Nintendo Switch Lite Is Getting A Special Pokémon Sword And Shield Edition

This actually looks quite cool (not that I'm planning on buying SLite)

No better looking that the other ugly colors. But even if it looked great, no TV functionality = no buy.

No TV functionality... maybe at $100 I'd consider it!

@Heavyarms55 I feel the same way. I would be all over this if it docked to the tv.

Ooooh....!!! 😍
It's not White but Beautiful Light Grey color !! 😘

This one I will buy

So many compromises for just $100 cheaper 😲

Which tells me we will be getting the Animal Crossing SE I’ve been holding out for. Yeah.

Damn ugly, reminds me of the hospital, just like Nintendo's HQ building.

This will probably sell out before I even have a chance to purchase one.

I am interested though.

@Timsworld2
Well the Let's Go bundle costs $/€400 so yeah, it had better offer more value...

This is probably my favorite color scheme of all the switch lites we know about so far.

@Berzerker Exactly. They sacrificed the most important feature of the Switch: the ability to connect to the TV.

But having said that, I understand that for many people, $100 makes all the difference.

I really like it, but I'm guessing that this will retail for AU$300, which is a tad much considering that the standard Switch is readily available for $400 and includes all of the other bells and whistles.

I'm puzzled by the lack of kickstand. The kickstand would at least allow another player to join in with a Pro Controller or a pair of Joy-Con.

I can't help but think that the design has been ill-conceived. Too many compromises have been made, and I would imagine that the plethora of incompatible software will displease a lot of customers.

@Timsworld2 with the 3ds they also rarely sold a LE system with a game bundled (I mean Nintendo games)

I only remember them doing so with the 2ds, on the 3DS I remember that OG 3DS has Zelda in the box (PHYSICAL) and New 3DS XL Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Generations models came with a game in the bundle.

Can't remember other bundles that way

Nice.

OK Nintendo Life...

Nicey-nice-nice nice.

People keep saying this is for 3DS users because 3DS is dead.

No it's not. 3DS has backwards support of DS carts. DS has backward support of Gameboy Advance. GB Advance also support previous GB, etc.

Switch Lite means buying games from scratch again.

If it had either of the games with it (physical) then maybe. I already have my eyes on the yellow standard one though.

The "get Switch owners to buy one" edition

And... it's totally working. I want this so bad!

Oh, so that's why they made that ugly as all get out gray model, it's easier to mess with for special editions than yellow and baby blue.

I have at least 1 kid who would have certainly bought this for $199 if it included the game. Maybe $229. But as cool as it is, well, nto including the games in special editions is just too insulting for us. Yeah, they'll sell every one they make no doubt at $199, but it's the principle of the thing.

@JaxonH Oh come on, you'll own at least 5 different Switch in a few years, who are you trying to kid.

Better start building another display shelf.

@Spoony_Tech "I would be all over this if it docked to the tv."

But have your kids seen the news yet? You do realize these are supposed to be Christmas gifts for the kids and not for us, right? Though if your one fo those guys who already owns a couple for the family - we're still on 1, have been waiting for this and Pokemon - then you may nto need another.

Were you in the main article? I tried to comment to you around post #5 but I forgot where to put the _

No thanks. I am fine with my Nintendo Switch for TV and for outside (I rarely use it for outside anyway) This is 3DS wannabe. I will ignored it. Don't liked it! I will wait for Nintendo Switch PRO rumour to be for the next year.

It's Nintendo NOSwitch, like Nintendo NO3DS aka 2DS.

This kind of begs the question as to why not announce this at E3 when the worlds media were looking at them

I have had my Switch for over two years now and never docked it. No big deal for me

Let the massive sales begin

@Heavyarms55 agree, price seems steep for the features that didn't make the cut. Maybe Nintendo is willing to discount this one often! But I'm not buying at $170-200.

@rjejr I was not on the main article. My older son likes playing on the tv so I'm not sure he will be into this. My younger 2 might want one though especially with Pokemon coming.

Does it come with extra animations or a National Dex?

Not announced for Europe/UK 😕

@Spoony_Tech "My younger 2 might want one though especially with Pokemon coming."

I think that's what they call the "target market".

Everybody who knew this was coming knew it would be aimed at kids as a 2/3DS replacement going forward. Everybody who said it wasn't coming are now complaining it isn't for them. Well duh.

@Octane : Pikachu's double kick is depicted as a hop on the spot.

Brrravo, Game Freak.

Why they announced this before the lite even get sold is beyond me. They just undercut the Lite's sales. Anyone who wanted a Lite would probably wait a month to get this one instead.

@rjejr But if it just docked then I would be fine with it as is. That one little thing goes a long ways. Even the smaller screen wouldn't bother me and my poor eyes lol

This one looks cool. And without the games, so no extra charges. I'll consider this one when I get the money to buy it.

Yup, this is gonna be their Limited Edition making machine for the foreseeable future. Pokemon, big 3rd party titles, Zeldas, Black Friday, Fortine, watch them all get limited editions.

@rjejr I agree with @Spoony_Tech - I gladly would have picked up a second if it supported docked play. I get marketing it as a "Portable Only" device, since it doesn't come with a controller or dock, but I don't know why they would intentionally eliminate the ability to dock. I'll need to see direct comparisons of the two, but based on the shape and port placement, it seems like it would have been doable. Fingers crossed for a firmware update?

I got to have this

Ok i guess.

Would love a White one, like the old white VITA. With the transparent buttons.

That will be amazing.

Seriously... they really should call it something else. Like I stated on the other article's comment section, the Lite contradicts the first word.

The 2DS vs 3DS was one thing since both names were appropriate representations for what you were purchasing.

But a Switch Lite is NOT A SWITCH!

It has no detachable joycons to switch up the play style. And it has no ability to switch between handheld and tv mode. It does not switch except for the on/off button on top of the console.

I recommend this to no one who currently does not have a Switch and I award Nintendo zero points. May God have mercy on their souls.

@rjejr @Spoony_Tech I know my younger cousins would not care as much for this because they are so used to being able to connect to a big TV for all their benefits. õ.ò

Hell, I rarely play docked myself and it's on the verge of a deal breaker for me due to missing that functionality, heh. That says something.

Mildly tempting, but I think I still prefer the current model. This'll likely sell out faster than I can blink anyway.

we play handheld /docked about 50/50 at home so not being able to dock could be a deal breaker. however, if i can just pick up and play further where i was thanks to the cloud saves (which i expect to at least be possible) it is not so bad. the big one can stay docked. my kids can play handheld mode and we will be able to play local coop on 2 devices. Guess it will end up under the Christmas tree later this year

@Rayquaza2510 there was a persona 3ds xl bundled with the physical game and a new 3ds with ac happy home designer installed. i'm sure there were others as well.

In the end this thing isn't much cheaper. It has no kickstand. Which means you will need to buy a dock. If you dock it you need to buy a controller since it doesn't have removable joy cons. This thing seems terrible.

@rjejr
I was honestly making an active effort NOT to go crazy with special edition Switches. No Monster Hunter XX Switch, no Pokemon Switch, no Dragon Quest Switch.

But that's because $400 is way too much to casually toss per system.

But $200? Well... the rules of the game have changed 😁

Tempted but it’s $259 here in Canada.... I was looking at getting one for myself to play...reasons why I might get one is maybe there won’t be so many problems with the joycons bugging out since they can’t be unattached. But I was hoping it would come with a game and a dock.....I just like to be able to have a choice to play on the tv, if I want to. Plus there’s so many games coming that would look better on the tv. I will definitely not be buying these for my kids, since I have 4 kids that play the Switch. It would just be way too expensive for me to buy for every kid I have.

@JaxonH The silver MH 3DS is the best looking console I've ever seen, so if they can match that for the next Switch MH game you have my blessing.

Though you probably already have your fingers crossed for FE.

I'd rather pay $225 for a dockless, Grip less Switch than $200 for the Lite, but if they would have bundled the actual Pokémon game with the Lite for a reasonable price, say $229, I'm pretty sure my son would have wanted it.

This is going to be like the 3DS for me all over again as I will purchase the differing variants and themed models for my gaming collection. I’ll get a black regular lite, the Pokemon lite and whatever themed version comes to the regular switch for Pokemon

@Heavyarms55 The yellow switch lite is fire. Your opinions won't sway mine.

@Lalivero I've been thinking about it for a few hours now and while I know this will sell I'd really like to know what they could realistically sell a portable Switch for - no Dock, Grip, HDMI cable or those straps they sell $8 per pair. Tablet, joycons and charger for $225 would be this but with a TV out option for only an extra $25. That would make a better 2nd Switch than this.

But, this is the kids 2DS version. In only 3 years the 2DS went from $129 to $99 to $79 before the $149 for the 2DS XL. So maybe this launches at $199, then $179 by the summer, $149 Black Friday. The $199 gets them holiday sales up front but wiggle room toower it if need be.

What this does do is kill a "Portable Switch" for $229 which have sold really well. I'm hung up on the no TV out option. Which should be simple with a USB-C port so Nintendo must have hard wired it not to. And that's a crying shame.

@Spoony_Tech @roadrunner343

I'm focusing on the lack of TV out now - see post #56 above - b/c it seems to be something they would have to work hard to remove. USB-C has had it for awhile now, Switch didn't invent it.

I can see why they'd take it out to keep from killing Switch sales as it's $100 cheaper, so from a business perspective it makes sense.

And it was never going to fit in the dock, so they'd need a new smaller dock, which adds to the cost.

Or, TV out with no dock, which means a lawsuit in the US b/c Switch Lite can do it w/o the dock, so Nintendo is locking TV out behind an unnecessary $90 dock. And the dock was already stupid to begin with by covering the screen.

And all those unauthorized docks were already bricking Switch, so it would likely be worse on a dockless console.

No TV out also means no 1080p mode, so maybe Nintendo saved a few bucks on cheaper wonky CPUs and GPUs and less fan power? We know they gained 30 mi utes battery time.

Within hours of being released Switch Lite will be torn down and examined and people will try to get it working, will be interesting to see the results.

So, Nintendo may have actually spent a lot of time on the decision. Or, it was just "no" from the start.

From an end user perspective, I'm leaning towards a 2nd Switch for my teen son rather than a Lite, and no TV out of any kind is the reason. I'd be OK w/ no TV out of the box but a $49 accessory does the trick, then buy it at Target on clearance for $14.98.

It's fine, but I can easily find a new Switch for 240 usd. It should be 150 usd really.

@rjejr From what has turned up so far, it looks like it is using the same custom Tegra chip. I agree with you that it seems like they would have had to have gone out of their way to remove TV out from this version. That's why I'm hoping it is some sort of marketing nonsense to prevent confusion - similar to how they avoided showing the Switch's touchscreen capabilities for a while after the initial reveal - and maybe we'll see an update that enables it.

Also, I doubt it would fit in the dock, but I they could have shrank the existing switch a bit and maintained dock capability, but they obviously have their reasons for not doing so. Like you previously mentioned, at this point, I would rather just buy an original Switch tablet, and nothing else. I've got everything else I need. I do still think this will sell well, and will be a good entry point or second system for some.

@roadrunner343 I forgot about the lack of touchscreen info. But I do think they'll turn it off via both some hardware rewiring and an OS check of some kind. I think people have shown you can already use an extension cable to the dock so they can't have it be that easy. Would be nice if it could though, even at 720p with no boost.

Nintendo is probably also working on a Pro and maybe a simple revision before that, so in a year or 2 in retrospect things might make sense. Maybe.

this is the best color scheme

I never use my switch in docked mode or take the joy cons off so this is perfect for me

@nintendolie Wii U had Wii backward support- before you argue ports, the Switch has 3DS ports (Monster Hunter), so your argument is dead, Switch Lite replaces 3DS. Deny it all you want, Pokemon moving over and now an actual dedicated handheld proves it.

@gamefreak77 Yeah? Nintendo says no.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/10/20687937/nintendo-switch-lite-3ds-2ds-future

@Heavyarms55 thats why its a hundred dollars cheaper youre just being cheap my friend, this is the same price as a 3ds xl in its prime and its way better than a 3ds...

so let me get this right yall will pay for a 3ds xl for $200 but wont pay for a switch lite for $200 because it doesnt dock to the tv even though its a powerful system for a handheld and could play quality console games on the go and has way more potential than a 3ds. lmao yall goofy af

@Camari It's almost 10 years newer, if it weren't significantly better there's be a problem. Taking away one of the key features is a tremendous downgrade! This isn't even a Switch. It should just be called a Game Boy instead.

@Jimmy_G_Buckets that's fine, it's your life and your money. But just cause you like it doesn't mean I have to. I think it's very ugly!

@Francema With no TV functionality it isn't even worth 150 to me. It's not a Switch, it's a Game Boy. In fact, had they marketed it as a revived Game Boy instead of a dumbed down Switch, I'd be a lot more forgiving and be willing to pay 150 for it.

if this came with a game as a bundle it'll be a day one purchase for me, however it is still a great buy and better looking than the standard 3 others colors! Am still buying it for my collection tho! (These will run out quick!!!)

Wow guys, all I'm hearing is you're content with the existing Switch. 🤔 Then don't buy the Lite, it's not meant for you. I personally think this is a great idea, it'll be easier to transport around than the full size unit. Plus I can afford to get a 2nd Switch so I actually get a turn to play (my kids are on it constantly). I doubt I'd buy a 2nd full size Switch. The Lite serves a purpose for some of us.

Yeah I am really not feeling this one at all. I was excited about a Pokemon special edition until I saw it, it's a shame because I would have totally been excited to buy a Pikachu edition yellow Lite.

@oceano Yeah I love the idea of a smaller and more portable Switch, I still prefer to use my Vita for being on the go just because it feel like a better sized handheld, heck I even prefer using it in bed or outside occasionally. The Switch is just kind of an awkward handheld to use IMO, I love it for what it is but it's always been a bit big and complex to really work as my go-to handheld, it's more for when I am planning on traveling and being somewhere for a while, I wouldn't want to be taking it everywhere.

This Switch Lite seems to address that issue. Since it lacks the TV ability I can see myself justifying it as my new go-to handheld which would be nice as the Vita's support went away a long time ago and it feels like sort of a modern retro handheld at this point. $200 is also reasonable for a high-end portable, and I know Nintendo makes a high quality product that holds up well so there are far worse devices that I could be buying for a lot more money. You will of course want a big memory card but luckily those have been getting really cheap lately and I still have my old 200GB card around.

The LITE makes me determined to get the original Switch instead

@doll that Persona one was Japan only and I never count those because with most LE systems Japan gets a special treatment (their Switch bundles still contain a physical game)

Forgot about the AC one thx

If I was getting a lite i'd be getting this one, but alas I don't want a dockless switch.

@rjejr agree, I’ve got that Monster Hunter 3DS XL and i’ll never part with it.

This is technically a Switch because it can switch between desktop and handheld, just not TV, hence the lite. You can play this on a table with a Switch Pro controller or Joycons. But generally it’s a second console for family members or anyone wanting to have a smaller version for their pocket. I’m actually tempted by this Pokemon version.

@Heavyarms55 that doesn’t even make sense. It’s a Switch, it plays Switch games, it does the same things bar the TV output, it’s just smaller, doesn’t have the removable Joycons and lasts longer on the battery.

@pblive It's a Switch that drops several major features. It's a serious downgrade and I will denounce it until it reaches a price point I agree with. That is 150 dollars or less.