Nintendo Switch Lite announced at $199, launches September 20th, "dedicated handheld" (smaller, has D-Pad, has gyro, no HD Rumble, no dock/TV output)

[werezompire]

That's probably the best option for such players - making their OG Switch their secondary so that they always have access to all of their games on both Switch platforms (assuming their home internet is stable).

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The problem with that is that now your OG Switch has a bunch of games that you can only play with 1 account. Not ideal if you have a family Switch with a bunch of different accounts.

Assuming they don't relax the restrictions (PSN was so nice with being able to have 2 portable systems attached to 1 account with no restrictions), I'm considering keeping my OG Switch as the family Switch hooked to the TV and buying a Switch Lite for my personal use. I'd create a new primary account for the Switch Lite and rebuy a handful of games that I play all the time and buy games just for me on that account going on. And then I'd hook up the 2 accounts as secondary accounts to the respective Switches.

 

[PKrockin]

I don't think a bluetooth issue would manifest when the controls are physically attached to the device.

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It's not a bluetooth issue. There are bluetooth issues as well, but Joycon drifting isn't typically due to bluetooth.

 

[Jraphics Horse]

https://fccid.io/BKEHAC001

New entries. HAC-001 (01)

https://fccid.io/BKEHAC001/Letter/02-FCC-Class-II-Permissive-Change-Letter-4350005

New SoC and NAND

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Interesting, so is this for the main revision? The close up of the back says the Lite is BKEHDH001.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64699100/Pokemon_Hardware.0.jpg

 

[Jessie]

Sure, there are some hot takes in this thread, but let's not forget that Nintendo absolutely failed in marketing just one generation ago lol. They're not strangers to weird decisions, marketing or otherwise.

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Which is why they went back to making good decisions like this one.

 

[Schreckweg 5000]

No one is arguing that it will not sell well. The poster you quoted, which prompted me to quote you, was replying to someone that was talking from a consumer perspective, this was the conversation:





see. hell, it was even said that it will sell well regardless, but for whatever reason you decided to cape for nintendo with this post:



as if its a good thing to pay only $100 less for a product that has considerably less functionality than the predecessor that came out 2 years ago.

all I said is none of what that poster said is outrageous. Not every day is a day to suit up in our captain-save-a-hoe attires for multinational companies, breh.

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Its an alternative and/or something complimentary, not a successor. Seriously guys, how are you so easily confused.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

Brand names are just brand names. Especially when their name is more important than their intended usage.

Like Nintendo used to refer to playing cards.

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?

So you mean to tell me Nintendo could have referred to any device as a "Nintendo Switch"? You saying that completely disregards how they communicate features through their naming.

Like your argument and logic is very strange when looking at Nintendo's recent history.

 

[Bunkles]

?

So you mean to tell me Nintendo could have referred to any device as a "Nintendo Switch"? You saying that completely disregards how they communicate features through their naming.

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It's now a known brand. What they were communicating with the name in 2017 was important. Now? Not so much.

 

[Cipherr]

So, this can't be docked? Why even call it the Nintendo "Switch" then?

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Honestly, whats more important, making sure people know it plays switch games and brand continuity? Or maintaining the "Switch" connection.

Its the logical choice. You dont have a red hot selling console then give a slim/mini version a completely new name that doesn't include the name of the original. If they had, we would be blasting them for being so silly as to split the branding/advertising to be honest.

?

So you mean to tell me Nintendo could have referred to any device as a "Nintendo Switch"? You saying that completely disregards how they communicate features through their naming.

Like your argument and logic is very strange when looking at Nintendo's recent history.

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I think we are saying, not having the name Switch in this hardware revision/mini version would have been moronic. Absolutely moronic.

People around here lost their shit when Nintendo named the WiiU because of confusion. People see the brand name and assume a connection. This is a powerful tool in advertising, and in this case, they are using it the right way.

 

[LukasManak22]

These front and back sides of Switch Lite leaked back in April noone believed it :D

 

[Doskoi Panda]

But Switch wouldn't have sold like this in Japan if it was console only, and wouldn't do the same in USA if it was handheld only

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Yeah, you're probably right, but that is why I stressed the fact that we're two and a half years out from release. The novelty of the Switch has done its part for years to sell the device, but now the library can stand in where the novelty of Switch's design once did, and as such, options that don't fall back on such novelties to demonstrate the Switch's appeal are now more feasible.

The problem with that is that now your OG Switch has a bunch of games that you can only play with 1 account. Not ideal if you have a family Switch with a bunch of different accounts.

Assuming they don't relax the restrictions (PSN was so nice with being able to have 2 portable systems attached to 1 account with no restrictions), I'm considering keeping my OG Switch as the family Switch hooked to the TV and buying a Switch Lite for my personal use. I'd create a new primary account for the Switch Lite and rebuy a handful of games that I play all the time and buy games just for me on that account going on. And then I'd hook up the 2 accounts as secondary accounts to the respective Switches.

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Yep, that is a problem. My buddy and I use a similar trick to gameshare on Xbox and that's the only major disadvantage.

 

[Oracle]

I know it can't be docked but what if someone use a usb-c to HDMI etc?

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If it was that simply nintendo would capitalize on it.


Imagine a portable switch with an included cable to plug and play into a TV anywhere. It would make this MUCH more appealing.

I'm willing to bet the hardware simply does not have the option. HDMI output display isn't on the mainboard.

 

[th1nk]

More Colors with Dark Buttons

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Man I would buy the violet one in a heartbeat. It looks like my GameBoy Color, which I loved.

 

[JuiceMan_V]

More Colors with Dark Buttons

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Are the purple, green and pink colors official?

 

[senj]

It would be kinda like Dove saying " 1/4 moisturizing cream" and then announcing A Dove Lite that is just regular ass soap. People expect something from a brand that advertises something in a certain way. To remove that feels like its not really what they said it was.

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You're aware that Dove more or less does exactly that right? They have like 400 "Dove <something>" products that are much different than the regular bar of soap they mostly focus on advertising.

Because it's a brand.

 

[Deleted member 52823]

Switch is a brand, not a function. No need to stress this much over it. "Switch Lite" is the easiest, most digestible way for the mass consumer to know what they are getting.

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Yes. It's great. The Switch icon on the cases (Joy Cons). By the way, you can go to the web site to understand the differences in certain software titles.

 

[Bomblord]

?

So you mean to tell me Nintendo could have referred to any device as a "Nintendo Switch"? You saying that completely disregards how they communicate features through their naming.

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The brand has been established and the name was great for the initial 2 year run of the device. Now that everyone knows that the Switch is a gaming device and it's been established as a brand it's not really a stretch for the Switch Lite to be a device that's lighter on features but still plays Switch software.

 

[Jraphics Horse]

These front and back sides of Switch Lite leaked back in April noone believed it :D

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Hey I believed it :p

 

[dom]

Are the purple, green and pink colors official?

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no

 

[Anthony Hopkins]

Having a cheap portable only switch is a fantastic idea, I'm glad Nintendo are smart.

 

[Jessie]

?

So you mean to tell me Nintendo could have referred to any device as a "Nintendo Switch"? You saying that completely disregards how they communicate features through their naming.

Like your argument and logic is very strange when looking at Nintendo's recent history.

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You interpreted my argument correctly. If you don't understand the importance of branding that's on you.

 

[pswii60]

Switch is a brand, not a function. No need to stress this much over it. "Switch Lite" is the easiest, most digestible way for the mass consumer to know what they are getting.

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Oh be in no doubt there will be plenty of disappointed kids this Christmas who can't connect their Switches to the TV or play Mario Party's multiplayer mini games etc, simply because their parents didn't know the difference. But it's not like Nintendo has a choice really, as you say, Switch is the brand.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

A smaller Switch that doesn't Switch. From now on, we need to change our marketing because Switch Lite doesn't include Joy Cons and it also doesn't connect to the TV.

Nintendo created great marketing for Switch, the complete opposite of Wii U and 3DS, and now we need to change it because Nintendo also wants a portable on the market.

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This is a natural progression for all consoles with marketing though. At first, around launch and shortly after, all you show is people using the console. The Switch's selling point is that hybrid stuff, and because the software is limited you can focus on the console hardware itself.

Now the Switch has been out and it has a killer lineup of software. The software will sell the Switch. Nintendo doesn't need to show people playing Switch on an apartment rooftop anymore, they can just show footage of Pokemon and Animal Crossing and it'll sell shitloads on every platform. (Plus the user base can shift over time - Nintendo might saturate the hybrid console fans eventually, but they can get the people who just want to play Nintendo games.)

This has happened with every console. The Xbox One X didn't launch with a ton of X-enhanced games. What did we see? A lot of sexy motherboard shots, "vapor chamber" and models standing in CGI with Xbox controllers. Now we just see game footage, because that's what sells consoles.

 

[Bunkles]

Yes. It's great. The Switch icon on the cases (Joy Cons). By the way, you can go to the web site to understand the differences in certain software titles.

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Again, the Switch icon is now a known icon. It's initial reason for existing is irrelevant. The icon says "this plays Switch games." That's all consumers need to know.

 

[TsuWave]

Its an alternative and/or something complimentary, not a successor. Seriously guys, how are you so easily confused.

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as are most consumer products of the same line. this changes nothing.

 

[Deleted member 5127]

Which is why they went back to making good decisions like this one.

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I think this could have been a better product just with the inclusion of being able to connect it to the TV. Having said that, it still has its own usefulness.

 

[Jessie]

Oh be in no doubt there will be plenty of disappointed kids this Christmas who can't connect their Switches to the TV or play Mario Party's multiplayer mini games etc, simply because their parents didn't know the difference. But it's not like Nintendo has a choice really, as you say, Switch is the brand.

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Kids aren't stupid. If we could deal with memory cards and shit, kids can deal with Switch vs Switch Lite.

 

[senj]

So you mean to tell me Nintendo could have referred to any device as a "Nintendo Switch"?

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If they want to communicate that it plays Nintendo Switch games, I'd say they not just could but should

 

[Theorymon]

This sorta bums me out, I would have been day 1 if it could dock. The rest of this seems appealing to me, but the lack of docking is a no-no for me sadly.

Guess I'll wait for the rumored Switch Pro.

 

[Tom Nook Says...]

It would be kinda like Dove saying " 1/4 moisturizing cream" and then announcing A Dove Lite that is just regular ass soap. People expect something from a brand that advertises something in a certain way. To remove that feels like its not really what they said it was.

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You know how every phone brand has a flagship model and offer alongside it a more economical option? This is that. It isn't complicated.

 

[Milennia]

I wonder how that stick travel time is, that actually would sway me on a second unit

 

[Bunkles]

Oh be in no doubt there will be plenty of disappointed kids this Christmas who can't connect their Switches to the TV or play Mario Party's multiplayer mini games etc, simply because their parents didn't know the difference. But it's not like Nintendo has a choice really, as you say, Switch is the brand.

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Yes lets stress out over edge cases where this happens because we all know Christmas 2019 is all about kids getting Switch Lites and Mario Party.

 

[pswii60]

Kids aren't stupid. If we could deal with memory cards and shit, kids can deal with Switch vs Switch Lite.

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Read my post again, I didn't say it was the kids that are stupid.

 

[Eoin]

I am not talking about functionality I am talking about cost of manufacturing a proprietary chip, which this article does not give any indications of. Interesting breakdown nonetheless.

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I'm not sure what's unclear, sorry.

There's no proprietary chip. That's why I posted the breakdown - it shows that the Wii U was just using standard 802.11n wireless and some standard video processing. There's literally nothing special happening there.

I thought perhaps the best route would be to create an entirely new portable and launch it with Switch ports. That way, there's no market confusion whatsoever, and instead of being released as a revision, the product gets an entirely new launch, with exclusive marketing.

"Introducing the Nintendo Portable". $199, the biggest Switch games ported to the system, plus there's no reason why this new console couldn't connect to Switch in the exact same ways that "Switch Lite" does.

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Okay, I'll be honest, I really wasn't expecting that answer.

I'll also be less harsh than others have been in my response: whatever confusion you imagine Switch Lite to bring to the table, you'd be creating even more with this "Nintendo Switch"/"Nintendo Portable" false division. If you're arguing that people are so stupid that they can't figure out that the Switch Lite doesn't dock before buying it, you're also arguing that people are so stupid that they'd, for example, buy a Nintendo Portable to go alongside their Switch because they thought it was a completely new machine, or have long confused conversations with cashiers about whether the Switch was portable or not.

Oh, and you also create a branding nightmare for the future where Nintendo want to launch another portable/console hybrid but they're already selling a machine literally called Portable and the new machine is a successor to both of them.

Nintendo created great marketing for Switch, the complete opposite of Wii U and 3DS, and now we need to change it because Nintendo also wants a portable on the market.

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The marketing was due a change anyway.

 

[Bomblord]

or play Mario Party's multiplayer mini games etc

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This is at least the 4th time I've seen this in this thread. Where is it coming from? Mario Party works entirely disconnected from the TV and even has handheld mode only multiplayer minigames the system can still connect external controllers for multiplayer.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

No one is arguing that it will not sell well. The poster you quoted, which prompted me to quote you, was replying to someone that was talking from a consumer perspective, this was the conversation: see. hell, it was even said that it will sell well regardless, but for whatever reason you decided to cape for nintendo with this post:

as if its a good thing to pay only $100 less for a product that has considerably less functionality than the predecessor that came out 2 years ago.

all I said is none of what that poster said is outrageous. Not every day is a day to suit up in our captain-save-a-hoe attires for multinational companies, breh.

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Except that the poster I responded to agreed that it didn't make any sense, not that it would sell well

It's a $100 less for a system where the only meaningful feature loss is the ability to dock it, seeing as this model is intended solely for folk who only want to play in handheld mode and for cheap. It's neither a good or bad thing, much like paying an extra $100 for a PS4 Pro is neither a good or bad thing

I didn't realize pointing out how ridiculous his argument is is the same as hardcore defending Nintendo and, yes, what he did say is ridiculous by claiming it should've only cost a $100 while offering substantial improvements over the original model. It's the same as arguing the PS4 Pro should have cost $200 while the base PS4 costs $300. Please tell me that that argument isn't ridiculous as well, I'd love to hear why it isn't

 

[pswii60]

Yes lets stress out over edge cases where this happens because we all know Christmas 2019 is all about kids getting Switch Lites and Mario Party.

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I'm not stressing over anything, but you are in your response lol

There's no need to be defensive, I'm just highlighting the inevitable. Nintendo won't care, they've already made the sale by that point.

 

[thebishop]

If it was that simply nintendo would capitalize on it.


Imagine a portable switch with an included cable to plug and play into a TV anywhere. It would make this MUCH more appealing.

I'm willing to bet the hardware simply does not have the option. HDMI output display isn't on the mainboard.

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Yeah, I'm betting the chips in the Lite are designed not to support the docked mode. I think they decided to focus on the handheld experience and locked in a lower power chip to get more reasonable battery life.

 

[King Dodongo]

The system is smaller and weighs less, too. Not unimportant. I find my hands get tired very quickly with the current Switch in handheld mode.

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No rumble

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Additional Pro - more solid/less breakable (due to no detachable joycons). Also, lighter.

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Other Pros:
Noticeably Lighter (about 30%) so less fatiguing to use portably
Smaller (Though probably still too big to pocket)
The controls shouldn't have certain joycon issues like losing the connection

Other Cons:
No HD Rumble or pointer/camera functionality unless you use Joycons

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Thanks! I was really missing a ton of info then. At least you could say they are different enough.

 

[Deleted member 52823]

...you literally just saw a video on how they market the Switch Lite despite the existence of the normal Switch.

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"Look, you can bring Switch Lite anywhere. It cannot connect to the TV. We have removed the joy con and HD rumble. Look on the back of the game case; one player. Go to the Nintendo web site to understand the differences in certain game software".

Incredible video.

 

[Bunkles]

This is at least the 4th time I've seen this in this thread. Where is it coming from? Mario Party works entirely disconnected from the TV and even has handheld mode only minigames the system can still connect external controllers for multiplayer.

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It's one of the only games the naysayers can cling to for counter argument. It's concern trolling at best.

 

[TheUnseenTheUnheard]

They look sweet.

 

[memoryman3]

Oh be in no doubt there will be plenty of disappointed kids this Christmas who can't connect their Switches to the TV or play Mario Party's multiplayer mini games etc, simply because their parents didn't know the difference. But it's not like Nintendo has a choice really, as you say, Switch is the brand.

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They would make it easy to tell I assume. The Switch Lite will likely have a slightly different version of the OS.

Plus you can still play Mario Party if you get extra joycons.

 

[Soulsis]

Man, at least we know they likely fixed their drift issues for this SKU.

 

[Uncle Squingis]

The system brand should have been something like "Pip" so the original would be "Pip Switch" and this one could be called the "Pip Lite."

 

[MegaManTrigger]

It's now a known brand. What they were communicating with the name in 2017 was important. Now? Not so much.

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How is that not important now? Now you have a family of devices where communicating the differences with each of them is important to minimize the amount of consumer confusion.

This would be like Apple calling all of their devices as Macs, when their current naming not only communicates that it's a part of the family, but also the things they do differently (iPad, iMac, iPod, etc). That's what the Nintendo Switch brand is missing, and was always going to miss if Nintendo expanded the family using the iOS example.

You interpreted my argument correctly. If you don't understand the importance of branding that's on you.

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What an absurd take, for precisely the same reason as listed above.

 

[--R]

"Look, you can bring Switch Lite anywhere. It cannot connect to the TV. We have removed the joy con and HD rumble. Look on the back of the game case; one player. Go to the Nintendo web site to understand the differences in certain game software".

Incredible video.

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If people have been able to understand what a Switch Lite is but you haven't, maybe it's on you.

 

[E_i]

Bestbuy has listings up, but you can't preorder them yet.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

Of course it won't be faster than the premium model

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Most definitely, but with possible chipset, battery, and cooling improvements they could have it run at OG Switch docked speeds or at least make that an option at the expense of battery life.

 

[TsuWave]

It's smaller, lighter, has better battery life and a D-pad. It will most likely be harder to break and be more sturdy because of no removable Joy-Cons. It has functionality that the OG does not have.

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and I guess the argument comes down to "do you deem that worthy of the asking price? (considering the OG)", which, again, corroborates that what that poster said was not outrageous, even if you do deem it worthy.

 

[Schreckweg 5000]

as are most consumer products of the same line. this changes nothing.

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I think neither of us are sure what you try to argue