Deal Review: Nintendo Switch Lite

Nintendo Switch Lite Deal Review

The Nintendo Switch may not really be ‘new’ anymore, but it’s still the most recent console from Nintendo and it is still immensely popular. After all, there’s a ton of games you can only play on the Switch, as it has many exclusive series to offer. Like many consoles today, the Switch has a bigger, badder version that costs more money, and a slimmer, less expensive version. We’re going to talk about the Switch versus the Switch Lite.

For those who don’t know, there’s about a difference of $100 between the two, with the Lite being the less expensive variant. This is the case even though the Switch Lite can play all the same games that the regular Switch can. So where does the decreased price come from? Most notably, from the fact that the Lite is a handheld console only. Just like the GameBoy of days gone by, the small screen of the Lite is the only screen you enjoy its games through, whereas the regular Switch can be connected to a TV for a more traditional console experience.

On top of this, the Switch Lite does not allow you to remove the Joy-Cons, the controllers, from the screen itself, which is something you can do with the Nintendo Switch’s regular version. Finally, you can expect the Switch Lite to have just slightly lower performance in regards to battery life and the like.

This may sound like a lot of cons in comparison to the regular Switch, but it’s all about what you want out of the console. As we said previously, you can play every game from the Switch on its Lite version. So if all you care about is access to exclusive Switch titles, then you can get that with the Lite. If what you are looking for is specifically a mobile gaming device, and you have no intention of using it as a console with a TV, then there’s no reason to spend an extra $100 to get a regular Switch.

The only other thing worth noting is that, since you can’t remove the Joy-Cons from the Switch Lite, you can’t give one to a friend and play co-op like you can with the regular switch on some games. That being said, you probably wouldn’t be too interested in playing co-op on a handheld sized screen anyway.

All in all, the main reason to get a Switch Lite is if you intend to primarily use it like you would an older handheld device: you bring it on busses and planes and car rides, whipping it out to play on the go when you have the time. If you aren’t interested in plugging up your Switch to a TV, then you don’t really have any reason to pay an extra $100 to get a regular Switch.

The Switch Lite does everything a regular Switch does in regards to the games it can play, so go ahead and save some money if you just want a way to play new Pokémon games.