It's been in the rumour mill now for a while, but Nintendo has finally confirmed the existence of the Nintendo Switch Lite, a 'watered' down handheld version of their, erm... handheld console.

Essentially, what Switch Lite is, appears to be a true successor to the Nintendo DS family of systems that have ruled the roost for a number of years now. And while Switch Lite looks like Nintendo Switch it features a solid casing with no removable Joy-Cons, no rumble or IR, and cannot be docked to a TV, which might be the strangest omission. As far as connectivity to other Switch's go, all of that is intact, but any games that require Joy-Con rumble will require Joy-Cons, which is also a bit odd.

In Australia the unit is priced at AUD$329.95 and comes in three colours: Grey, Yellow and Turquoise. The machine will also launch locally from September 20. Interestingly, a "flagship" Nintendo Switch at EB Games in Australia right now retails for AUD$399.00 with plenty of preowned options at a cheaper price-point as well. And so for an extra $70-odd dollerdoos you can own the same thing that does the same thing, only can also be docked to a TV and has removable Joy-Cons for the games that require it, or use it from a multiplayer sense. But it's your wallet at the end of the day.

Watch a trailer outlining the new console's 'features' embedded below.

Its the Nintendon't Switch

Yeah,.... why?. The price makes no sense.

This is really weird, I was expecting a highspec switch 2.

Given it's going to sell for $200US I was hoping it might be in the $250-$300 area but currently $200US is ~$285AUD, then factor in import charges and any extra bits that normally get tacked on top for being in Australia, the price doesn't really surprise me.

This is really weird, I was expecting a high spec switch 2.

I reckon it'll be a while before a proper successor to the switch turns up. This Switch Lite is however running on a newer model of the tegra chipset. Rumour is Nintendo are going to refresh the current mainline Switches with these updated tegra chips to help them reduce manufacturing costs. Consider it a soft refresh, whether they simply do it without saying anything publicly or market it as "The New Nintendo Switch" like they did with the Nintendo DS line, I guess we'll see eventually. I mean, the "Lite" naming convention is ripped right out of the DS product line.

I'd love to see a high spec switch pro but given Nintendo have a history of not competing in the high performance space, I'd be surprised if it actually happens.

Well that didn't take long. Just got announced.

https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/17/20696857/nintendo-switch-battery-upgrade-new-model