Nintendo Switch Lite — The Switch That Never Plugs Into a TV

The Nintendo Switch Lite was released on 20 September 2019, at $199.99 in the United States and ¥19,980 before tax in Japan. Nintendo announced it on 10 July 2019. Gematsu, reporting the Nintendo of America announcement, gave 20 September as the worldwide launch date. It cost $100 less in the US than the standard Nintendo Switch ($299.99), and ¥10,000 less in Japan (¥29,980 before tax).

It launched in three colours: yellow, gray and turquoise. How the Switch itself came about, and its three play modes, are covered on the Nintendo Switch page; this page is about what the Lite left out and how it sold.

Keeping only handheld mode

Nintendo's Japanese release describes the Switch Lite as a machine that improves portability further by specialising in the Switch's handheld mode. The 2017 Switch had been sold on three modes: TV mode through a dock, tabletop mode with the screen propped up and shared, and handheld mode. By the end of March 2019 Nintendo had shipped more than 34 million of them. The Lite kept one mode out of the three.

The comparison table in the same release:

The resolution is the same; the screen is smaller and the console about 120 g lighter. GeekWire also pointed to a new D-pad.

What it can and cannot play

The Lite plays every Switch game that supports handheld mode. Games that do not support handheld mode cannot be played on the console alone. According to the release's footnotes, some of them, such as 1-2-Switch and Super Mario Party, become playable if the owner buys separate Joy-Con (¥7,480 before tax) and a way to charge them, while Nintendo Labo VR Kit cannot be played even with Joy-Con, because the cardboard Toy-Con does not fit the Lite. HD rumble and the motion IR camera work through wirelessly connected Joy-Con.

Nintendo pitched it at people who often play away from home, at families that already owned one Switch, and at players who wanted to play multiplayer games against an existing Switch. Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said in the announcement: "Adding Nintendo Switch Lite to the lineup gives gamers more color and price point options."

A Nintendo Switch Lite Zacian and Zamazenta edition, decorated with the legendary Pokémon from Pokémon Sword and Shield, was announced the same day. In Japan it went on sale on 1 November 2019 at ¥19,980 before tax; according to Gematsu's report of the Nintendo of America announcement, it followed in the US on 8 November at $199.99.

How many sold

Nintendo IR does not count the Switch Lite as a separate platform. It counts it within the Switch total, as an "of which" line. According to the regional sales table, cumulative Switch Lite sales to the year ended March 2026 were 26.43 million, about 17 percent of all 155.92 million Switch consoles. By fiscal year:

The shares are calculated from the table. In its first two fiscal years the Lite accounted for close to one in three Switch consoles sold. The share fell in the year to March 2022 because the OLED Model added 5.80 million units that year. Cumulatively, Japan accounts for 7.23 million Switch Lite consoles and the Americas for 11.75 million; the full regional breakdown is on the Switch page.

Afterwards

After its successor, Nintendo Switch 2, launched on 5 June 2025, the Switch Lite remained the cheapest model in the Switch family. In the United States Nintendo said that pricing for the original Switch family would change "based on market conditions" from 3 August 2025. According to Video Games Chronicle, Target's listing for the Switch Lite went from $199.99 to $229.99.

For consoles as a whole, see the game consoles timeline; for Nintendo's hardware line, see Nintendo.