The King of the portable console has returned after an eight year hiatus. The last portable console that Nintendo released was the 3DS in 2011, a re-imagining of the DS, DS lite, and DSi, portable consoles that dominated the market since the original was released in 2004.

Now, in 2019, Nintendo is releasing a mid-cycle refresh of their wildly successful Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch Lite.

The Nintendo Switch Lite is a smaller take on the two joy-con controller setup the original switch had. Although with some slight changes. lite has a price point of $200, which is a relative bargain in today’s gaming market, this hundred dollar price cut comes with some steep sacrifices.

The refresh features a battery that lasts almost twice as long as the launch switch’s battery. This Switch came out in Late July early August, there is a second switch releasing towards the end of September, and it is finally here.

The Switch Lite doesn’t feature detachable Joy-con controllers like the original switch, instead they are fastened to the sides of the console in a unibody design. The Lite also cannot be docked, the USB-C port isn’t capable of outputting video. The screen comes in at 5.5 inches compared to the 6.2 inch display on the original switch.

The Lite comes in at a good time, there are already several critically acclaimed games on the Switch such as Super Smash Bros, Super Mario Odyssey, and The LEgend of Zelda: Breath of the wild. Not to mention more great games upcoming like Overwatch, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Pokemon: Sword and Shield and much more.

The Switch Lite released to the public on September 20th, and retailed for $200. The console comes in three colors, teal, yellow, and gray. There is a fourth, limited edition console releasing on Nov. 8th, to celebrate the new Pokemon; Sword and Shield games. This console in an all-around silver and has blue buttons and joy-stick on side, and pink buttons on the other side. On the back of this limited edition console is art of the two legendaries, Zacian and Zamazenta.

NIntendo’s return to handheld gaming was long overdue. The Switch Lite will look to carry on the success of the Original Switch, beating out the sales of the Playstation four and Xbox One in half the time in some markets. It is a welcomed addition to Nintendo’s console line up.