A $199.99 cheaper Nintendo Switch variant without detachable Joy-Con controllers is coming Sept. 20, Nintendo announced Wednesday.
Nintendo Switch Lite doesn’t dock with a TV — it’s handheld only, and perhaps the final nail in the 3DS/2DS’ coffin, with a smaller screen and enhanced battery life. There is no kickstand or HDMI output. It will only run games that support the handheld play mode, and lacks original Switch features such as HD Rumble and IR Motion Camera.
Switch Lite will come in yellow, grey and turquoise models at launch. There will also be a special, limited Zacian and Zamazenta Edition available beginning Nov. 8, tying in with the release of the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games Nov. 15.
The left and right controls won’t detach, and the left side features a D-pad instead of separate directional buttons, to make playing classic games easier. (Third-party “D-pad” left Joy-Cons are available for sale to add to the original Switch unit, and they only work in handheld mode, not detached.)
Playing games wirelessly on the Switch Lite screen in “tabletop mode” will still be possibly with separate Joy-Cons or Pro Controllers connecting to the new unit.
