Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/07/10/nintendo-switch-lite-finally-u.html
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This is pretty neat though it having a smaller screen kinda sucks. I do like the slightly simplified form factor, was never a fan of the joy cons
My son and I currently play on the original Switch at home, but I can see getting this for just him at some point in the next year. I was already thinking about getting him a DS but this seems better, especially because it will mean we can go head-to-head (actually I prefer co-op games) on two different screens. That said, the only thing missing is the back catalog of great Nintendo games for the DS. I really wish they’d do a VC for the Switch.
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I’ve been waiting to see if Nintendo will port some DS games for the switch. I’d like to play all of the Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga games, I’ve heard good things about those
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This is appealing in itself, and I would totally want one if I didn’t have a Switch, but it’s also in keeping with Nintendo’s product strategy of basically just huffing airplane glue out of a paper bag.
I mean, for this to succeed basically means any titles that depend on Wii-style interaction now have to fail, and vice versa. So why is this not what the Switch was from the beginning? Or… I can’t even
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Is this the death of the DS?
Reggie: So, let me get this clear. You want to take the 3DS and remove the 3D.
Designer: Yes.
Reggie: Then you want to take the folding feature, that feature that makes the device so portable, and nix that too?
Designer: U-huh.
Reggie: So what are you going to call this thing that removes both the gimmick and portability from our biggest cash cow in years?
Designer: The 2DS.
Reggie: … It’s brilliant!
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Eh, it’s kind of tempting, but the games are still something like $70 CDN each, and if I’m going to throw around that kind of cash, I might as well get something I can play on my TV when I want to.
Also, many are pointing out that the Switch joysticks have an unfortunate tendency to degrade – and something like this with attached controllers wouldn’t be nearly as easy to repair, much less replace.
Oh yes, they’re quite nice. The first and third have already been ported to the 3DS, if you’re not aware. (Didn’t much care for the fourth; it felt way too much like a dull retread of the third.)
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Hmm. Strictly handheld. I don’t know. And those colors…
“It’s always fun to have options.”
re: the video - Yep, that’s what kids these days do. Go outside to the skate park and play Switch games while sitting in tight clumps. It’s becoming a problem, really. It’s almost to the point where we need to bust out the fire hoses. “Go back inside, you damned kids!”
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I couldn’t tell from the video, but I wasn’t giving it my full attention. Will it work so that only one system needs the physical game, and the other one can piggy-back on it, or will you need two copies of the game?
That also makes me think about how tightly they control where you can play your digital games. You can only be signed in on one Switch unit at a time.
Sounds like an impending mess to me, unless they change how their DRM operates.
I do worry about this - introducing a device that doesn’t have the same features is going to split the base, and developers will likely cater to the lowest spec. But I’m hoping the fact that you can add motion controllers to the Lite and the fact that there is already a great user base for the Switch and it will continue to grow.
I don’t know for sure. I think there are some games that “piggyback” but most games require a purchased copy for each hardware unit. I know you can share a digital copy of a game between consoles, but you can’t play on both consoles at the same time. Unless each has their own copy.
Isn’t one of the selling points of this system that you can play it on your TV?
Not sure what you mean. Yes, two of the big selling points of the Switch are that it has detachable controllers and can be played on TV when desired, and both of these selling points are lost in the Switch Lite.
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I would hope that it would still work on a TV but that it would still be outputting under its lower-res handheld mode
It does not connect to a TV. It is handheld only.
Doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t. Like people were able to get the 3DS to work on TVs, but if its something that’s not natively supported by Nintendo then that’s certainly a big strike against the Lite version.
True - I suppose if it has a USB C port there might be some way to hack it, but according to the announcement video, it’s not natively supported. Also, the fact that the controllers can’t detach would making hookiing it up to a TV cumbersome.
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If I’m not mistaken, that required the 3DS to be opened up and additional third-party hardware inserted. (I heard recently that the manufacturer of said capture cards was closing up shop.) I would think it would be easier to get a regular Switch before going that route.
Unofficial software-based streaming is also an option for the 3DS, but the framerate takes quite a hit.
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The Lite does support gamepads and joycons. But yeah like i was saying its pretty lame that it won’t cast to TV’s, i’m sure there’s a technical reason for that but i think i’d rather save up the extra 100 bucks and buy the OG switch.
Edit: Also there’s apparently word that there’s a good chance a Nintendo Switch Pro could be a thing. Not sure what that would entail, maybe potential support for VR if they use a higher spec chip? I really don’t know what else they could use a beefed up Switch for. Other thought is that they could do the opposite of the Lite, something that isn’t meant to be portable and more like a traditional console.
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Sorry, my bad. I thought that was a feature that would stick around. It never even occurred to me that they might remove the ability to hook it up to a TV.
