Nintendo announced today (July 10) that it would be releasing a new, lower-cost version of its massively popular Switch console.
While the original Switch could be played in myriad different ways—as a handheld, connecting it to a TV, or removing the Joy-Con controls it comes with, the new console ditches its predecessor’s detachable controls, and can’t connect to a TV. Instead, the Switch Lite, which goes on sale for $200 starting September 20, is meant to be a portable-only device—much like its ancestors, the Game Boy and the DS.
The pared-down device will be slightly smaller than the original Switch, with a 5.5-inch screen instead of a 6.2-inch screen, and lighter, weighing 0.61 pounds instead of 0.88 pounds. The Switch Lite will also have about 30 extra minutes of battery life. But, as Engadget notes, it will still have a 720p resolution on its smaller screen, which is far less sharp than the high-resolution screens found on most modern smartphones.
Although losing the ability to, erm… switch… between playing on your TV and handheld seems to undermine the concept behind the console’s name, Nintendo president Doug Bowser says it’s what the people wanted. “It’s more about how we’ve observed them playing,” he told The Verge. “I would say that it’s really an option that offers more choices to people.”
Plus, the Switch Lite reintroduces a true directional pad (or D-pad), which is something gamers are evidently quite invested in, and one of the few complaints levied against the original Switch.
The Switch Lite will debut alongside Pokémon Sword and Shield, Nintendo’s latest entry in its storied, profit-generating franchise. It also plans to release a special edition of the Switch Lite, featuring Zacian and Zamazenta, two Pokémon found in the forthcoming games, on Nov. 8.