is dead.  The Switch is it, both in the household and in the hands.

I'm not going to tell people that they shouldn't buy a Lite, but I will STRONGLY suggest that those who want a Lite save up a little more and get a full-blown Switch.  There are some games that benefit so much more being played on the TV, Smash and Mario Kart just being two off the top of my head, and people shouldn't limit themselves with possibilities just because they want to save a hundred facts.  But, if you know for certain that you'll be happy playing Switch games only on the go, with a smaller screen, with controllers that don't rumble which you can't share (by the way, did you know that rumbling controllers help you with finding Korok seeds in Zelda? Just something to think about...), then cool. Save yourself a hundred bucks... I guess.