Nintendo Switch vs Switch Lite: which should you buy?

A product shot of both consoles to show the Nintendo Switch vs Switch lite
(Image credit: Future/Nintendo)

Choosing between the Nintendo Switch or the Nintendo Switch Lite is actually a pretty easy task. Both are excellent handheld game consoles, but there are one or two major differences that set these models apart, and will warrant some research before you buy. These key differences will probably be the deciding factors that sway you one way or the other, and we're here to help you choose the Nintendo Switch best suited to you. Not interested in a Switch console? Check out our roundup of the best next-gen games consoles instead.

So what are the main differences between the Switch Vs the Switch Lite consoles? The original Nintendo Switch console (first released in 2017) has detachable Joy-Cons, meaning that you essentially get two controllers for the price of one, which is great if you're a gamer who likes to play couch co-op with a friend or sibling. You can also place your Switch console into a dock, and comfortably play on a bigger screen, or in tabletop mode. It has a bit of a retro console vibe to it too, adopting the hybrid elements of both a handheld console like a GameBoy, with the big-screen fun of a TV arcade console like the old-school Ataris.

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Beth Nicholls
Ecommerce Writer

Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer and has the fun job of finding you the very best prices and deals on creative tech. Beth kicked off her journalistic career writing for Digital Camera World, and has since earned bylines on TechRadar too. With a Masters degree in Photography, Beth loves getting to tinker with new cameras, especially camera phones, as the resident Samsung fan on the team. Her background working as a tester for CeX let her play around with all kinds of weird and wonderful products, including robots, and she’s recently gotten into 3D printing too. Outside of CB, you’ll find her gaming on her PS5, photographing local shows under the alias Bethshootsbands, and making TikToks of her dog, Tilly. 

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