There are-and I can’t stress this enough- painfully few Switch titles that won’t easily work with the Switch Lite. But to know for sure, just look for the appropriate icon. Thankfully, that accounts for the vast majority of the existing Switch library.ĭoes your favorite game support Handheld mode? I mean, yeah, probably. With TV and Tabletop modes eliminated, the Switch Lite is limited to only games that offer Handheld mode gameplay. These little suckers are loud! They’re also surprisingly clear with very solid stereo sound. I assumed this would result in a quieter play experience, and I was wrong. You’ll notice a pair of thin downward-pointing speaker ports on the bottom of the system. While the old Switch has its speakers seated behind the touchscreen, the Switch Lite has relocated them. The Switch Lite, on the other… hand, sits more naturally and allowed me to play longer without having to change positions or take a break to fan my tired fingers. of the original-it does make a difference in-hand.ĭuring marathon Handheld play sessions with my Nintendo Switch, I’d often find my wrists and palms quickly fatigued. While this doesn’t sound like much on paper-it weighs.

The smaller screen and non-detachable controllers help reduce the overall weight of the Switch Lite. You’ll Definitely Notice the Weight Reduction The screen size is smaller than the Switch but more than adequate. To my surprise, I found other particularly text-heavy selections, like The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, already had a font size option. The already miniscule text in games like Diablo 3 were slightly harder to see, but this is nothing that couldn’t be remedied with a font-size option in an upcoming update. The only possible exception is with regard to onscreen text. Over the weekend, I tested 20+ games and failed to find any situations where the overall graphics weren’t easily on par with that of the Switch’s screen. But since it still runs as 1280×720 resolution, you’re not losing any visual fidelity. Just like the bigger Switch, it still sports a capacitive multi-touch interface, but the Switch Lite‘s is slightly smaller: 5.5 inches versus 6.2 inches. You’ll Hardly Notice the Smaller ScreenĪnother sacrifice made in the name of dedicated portable play is the Switch Lite’s touchscreen. Existing Joy-Cons (as well as Pro Controllers and 3rd-party options) can still be paired with your Switch Lite using the Controllers option from the Home screen. However, just because Joy-Cons don’t ship with the Switch Lite doesn’t mean the system lacks support for the controllers.

I’ve found the D-pad particularly responsive, and a veritable godsend for playing modern retro-style titles as well as the classic NES and SNES originals available with the Nintendo Online subscription service. This is something fans have been clamoring for since the original Switch’s launch, and an entire industry has seemingly grown up around third-party Left Joy-Con solutions featuring D-pads, spanning everything from Hori’s inexpensive analogs to custom Joy-Con shells. Instead, you’ll find an excellent traditional D-pad interface. The secondary directional buttons located beneath the Left Joy-Con’s control stick, however, have been nicely updated for the Switch Lite. You’ll still find nicely snappy dual analog sticks, A, B, X, and Y face buttons, + and – menu buttons, four shoulder buttons, and dedicated Home and Screenshot buttons. This means its controls are permanently attached. While the Switch is designed modularly, with the core tablet and detachable Joy-Con controllers, the Switch Lite opts for a simpler all-in-one design. Unlike the older Switch, the Switch Lite isn’t a home console that you can take with you it’s a dedicated portable gaming system, just like the Game Boy, GBA, Nintendo DS, and 3DS. The system’s also missing the kickstand used for the shared on-the-go Tabletop mode. Obviously missing is the television-connected charging dock-and thus, the titular “switch” mechanic-and with it the popular TV mode. Nintendo accomplished this by compromising a bit on its overall feature set.

Out of the gate, the Switch Lite has one undeniable advantage over its best-selling big brother: price.Īt $199.99, it’s a cool $100 less than the original Switch. However, if you’re thinking of buying a Switch Lite-particularly as we head into the holiday shopping season-here are a few things to consider. Sacrificing the TV connectivity and detachable Joy-Con functionality of the original Switch in favor of a more easily portable footprint, the Switch Lite is simply the latest example of Nintendo’s long tradition of stellar handheld gaming systems. With last week’s release of the Nintendo Switch Lite, there’s now a brand new way to experience your favorite Switch games.

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