Nintendo Switch Lite, Pokemon Switch Lite, and What It Means For Mobile Gaming

Today, a video surfaced on Nintendo UK's page officially announcing the Nintendo Switch Lite, a new (old?) gaming system based on the Nintendo Switch, but with a few unique differences.

You can see the full announcement below:

The Nintendo Switch Lite is set to release on September 20th of 2019 and comes in three colors -- gray, turquoise and yellow. And the purpose of the NSL seems to be to create a lighter, more mobile, Gameboy style version of the switch that doesn't have the console aspect (aka: doesn't connect to a TV) and comes at a lower price point.

It's been my opinion for a while that console prices are one of the reasons casual gamers have avoided gaming later -- balancing that $800 console with the mortgage payment, the car payment, the insurance, or even diapers, can quickly push "new gaming system" down the list pretty far on any budget. Plus, when we're already spending about that dollar amount or more (in handy payment plans) on the latest and greatest smartphone that has a decent capacity for gaming and a lot of free apps, it can be especially hard to justify.

But maybe $200 is the price point that the casual gamer has been looking for. It certainly seems more reasonable, and the fact that it works with all the Nintendo Switch content is pretty interesting.

Even more interesting -- Pokemon Sword & Shield is getting in on the action by announcing a special edition version (the Pokemon Switch Lite) that will be released on November 8th, 2019, however it will not include a copy of the game. 

Perhaps this is the next logical step for Nintendo. They've always been one of the strongest players in the handheld gaming market, and by pricing something with full console capacity (720p resolution) in an affordable mobile package that also works with their existing console titles -- they may actually eat into that insane mobile arena of in-app purchases that seems to be growing continually with no end in sight.