I Don’t Own a Switch – Nintendo Switch Lite Preview

Last week, our friends at Nintendo of Canada invited us to Toronto to go hands on with the Nintendo Switch Lite. During our one hour preview, we had the opportunity to play some of Nintendo’s upcoming titles on the device, including The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Pokémon Sword / Pokémon Shield. While I own multiple Nintendo Switch units, we thought that sending a Switch-less writer to the event might be the best way to get another opinion on Nintendo’s cheaper, and less featured, release.

Let’s take a look at what our writer thought:

The Nintendo Switch Lite – Priced To Sell

While intrigued by what the Nintendo Switch had to offer, I hadn’t made a purchase yet myself for a variety of reasons, most notably the purchase of a new home (which has kept me fairly busy) and my growing young family. Picking up a Nintendo Switch unit, a few accessories and perhaps a few games is a costly endeavor. When I was given the opportunity to try out the Nintendo Switch Lite, a cheaper, albeit less featured, sister device to the original Nintendo Switch, I knew I had to try it.

Sure, the device does not have removable Joy-Con controllers, and also can’t dock to my TV, but it does come at a $140.00 price reduction in Canada, making it a very affordable $259.99 (as opposed to $399.99 for the original unit). The docking feature won’t be coming to Nintendo Switch Lite, but those who want to play games that require Joy Con controllers can still do so, with the purchase of the standalone Joy-Con pack ($99.99). For many, these two features might justify the price increase to the regular Switch at $399.99, but as a single player gamer, I’m ok without them.

As I played for my one hour preview, I began to wonder who this device was for. Although it is obviously aimed at a multitude of people, it did feel like it was built for me, someone who was not a current Nintendo Switch owner, who was ok with playing in handheld mode only, and didn’t feel the need to own Joy-Con controllers.

There are millions of gamers out there who own an Xbox One and/or a PlayStation 4, and consider those their ‘home consoles.’ Perhaps these gamers have owned a Sony PSP, or even a Nintendo 3DS at one point. Those were their ‘portable consoles.’ In a world where the Nintendo 3DS is slowly fading into memory (a place the PSP has been for 5+ years) there is a wide open market for a handheld, portable system at a portable system price. Enter the Nintendo Switch Lite, wisely priced around $250.00 and carrying all the same gameplay functionality of the dockable unit.

Nintendo, you really are brilliant. But a concept only works if the developer can execute – does the Nintendo Switch Lite just feel like a cheap version of the original?

Build Quality and Specs

Nintendo has always prided itself on creating systems that are durable, and rarely – if ever – cut corners to get prices lower and profits higher. While there were some initial concerns that Nintendo would cut corners and severely downgrade the device to achieve the lower price point, that could not be further from the truth. In many ways, I would argue the Nintendo Switch Lite feels more durable than the

original Nintendo Switch, thanks to the controls being built right into the console, as opposed to being detachable. It is definitely more comfortable to hold and play.

The screen is slightly smaller than the original Nintendo Switch, coming in at 5.5 inches, compared to the 6.2 inch original screen. However, a smaller screen shouldn’t be a major problem, especially as Nintendo markets this as a portable handheld system. You are still looking at a screen much larger than that of the Nintendo 3DS. The Nintendo Switch Lite offers a slightly better battery life than the original Switch, giving players 3-7 hours of battery life – this is not as good as the update Nintendo Switch which is available now at retail, which boasts a battery life of 4.5-9 hours.

On-The-Go-Gaming

Using a Nintendo Switch on the go has never been a problem when borrowing one for trips, but it’s still a bit bulkier than you might like if you are out and about and it’s a bit awkward to hold; I frequently had hand cramps from trying to conform to Nintendo’s design. When playing the Nintendo Switch Lite, it was obvious that Nintendo made comfort a top priority, as this feels 10x better than the original Nintendo Switch. Having the controllers tied directly into the screen gives it a much more durable feel, and it forms to your hands better than the original, a positive side effect of the side controls not having to function as a standalone controller. The longer battery life is a bonus when charging options are not readily available.

While this might be a second or third Nintendo Switch unit for some families, it will be the very first for many more. Those that find themselves traveling a lot will enjoy the smaller form factor, durability, and compatibility with almost all Nintendo Switch titles. Others see their home consoles as the powerful Xbox One or PlayStation 4, and this will appeal to their desire to have a handheld device once again.

There is definitely a market for the Nintendo Switch Lite, and I might just be one of its many new fans. Time will tell.

Thank you to Nintendo of Canada for arranging this outstanding opportunity. We will have full previews of the games we were able to play, and much more. The Nintendo Switch Lite launches September 20, 2019, alongside The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. We hope to have reviews of both at that time, so stay tuned!

Learn more about the Nintendo Switch Lite here: https://www.nintendo.com/switch/lite/