Nintendo Switch Lite revealed, $329.95, coming September 20th

It’s frequently available for $399.95, and I imagine that it will be available for even less during peak periods (or with a bonus or two instead).

The higher-than-usual retail price of $329.95 as opposed to $299.95 is likely due to the weak Australian dollar at the moment, which is unfortunate, as it is a tad overpriced when compared with the standard Switch, but I imagine that JB and Big W will be selling it for $299.95 at launch.

Nintendo has been specific about the fact that only games that are playable in handheld mode are supported. Bafflingly, tabletop mode is not supported due to the lack of kickstand, and while some games may be playable in “de facto” tabletop mode, it would be a tad convoluted as player 1 will have to use the actual console’s controllers, which would make it a tad difficult for others to keep track of what’s happening on the screen.

Furthermore, with games such as Super Mario Party, Pokemon Let’s Go, and Captain Toad (which force single Joy-Con use in local multiplayer) would be unplayable in tabletop mode as the controllers are affixed to the console itself and there would be no way of “splitting” the Joy-Con, so to speak. Other games such as Fun Fun Animal Park and Fitness Boxing (both of which do not support handheld mode) and others will be impossible to play, even with a separate pair of Joy-Con, again, because the controllers are affixed to the console itself, unless a system update allows this to be circumvented, allowing separate controllers to be identifiable as “player 1”, but given the inherent limitations of its design (*cough* lack of kickstand), I don’t think that this will be implemented, at least not right away, though, I suppose tabletop mode could be simulated with the use of a separate stand, so there is hope yet?

With that said, I would imagine that Nintendo would be more conscientious about making games supported in all three modes going forward (though I imagine that the main exceptions would be motion-heavy games).

It beggars belief that Nintendo wouldn’t include a kickstand. That would have made almost the entire library playable (with the only exceptions that come to mind are those that may require USB input via the dock, such as the Let’s Sing games), but perhaps they may want players to fork over for an officially licensed stand. I have a feeling that the Lite model will turn out to be more expensive than the standard Switch for a lot of people due to the number of accessories that will be required in order to make the most of it.