If you’ve previously been on the fence about purchasing a Switch, this fall is the perfect time to jump aboard the Nintendo craze. A new, updated model of the Nintendo Switch has been released, and the Nintendo Switch Lite isn’t that far off. While the newly updated base model hasn’t been actively advertised in stores, it comes with updates that will enhance your Switch gaming experience. The coming Nintendo Switch Lite will give players the perfect handheld gaming experience while being notably cheaper and smaller in size.
Confused about the different models? Let’s break it down for you.
Nintendo Switch Lite:
- Release date of September 20th, 2019
- Available in THREE colors: Yellow, Gray, Turquoise
- Price: $199 USD.
- Handheld mode ONLY. The joy-cons are not removable and the Lite doesn’t have a TV/tabletop mode.
- New D-pad feature.
- Extended battery life of 3 – 7 hours.
- Notably smaller and lighter sizer.
- Supports ALL Nintendo Switch games (even those that require disconnected joy-cons/controllers – these can be bought and added)
(Newly updated) Nintendo Switch (HAC-001-(01)
- Available NOW
- Price: $399 USD
- Joy-con drift fixed
- Extended battery life of 4.5 – 9 hours (previous model 2.5-6.5 hours)
- Identical to the previous model – the biggest difference is noted the packaging. Look for the plain red packaging (pictured above).
- The updated models’ serial numbers start with: “XKW” while the older models start with “XAW.”
- Practically double the playing time for Breath of Wild (from 3 hours to 5.5 hours)
Nintendo is doing a great job of making their latest console accessible to multiple gaming types. If you don’t want to pay the high price for the multi-purpose base Switch model, the Lite is a perfect fit while still enabling you to play all the same games as your friends (additional controllers may need to be purchased). By updating the hardware and battery of the base Nintendo Switch, both options are now viable contenders for purchase. It all depends on how you want to play.
