Drew Tetangco
- The Nintendo Switch is the latest console released by Nintendo, and it has been a hit among users
- Rumors of a new Switch version had been circulating for a long time, and was thought to be a smaller version
- Nintendo has recently announced the Nintendo Switch Lite and what it can do for you.
For video game fanatics, there are always three names that one will think of if gaming consoles are mentioned: Sony, for the PlayStation, Microsoft, for the Xbox, and Nintendo. Sony and Microsoft have been consistent with their releases for their own consoles, but it was Nintendo who was able to bring something new to the table fairly recently.
Nintendo’s newest console, the Switch, was released back in March 2017. It was known to be both a console that you’ll need to connect to a TV and a portable gaming device at the same time. It has a dock that you’ll use to connect to a TV, or you can play your games straight on the device itself as it has an LCD screen on it.
The controllers, or Joy-Cons, can be used together for one person, or it can be set up so that two people can use it for multiplayer games. The Joy-Cons can either be connected to the sides of the Switch for its portable version, and it also has functions similar to the Wii controller, so you can wave the controller around for certain games.
Rumors started to circulate recently that Nintendo is developing a new version of the Switch. It was speculated that it’ll be more compact compared to the original one. Those who hunted for more information also saw that there were some websites that were already selling accessories and cases that appeared to be made for the rumored new device.
On July 10, 2019, a video was released in Nintendo’s YouTube channel. In the video, Yoshiaki Koizumi, General Producer of the Nintendo Switch, introduces their latest device: The Nintendo Switch Lite.
The Switch Lite, according to him, has been made with being a handheld device in mind. What that means is any connectivity function to a TV has been removed. The controls of the Switch Lite is also now part of the device, unlike with the original Switch, but you can still connect Joy-Cons to it wirelessly for certain games, like the 1-2 Switch. For any other games, you can play it as long as it is indicated that that it can work with handheld mode.
From an article made by Engadget, they showed other differences between the Switch Lite and the original Switch:
- The weight of the Switch Lite is only 0.61 lbs, compared to the original Switch’s 0.88 lbs
- The display size is 5.5 inches, a bit smaller than the original’s 6.2 inches
- It doesn’t have the wired dock nor the TV dock for video output
- Battery life is a bit longer at an estimated 7 hours play time
The Switch Lite will come in three colors: Gray, yellow, and turquoise. It was also announced that there will be a themed Switch Lite design. When the anticipated game Pokemon: Sword & Shield gets released on November 2019, the Nintendo Switch Lite Zacian and Zamazenta will also be released. Zacian and Zamazenta are the Legendary Pokemon that will be introduced in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, respectively.
The Switch Lite is set for a September 2019 release date and is priced at $200, or roughly around P11,000. No announcements yet if stores like Datablitz or iTech will open preorders for the device, but we’ll give you updates as soon as there are announcements.
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