On a lovely, sunny Tuesday in Japan, Nintendo was all geared up to announce a new colour for their next Switch Lite model. "How the public will love it," they thought. "It's been ages since we did anything blue, not counting those Skyward Sword Joy-Cons."
And lo, the internet did rage. "It's not blue," they said. "That's bloody purple." Some people compared it to the colour of a Game Boy Advance; others said it was more like a GameCube.
Listen, chaps. We can solve this with science. After Googling a few key questions, like "where does purple begin" and "what is the difference between blue and purple", I learned a lot about mattress companies and shampoo to tone down brassy colours in blonde hair, but not an awful lot about whether something is, or is not, purple.
I did, however, learn a little bit about indigo, a colour only generally referenced when you sing about the rainbow, or Joseph's technicolour dreamcoat. Indigo is an in-between colour, a liminal colour, that's not-quite-blue and not-quite-purple. It's mostly blue, though the GameCube was officially called "Indigo" despite definitely being purple. It comes from a plant named indigo (which is pink) and has potentially the most boring Wikipedia page I've ever seen.
Importantly, I also learned about "Electric Indigo" - which is, apparently, the brightest colour indigo that can be approximated on a computer screen. It is also more purple than the Switch Lite, but not as purple as the GameCube. It's quite a nice colour, but it does sort of sear the retinas a little.
Long story short: the Switch Lite is not really indigo, and it's also sort of indigo, but that doesn't answer the question of "is it blue or purple" - it's a bit like being asked "do you want chips or a salad" and answering "oooh can I have a bit of both?" Sure, you're technically allowed to do that, but everyone will think you don't like making decisions, and the waiter will probably find you very annoying. Back to the drawing board, then.
I went deeper. I found the individual hex codes of the Switch Lite, the Game Boy Advance, and the GameCube, and set out to find if I could convert the hex codes into the wavelengths of the visible spectrum. You might be able to argue with Pantone's colours, but you can't argue with wavelengths, partly because they don't have a PR representative.
But you can't convert hex codes neatly into wavelengths, because a hex code is simply a bunch of numbers that tell you how much red, green, and blue is in an individual pixel. Pixels on a screen trick your brain into seeing colour by just BLASTING lots of colours at your face until your brain gives up and says "I dunno, that looks pink/grey/orangeish to me." The visible spectrum doesn't work like that. The way light displays colours and the way pixels and paint display colours are entirely different, and trying to compare them is a lot like trying to replace your oven with a photo of a campfire.
Colours are stupid and confusing and I regret starting this article.
Okay, new tactic. We grab the RGB value of the Switch Lite on a relatively neutrally-lit monitor, convert it to a hex code, and pop that into this "Name That Colour" website, on which the creator says: "Being a typical guy, I have no clue what the colors Lavender and Mauve look like. You can show me Indigo and I won't know if it's more like Violet or Purple." Wow, can you imagine having that issue?
Apparently, the colour of the new Switch Lite lies somewhere between "San Marino" and "Chambray", depending on which exact area of the Switch you're looking at. San Marino, Wikipedia tells me, is a football team. Chambray is a town in France, and also a type of fabric. More importantly: both are classed as blue. Aha!
So, there you have it. The new Switch Lite is blue. Of course, we could have told you that by just looking at the product name, since Nintendo of America is confidently calling it "fresh new blue". Even the Nintendo Japan site is calling it blue, and we weren't sure whether the concept of "blue" would be slightly different in another language. Then again, can any of us really trust a company who only ever released the Spice Orange GameCube in Japan?
Did we just write an entire article on blue vs purple? Yes. Will we fight anyone in the comments who insists that it's actually purple? No, because our lawyer said we'd get in trouble. But we have made this lovely poll for you to express your opinions on this extremely important issue, so vote your hearts out:
Comments 120
I'd say it's blue-ish indigo
It's not quite there with the Game Cube in color, but it does seem to be a more indigo-going shade of blue.
It was INDIGO color.
Looks purple to me but I also have slight color blindness. I can’t tell the difference between dark blue and black or some oranges and red.
The main thing you want to look at here are the HSV/HSL values.
The hue of the Blue Switch Lite is 226, compared to the GBA's value of 234 and the Gamecube's value of 248.
The Switch Lite is much closer in hue to the GBA than to the Gamecube.
They should've literally called it Purple or Indigo and made it exactly the same shade as GameCube/GBA... Would be hugely popular.
I went with indigo. Beautiful color and a nice compromise, if I do say so myself. Lol at the "Slow news day, huh." option. XD
+50 for the tagline.
It’s just a smidge lighter
I see it as more blue than purple.
Definitely GameCube coloured....but I never knew what that was either 😂
It’s Indigo. About as Indigo as you get.
... it's Azure!
No love for Periwinkle
I would like to see a comparison with this new Lite and the new Zelda Joy-Cons.
I think blue but my aunt and cousin both said purple.
It's blue. Also, like with all Switch Lites, the buttons and sticks look awful.
Wounded my Twitter poll was ignored here
That’s possibly my favourite article of the year so far. Discusses the important things in life 😁
I clicked on your article and even left a comment. happy now?
It's whatever color frequency it gives off. Everything else is just words.
idk it looks indigo
That is what we call the color blue children.
For sure Indigo. I absolutely love this color design, but I have zero interest in getting a Switch Lite
Slower news day than incineroar in smash bros
Looks blue to me. Sort of an indigo blue.
It's a shade of blue. So.. blue.
Surely a large factor in this will be the monitor/screen people are looking at the image on?
It's Blurple. Problem solved.
It's periwinkle 👍
Tardis Blue (11th Doctor Style).
Honestly looks like blue imo
Well, I'd happily call it blue but I certainly wouldn't bother arguing with anyone who says it's indigo .... In fact, they're welcome to say it's sky-blue pink for all I care! If this colour had been available initially, I'd probably have got it but I'm happy with my turqoise one
Indigo, and I love it. If I didn't already have the grey Switch Lite and an OG Switch, I would buy this.
Definitely blue. It's basically the same color as the GBA SP I had as a kid.
It's definitely blue. However, I think our minds are playing tricks on us since we've seen the Gamecube and Game Boy Advance in a similar look. We're assuming it's one of the two colors due to these past products. Although, it's definitely more toward the original GBA than the GC.
Gamecube blue.
It looks like my old gameboy advance!!! I wants it, I wants it, I wants it, precious!!! Brings back the good ol' memories
It’s neither because it’s L I M I N A L (ly) placed between the two
If you ask me seriously though, it’s blue. How could it be anything else?
It's not indigo, it's indie-go, because you can play indie games on the go! drum roll
PS: Just kidding, it's blue.
I'm not convinced about indigo, but you get my vote for chips and salad.
Did you just call the Wikipedia article on Indigofera boring? How DARE you! I would dye before I let you get away with that!
Finally a topic to distract the fandom from Switch Pro. And I expect an editorial from Bloomberg, too.
Well, as soon as I saw it, I thought that they were acknowledging the GameCube's existance. Guess I was wrong. Damn you, Nintendo! 😭
So the Purple Gamecube was called Indigo, the new indigo Switch Lite is called Blue... in a few generations time do you think they'll release a new system that is blue but call it Purple? Or even... Green?
I guess if the computer is unable to produce the variety of colours that our eyes can see then the only way to really know is to see one in person
I guess I need to buy one... for science of course
Whatever it is, I dig this colour. Probably the first time I dig any gadget colour which is not black or grey.
@stinky_t it's just a list of plants!! AND THERE WERE SO MANY!!
You do get one Nintendo Life Point for the pun, though.
Purple is my favorite color and I can guarantee you that this isn't purple.
As I just learned last night because of YouTube, in Japan it would definitely be “blue” as they originally only had white, black, red and blue to choose from. So take from that useless trivia whatever you want, and I’ll wait for the periwinkle switch to come out and confuse this even more.
@StevieWy
Exactly what I came to say, it's clearly periwinkle!
Technically, I think it's actually violet. But as that wasn't a choice I had to choose purple, because it just isn't blue or indigo to me!
I don't NEED it... but I do WANT it...
this new Switch Lite colour resemble my purple GBA/Game Cube.
Who cares? Why bother arguing and whining over whether or not its blue or purple smh.
I don't care if it's called blue or purple, or whatever. It looks lovely. As lovely as Alex. A shame, that the Switch Lite doesn't, well... switch. I'd buy it in a jiffy.
Well it's definitely not "light" blue
It’s green.
Right, guys?
"San Marino, Wikipedia tells me, is a football team."
Pretty bad Wikipedia entry if it doesn't tell you that it's a country (with a poor international football team).
Oh great. I just bought the grey switch lite a couple of weeks ago, and now this amazing color comes out!
NL: We need a 100,000 word article on the colour of new Switch Lite
KG: Hold my Switch
@Jslade well i mean, you already chose the most boring Switch Lite colour thats available. Even if you don't include this. 🤣
It's indigo. Case closed.
It’s Octarine
The pen is blue! The pen is blue! So is this switch lite.
If you can't tell if something is blue or purple, it's indigo. Indigo is the color inbetween blue and purple. It's 2 parts blue, one part red. It's a fact, not an opinion. ::mic drop:: 😄 Hahaha... seriously though 😠
And now I have that old Catherine Wheel song in my head: “Indigo is blue-ooooooo”
It looks blue to me, but it's that odd shade of blue that some people mistake for purple.
don't worry everyone, i have perfect color vision (did multiple tests), and that Switch Lite is blue
It looks blue with a touch of grey.
@gaga64 that explains a lot
@ilh don't blame me! The football team came up first!
"San Marino, Wikipedia tells me, is a football team"
Well, it's not totally wrong, but it's a bit sad that's the first reference. I suppose San Marino it's not a too much known country outside Italy (▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿)
@ilh there are actually more than one football team with "San Marino" in the name: the national one; a team from San Marino that played in the italian championship; an italian team that plays in the italian championship (Cattolica San Marino); and apparently a team that will play in the next italian championship.
All of that for a country of 30'000 people
The real thing to point out is its like the GBA and Gamecube colors. And that could mean something.
it may look close to indigo but its actually dark blue like my old dsi. You can see much more blue than purple, l don't see any purple on that console.
I'd say indigo or royal blue. Both those colors usually have somewhat of a purple tint to them.
Kate, your articles are always entertaining, Lol. Keep being you.
I said slow news day. When I first saw it I said, "Purple". Because if anything it is a blue-purple with a lean towards blue but whatever people feel like.
Yeah... I definitely have to agree with Not Dan Pearce: it's totally white and gold...
@KateGray Hey Kate, it would seem that your new favorite word is "liminal", am I right?
Nice article though, and a pleasant read, as always.
@ThanosReXXX You get One Nintendo Life Point for noticing my little reference joke!
@StevieWy Periwankle
I'm gonna give you some more food for thought with the following important piece of information. Russian search engine Yandex's colour picker places your hex value somewhere between "blue-gray" and "the coulor of VKontakte" (The latter being like the Russian version of Facebook blue, hah, clever.)
So there you have it. Or don't.
@KateGray Cool! What can I exchange it for?
@ThanosReXXX its monetary value is roughly 0.0000000000001 Great British Pound
@KateGray I see. Well, coupled with a Brexitarian VAT, that'll roughly translate to a total net worth of 0.0 euro, then.
Guess I'll just keep it for it's commemorative value in that case...
It is straight-up Blurple.
@nessisonett
According to my highly accurate vacuum spectrometer... it could be 4.61% more indigoish[1] (a very scientific term). Jk
Really the same group in ‘standards’ have done away with indigo just like Pluto ~~as a planet.~~ [and not without reason, but it is still a sore issue so I’ll leave those details involving a cartoon dog out] So, indigo has only historically defined wavelength(s) and is no longer truly a spectral color at all, so it is now, for artists to decide, science Girl is not an expert here
For more curious color conundrums Science Girl recommends reading up on the very non-existent nature of magenta [2]! An Okay ish article linked...
[1] indigo’s wavelength has been given as < 450nm; but, without too many links, Newton’s Opticks [sic] may have linked blue as modern cyan, and indigo as modern blue anyhow (a much clearer distinction)...
[2] https://medium.com/swlh/magenta-the-color-that-doesnt-exist-and-why-ec40a6348256
This can be misleading as yellow and cyan have the same underlying mechanism, while only yellow is everywhere spectral (Hecht 133)
@Dr_G_Lemaitre I will mourn Indigo. A tragic loss.
It's purple, the GBA SP was purple. But for the sake of argument let's just call this "Nintendo Blue" which is actually purple, but with a different name.
Love the 'liminal' throwback.
Oh, and it's blue BTW. 😊
That Switch Lite is as blue as Sonic's quills. Did this really need a topic discussing this? XD
I'll go full edge-lord and say it's violet.
Seeing the color charts it's definitely in the blue side of the family.
My mind was blow recently about the fact Newton forcibly dented indigo into the rainbow so it would have 7 colors (it was a religious "7 is a power number" thing).
Kate are you ok?
I’m glad you go in-depth in your research for us but I’m not sure you needed to dive thaaaatt far lol >.<
I see it about as blue as the electric blue DS Phat.
I can only say that the Switch lite is not in my shopping list, so invisible is the colour I see.
@Emiletta I am most definitely not ok but I am having fun
Yo, listen up here's a story
About a little guy
That lives in a blue world
And all day and all night
And the Switch he sees is just blue
Like him inside and outside
Blue his Switch
With a blue little Handheld
And a blue Switch Lite
And the Switch is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
Cause he ain't got nobody to listen to
It’s blue
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
It’s blue
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
It's Cornflower Blue.
Interesting side note. We perceive colors based on white light. For example, blue as we know it would become green if our typical light sources where yellow. Obviously not relevant but interesting to think about.
It's white and gold. Duh
Nintendo says it's blue, and they seem pretty on-the-ball.
Whatever color it is, it's nice looking. I might have actually gotten that as my Switch Lite color of choice if the option has been there on launch year (as it stands, I went with the Pokemon Sw/Sh edition, which still looks very nice).
Although a red one would've been the ultimate color choice. Like my first 3DS.
This must be the best article I've ever read here!
Very obviously blue. Not even close to the Gamecube or GBA color. 🤷🏾♂️
There is no such thing as brown, only dark orange.
@The_New_Butler Exactly. And even then they will look different to everybody.
Purple. As soon as the image flashed up on the homepage, I thought purple. Then reading the headline, I thought it was a joke that there was any real question. The similarly coloured GC and GBA were purple too. Indigo was just a name, much like orange was known as Spice.
I'm not doing this blue/purple/indigo dance again, nope. I had enough the first time with the Gamecube.
it is LITERALLY BLUE
In my art class I think that would be considered blue-violet.
They need to make it in navy blue.
@Kate Gray - I couldn't help but to notice your use of liminal in your article. Nice work. I like that sense of nebulous-editorial-easter-egging here on NL these days. A++++ fan service.
@KateGray Great article. I saw this and immediately thought, "that's リンドウいろ (rindou-iro)!" I do a lot of drawrings for work and carry around a lot of markers, and one of my favorite colors is the purplish-blue one, which is named after whatever a リンドウ is (it's also a great "liminal" color for when I'm coloring a gradient from blue to purple). Well, Japanese Wikipedia tells me a flower, and fortunately there's an English version which is even more boring than the Wikipedia link you posted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentiana_scabra
After all that excitement, I pulled out my markers and held up the one in question to the picture of the Switch on my monitor, and... it's not really that color. It's closer to the darker one, which is called French Blue. Which on Wikipedia, of course, looks far more blue than both the marker I'm holding and the Switch in question. In conclusion, you were right, colors are stupid and confusing.
@JasmineDragon
I am joining the Cornflower Blue movement. Spot-on, I think.
Lets just say it’s nintendo shaded blue, really nintendo life need to work with nintendo and make a nintendo approved colour chart for fans!
Either way its a nice colour! Not that I will ever waste money on a switch lite, joycon issues alone makes that a poor decision to me!
@KateGray That’s grand then!
The real talking point must be: “Does the new Nintendo Switch analog sticks come with drift issues for free?”. It is absolutely unbelievable that Nintendo put so much effort in the creation of new colors variants and special editions for Switch Lite or Joy-Cons itself, but don’t come up with the solution for the biggest problem they have in decades...
@kurtasbestos wow, you're spot on! What a pretty flower
The Gamecube was purple. The Game Boy Advance was purple. The Switch Lite is blue.
It exists in the netherworld between blue and purple. It is neither one nor the other.
Place it next to a proper blue, it’ll appear more purple; place it next to a proper purple, it’ll appear more blue.
The goddess Iris laughs at our meager mortal interpretations of her work - casting her judgements on us with such ease, as we can barely perceive even the machinations of her lesser sister Arke’s scant understanding of her mighty rainbow.
Lo! We defile her blessings with our inane editorials on a subject which we have no business pontificating, nay, DEMANDING our knowledge is greater than that of the work of our omniscient deity. Repent, ye heathens (!) for our doom is not only nigh, it is colour-blind.
...but fo reel tho, dat ***** str8 up purple, yo.
Looks blue to me, the prettiest of the bunch yet I think as well despite yellow being my fave colour, but I has OG switch, so no need for the lites, would be cool if they did a couple of sets of joycon to match the Lite shades though.
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