Nintendo Switch Lite revealed, launching September 20

What you need to know

  • The Nintendo Switch Lite has just been announced.
  • It's a dedicated handheld version of the Switch, with no TV connection or motion controls.
  • It'll release on September 20 in three colors at $199.

For several months, rumors have been persisting of a "Nintendo Switch Mini" type device that would target the handheld market. As it turns out, there was some truth to these rumors, as Nintendo has just revealed the Nintendo Switch Mini. This device is a handheld-only version of the existing hardware. There are no Joy-Cons or motion controls and there's also no way to connect it to your TV. As a result, some games such as 1-2 Switch will require pairing seperate Joy-Cons in order to be played. There's no IR Motion Camera either, so keep that in mind when looking at games and their features. After that though, it's just like using a regular Nintendo Switch.

One very neat addition however is the D-Pad, which will come on every Nintendo Switch Lite. If you're not sure whether a game will be compatible with the Nintendo Switch Lite, you can check the back of the box to see if it supports handheld mode.

You can check out the announcement trailer for the Nintendo Switch Lite below:

The Nintendo Switch Lite comes in three different colors at launch: Yellow, Turqouise and Grey. The Nintendo Switch Lite will release on September 20, 2019. It's substantially cheaper than a normal Nintendo Switch and will cost $199 USD. There will also be a special Nintendo Switch Lite Zacian and Zamazenta Edition, featuring decals and colors from legendary Pokémon from the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield. This version of the Nintendo Switch Lite will cost $199 and will release on November 8, 2019.

Samuel Tolbert
Contributor

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance gaming writer who started working for iMore and its sister sites Windows Central and Android Central in July 2019. He handles news, previews, reviews, and exclusive original reporting, and has also been featured on TechRadar.

With a background studying engineering before he shifted his focus to gaming journalism, he's skilled at identifying technical advantages and disadvantages provided by different hardware. If he’s not writing something, he’s off playing video games, spending time with his pets, exercising, or reading. He's also fond of trying to draw things with his iPad.