Classic Nintendo. Barely a month since its big E3 showing where it promoted its biggest products for the next six months, and it chooses now to announce a new Switch.
Of course, that is a little unfair. Nintendo were understandably wary of announcing a stripped back, portable only console at an E3 that was expected to see Microsoft tease a new super-powered console. Plus, now the announcement is out, you can see exactly why it decided to forgo the LA showcase... it's just not that exciting. It's a Switch, only without any of the innovative parts that made it interesting in the first place.
The announcement is most comparable to Nintendo's initial reveal for Labo, another product that didn't feature in one of the company's famous Direct videos, and was instead revealed separately. That alone should tell you how Nintendo thinks of Switch Lite. This isn't for the core gamer audience that watches Direct videos; it's for the mainstream, more casual games buyer.
"The announcement is most comparable to Nintendo's initial reveal for Labo"
Natural comparisons can be made between Switch Lite and PlayStation Vita, Sony's ill-fated final effort in the handheld games market. Both are high-end portables that play console-quality games and both are hugely successful for indies. Yet Switch Lite has the added advantage of not having to combat Nintendo's line-up of AAA games (because it has them), plus an install base and awareness that will enable it to hit the ground running.
And this is precisely what the Switch needed to reach a broader audience. The ability to bring down the price will also enable Nintendo to try and appeal to those 75 million 3DS owners as that console fades from view. And with a line-up of games from Nintendo's portable development teams -- including The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Pokémon Sword and Shield, Luigi's Mansion 3 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons -- means that the software is there to appeal to those fans. It's the ideal 3DS replacement.

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