The late September 2019 release of the Switch Lite was kind of an odd move for Nintendo; though it’s a more economic model of Nintendo’s hit hybrid console, it removed quite a few of the features that made the Switch so unique in the first place.
That said, it comes with a few of its own benefits. For starters, the Switch Lite is noticeably smaller than the original model, making it ideal for quality gaming on the go. However, that obviously necessitates a smaller screen, which hinders the overall experience of some of the console’s more involved titles. We’re here to check how the Switch Lite sizes up — literally — to Nintendo’s family of handhelds.
Game & Watch
Taking it back to the very beginning, Nintendo’s line of Game & Watch handhelds were small, simple games comparable to the much-maligned Tiger electronic games that were so popular in the ’80s and ’90s. These things can vary in size pretty dramatically, with the smallest being scarcely larger than the minuscule GameBoy Advance Micro and the largest being roughly comparable to the DS.
Matched against the Switch Lite, these things are drastically lighter and something like a third of the size. The Switch Lite is essentially a supercomputer compared to these glorified pocket calculators, so this can’t really be classified as a fair fight.
GameBoy
Nintendo’s Game & Watch systems may have marked their first foray into the world of handheld gaming, but the GameBoy, its 1989 successor, would totally obliterate the Game & Watch line in terms of sales and be remembered as one of the most successful video game consoles — handheld or not — of all time.
Though compact for the time, the original GameBoy feels like an absolute beast today. Thicker and taller than the Switch Lite, the GameBoy really is a monster. That said, the Switch Lite is still larger overall and, were this a screen-to-console size comparison, the OG GameBoy would lose hands down.
GameBoy Color
Some still argue as to whether the GameBoy Color was a true successor to the GameBoy or a glorified mid-generation hardware upgrade. The GameBoy Color offered a bit of a visual boost and was certainly more compact than its predecessor, but, these days, the internal and external changes are hardly noticeable; they both feel and look remarkably similar.
Though a downsize from the Original Gameboy, the Color still seems pretty large when compared to the Switch Lite. Again, though the new Switch model is technically larger, the sleek design, larger screen, and conservative button layout make it feel much smaller than the bulky, unconventional GameBoy offspring.
Virtual Boy
Every Nintendo fan knows the story of the Virtual Boy. Always pushing to innovate, Nintendo jumped on an underdeveloped technology that resulted in one of the most notorious failed consoles of all time. VR may be taking off today, but it’s not surprising to see that consumers passed upon the red-and-black wireframe version of it twenty years ago.
What’s more, the Virtual Boy isn’t really a mobile console, though Nintendo marketed it as such. It’s much larger, heavier, and altogether much more unwieldy than the Switch Lite, and it just goes to show what can happen when Nintendo gamble on unproven technologies.
GameBoy Advance
Overall, 2001’s GameBoy Advance felt like the first true successor to the original GameBoy, a console that had, at that point, aged considerably. Drastically smaller and far more ergonomic in terms of design, the Advance was a huge leap when compared to Nintendo’s blocky retro hardware.
The GameBoy Advance still remains one of Nintendo’s smallest handheld consoles; end to end, it’s roughly the size of the Switch Lite’s screen. Thinner and all-around more compact, the GameBoy Advance feels radically smaller than the new Switch. Honesty, the GameBoy Advance is still an awesome choice for on-the-go gamers who can’t spare the space for the comparatively large Switch Lite.
GameBoy Micro
As one of the smallest handheld consoles of all time, The GameBoy Micro felt like something Nintendo developed as a challenge rather than as a genuine handheld console released for consumers. Far too small to be played comfortably by anyone save for children under the age of five, the Micro was about as microscopic as gaming gets.
Naturally, the Switch Lite looks like the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey when compared to the micro. It’s sincerely twenty times the size of the other console and is genuinely similar in scale to an original GameBoy game cartridge. Practical only on the set of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, the Micro is a bizarre oddity among Nintendo’s collection of handhelds.
Nintendo DS
Unlike the Virtual Boy, the Nintendo DS was a handheld that featured a gimmick that actually panned out. Ahead of the touchscreen-based mobile gaming curve by a good half-decade, the DS was a compact, comfortable little machine that brought a whole new world of interactivity to the palms of our hands.
All things considered, the DS is actually pretty small — though it’s not quite as small as the GameBoy Advance, it’s still pretty tiny. It’s a little bit smaller than the Switch Lite’s screen when closed, making it a perfect pocket-sized handheld. Open it up, and it’s something like half the total surface area of the Switch Lite.
3DS
There are approximately nine-hundred-thousand different versions of the 3DS, so it’s a bit hard to definitely compare it to the Switch Lite, though even the largest models are still smaller than Nintendo’s newest console. The base 3DS model is only slightly larger than the original DS, so it stands to reason that, compared to the Lite, it’s also a pretty combat console.
That said, the 2DS — perhaps the least user-friendly version of the DS line of handheld systems — takes up the most real-estate and is really only a tiny bit smaller than the Switch Lite. This just goes to show how confounding the layout of the 2DS was.
3DS XL
The 3DS XL is perhaps the second largest handheld gaming system out there. As the antithesis of the GameBoy Micro, it’s large enough to provide a solid experience for even the most visually impaired gamers while simultaneously portable enough to realistically travel with.
It is still a bit smaller than the Switch Lite, but not by a whole lot. In terms of total surface area when opened, the Switch just barely beats out the competition. That said, the Switch Lite’s screen is a notable improvement over even the 3DS XL, and, in a way, this is the sort of TV-in-your-pocket experience of which we all dreamed during the age of bleary-eyed, monochrome GameBoy play.
Nintendo Switch
As technically the largest handheld console Nintendo has released so far, the Switch is just a bit larger than the Lite, though it’s only something most would realize were they to directly compare the two. The Switch Lite’s screen is definitely a bit smaller, and the more compact controller layout and rounded edges definitely give it a budget feel when compared to the regular thing.
That said, the Switch doesn’t really count as portable. It’s definitely playable on the go, but storage can be a problem, and battery life can also be a major pain. The Switch Lite corrects some of these issues and is definitely the way to go for those looking for more Nintendo on the go.
