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Nintendo has announced the Nintendo Switch Lite, a new iteration of its handheld console. The new system – which will be available in yellow, grey, and turquoise – will go on sale from September 20, 2019.
In line with recent rumours that Nintendo has two new Switch models in production, the Nintendo Switch Lite will be smaller than the original version. According to IGN, it will not include a stand nor a dock, so unlike the current model it will not support video output to TV, but it will support “all games in the robust Nintendo Switch library that support handheld mode, although some games will have restrictions”. It’s also confirmed that, as rumoured, the new version will retail for around $200USD.
“Adding Nintendo Switch Lite to the lineup gives gamers more colour and price point options,” said Nintendo of America president, Doug Bowser. “Now consumers can choose the system that best suits how they like to play their favourite Nintendo Switch games.”
As yet, there’s no confirmation of the more powerful Switch system that was also rumoured to be in production.
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Nintendo of Japan recently revealed that while cloud technologies are “definitely advancing”, it does not believe “all games to become cloud games any time soon”. In a Q&A summary for the company’s 79th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, the company formally responded to a number of questions, including the advent of cloud streaming games and how the company intends to respond to this fresh competition.
“While we don’t expect all games to become cloud games any time soon, the technologies are definitely advancing,” said Shuntaro Furukawa, representative director and president. “We see a future where cloud and streaming technologies will develop more and more as a means of delivering games to consumers. We must keep up with such changes in the environment.
Furukawa also stated back in January that Nintendo was “not fixated on [its] consoles” and may be interested in creating more mobile games in the future. Furukawa said he was “thinking about little ways [he] can reduce that kind of instability” created by market fluctuations and said he’d “like to increase” Nintendo’s smartphone game development to secure “a continuous stream of revenue”.
