Nintendo Switch Lite — the handheld-only Switch, tested
Personally tested · Shipped from the Netherlands with PostNL tracking · 3-8 working days
About the Nintendo Switch Lite
The Switch Lite is the compact, handheld-only Switch: lighter, one solid piece with no detachable Joy-Cons, and cheaper than the regular Switch or the OLED. It is the right pick if you play in your hands and never need the TV — it has no TV mode and no dock. Every console here is tested on the screen, the buttons, both sticks for drift and the battery, and the listing says which charger and accessories come with it. Sent from the Netherlands, tracked, with no customs charges anywhere in the EU.
- Released
- September 2019
- Screen
- 5.5-inch 720p LCD
- Storage
- 32 GB, expandable with a microSD card
- Controls
- Built in, with a proper D-pad; no detachable Joy-Cons
- TV
- No dock and no video output — handheld only
- Battery
- 3 to 7 hours when new, depending on the game
- Weight
- About 275 g
- Games
- Every Switch cartridge, region-free
What the Lite has, and what it leaves out
It is a full Switch for the hand, with the TV side removed.
- Has: a 5.5-inch 720p screen, 32 GB plus microSD, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a headphone jack, a real D-pad on the left and the same cartridge slot as the big Switch.
- Has not: a dock or HDMI output, detachable Joy-Cons, HD Rumble, the IR camera of the right Joy-Con, or a kickstand.
- It is over a hundred grams lighter than a Switch with Joy-Cons and small enough for a coat pocket.
Which games work on a Switch Lite
Every Switch cartridge fits and starts. The vast majority of the library supports handheld mode fully — Pokémon, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Zelda, Animal Crossing. A handful of games require detached Joy-Cons for motion play or tabletop mode, such as 1-2-Switch and Ring Fit Adventure; on a Lite those need a separately paired pair of Joy-Cons. The handheld-mode icon on the game box tells you. Switch cartridges are region-free, so any cartridge works on any Lite.
Colours and editions
The Switch Lite launched in yellow, grey and turquoise, followed by coral in 2020 and blue in 2021. Printed editions include the Zacian and Zamazenta edition released with Pokémon Sword and Shield, the Dialga and Palkia edition with Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the Animal Crossing editions with Timmy and Tommy or Isabelle, and the Hyrule Edition. An edition is the same hardware in a different shell.
What to check on a used Switch Lite
Because the sticks are built in, stick drift is the first thing to rule out: a stick that moves on its own cannot be swapped like a Joy-Con. We test both sticks in the calibration menu. Then the screen — the Lite’s screen is plastic and scratches more easily than the glass OLED — the shoulder buttons and the battery. Everything we find is in the listing.
Playing together
Online play works with a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and local wireless play works with any other Switch nearby. What a Lite cannot do is tabletop play with split Joy-Cons on one console — for that, or for the TV, the regular Switch and the OLED are on their own page.
Is the Switch Lite the right one?
It is the cheapest Switch and the only one that cannot go on the TV. That is the whole trade-off.
Nintendo Switch Lite · 2019
Handheld only · one piece · 5.5-inch screen
Lighter and smaller than the regular Switch, with the controls built into the body. No dock, no TV output, no detachable Joy-Cons — and nothing else missing.
Nintendo Switch / Switch OLED · 2017
Hybrid · TV dock · detachable Joy-Cons
If you want to play on the TV or hand a Joy-Con to someone, choose the regular Switch or the OLED instead — they have their own page.
- Sticks tested for drift
- The sticks are built in on a Lite, so drift is the one thing to rule out. Both are tested before a console is listed.
- The whole Switch library
- Every Switch cartridge plays on a Lite; only the handful of games that need detached Joy-Cons want a separate pair.
- Tracked EU shipping, 30-day returns
- Sent from the Netherlands — no customs charges anywhere in the EU.
Can the Switch Lite connect to a TV?
No. The Lite is handheld only: it has no dock and no video output. If you want TV play, choose a regular Switch or a Switch OLED.
Does the Switch Lite play all Switch games?
Every Switch cartridge works. The handful of games that require detached Joy-Cons for motion play need a separate pair of Joy-Cons, because the Lite’s controls are built in.
What do you test on a used Switch Lite?
The screen for dead pixels and brightness, all buttons, both sticks for drift and the battery. The listing says which charger and accessories are included.
What does shipping to my country cost?
We ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. A console travels as a parcel: €21,95 to Germany, France, Italy and Spain, €23,95 to Denmark and Austria, €28,95 to Sweden. The exact rate for your country appears at checkout before you pay — and there are no customs charges anywhere inside the EU.
Shipped from the Netherlands
- Your order leaves our own stock in Enter, the Netherlands, and travels to you with PostNL — always tracked, so you know exactly where your parcel is.
- There are no customs borders inside the EU: no customs, no import duties, no extra VAT. The amount you see at checkout is the final amount.
We ship exclusively from the Netherlands. Your parcel therefore crosses a border: it takes longer than a domestic delivery, and shipping costs more than it would at a seller in your own country.
I hope Gameshop Enter gives you back a piece of how it used to be.