Ready to be scared out of your mind on a slightly smaller screen?
After months of rumors, fear, loathing, and speculation, Nintendo has officially announced the Nintendo Switch Lite. The scaled-down, handheld-only version of the popular console is inferior in (almost) every way, eschewing the Switch’s HD Rumble, IR Motion Camera and, most notably, the option of playing on the big screen. As a result, the few Switch games that don’t support handheld play will be incompatible with the redesign unless you have a couple of JoyCon’s going spare.
The plus-side is a major reduction in price. While the original Switch retails for $299.99, its baby brother will sell for $199.99 — the same price that a Nintendo 3DS XL currently goes for. The 3DS has been on the way out for a few years now, and the Switch Lite’s arrival on Sept. 20th — the same day as The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening — will likely be the final nail in the coffin for the long-lived handheld.
The Switch Lite is a fitting replacement: smaller (3.6” high, 8.2” long and .55” deep compared to the original’s 4” x 9.4” x .55”) and lighter (.61 pounds compared to .88) with a slightly diminished screen (5.5” vs. 6.2”). With built-in JoyCons, the Switch Lite, should be ostensibly more durable, which, when combined with the lower price point makes the console ideal for children.
Not ideal for children? The absolute shambling horde of horror games available on Switch. Resident Evil 0, REmake and 4 got decent ports earlier this year and Resident Evil 5 and 6 are coming this fall. Additionally, the Switch Lite will be the cheapest console that can run indie terrors like Little Nightmares, Observer, Layers of Fear, The Sinking City, Close to the Sun and Slender: The Arrival.
And, with the Switch Lite’s longer battery life (4-7 hours vs. the original’s 2.5-6.5 hours), horror-table gaming fans will need to worry more about the undead, less about dead batteries.