As I discussed in my last post, I’ve had the honor of trying out tons of handheld game consoles. In this series I’m looking at the ones I’ve enjoyed and still use on the regular. Today’s post is about the Switch Lite. I got mine when I found a TV on the side of the road then traded it to some dude on Marketplace.
Nintendo Switch Lite
In many ways, the Switch Lite is identical to its older brother, the OG Switch. My family got a Switch all the way back in 2020. Still not sure how my parents pulled that off. That console was what kept me entertained all the way through Covid and until I got a computer to play games on. I still have a soft spot for the Switch for when it was my primary gaming device, but today it would need to play a different role.
That’s where the Switch Lite comes in. It’s about 25% smaller and 30% lighter than the OG Switch, with a screen roughly the same size as my iPhone 12. It also loses some features, like rumble motors or a way to dock it to a screen. That said, it’s still as powerful as an OG switch, so you can play all the same games whether you own them digitally or as a physical cartridge. These limitations sound like they would be restrictive, but for someone like me who just wants to play Animal Crossing on the go, it’s perfect.
That’s where the Switch Lite really shines. For 30-minute sessions in cozy games or old JRPGs you hardly need the fanciest features or highest-quality screen. I’ve personally played quite a bit of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but I’ve found it’s also great for old JRPGs or more session-based titles like Mario Kart. Obviously all the classic Switch games like BOTW or Mario Odyssey work fine on this platform, but for the quick 30-minute sessions I’ve found myself using the Switch Lite in it’s a little hard to get invested into these bigger titles.
In short, the Switch Lite is one of my favorite handhelds to take on car trips or when I’m backpacking. It’s small and it’s light, but it can play a huge library of games. It’s not without its downsides, but for someone like me who isn’t interested in jailbreaking or docking it to my TV, it’s perfect. Fully recommend.