Out of nowhere, Nintendo announced a brand-new Switch model today--the Switch Lite. A smaller, less powerful system with fewer features and no ability to connect to the TV, the system is definitely aimed at reaching a new audience. Naturally, retailer GameStop is excited about it.
Speaking with GameSpot, Chief Customer Officer Frank Hamlin offered his reaction to the system. "We're incredibly excited about it; I think it's a real opportunity to grow Switch penetration within a family," he explained.
"I think it's also a really good adjunct if you haven't gotten into the Switch yet as a way to get into the Switch ecosystem if you're presently playing on other systems," he said.
GameStop is a market-leader in the United States for new hardware sales, so any new entrant is seemingly good news for the company. Hamlin also spoke to GameSpot about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett, and we'll have more on that soon.
While the Switch Lite was officially announced today, the system was rumoured for a long time. Before any of the rumours even started, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto talked about how the company's ambition was to drive Switch sales to a level of more than one per family.
Nintendo wants the Switch "to be owned not just by every family, but by every single person," Miyamoto said. The new Switch Lite model appears to be connected to that ambition.
The Switch Lite goes on sale in September. With its inability to connect to the TV, it's seemingly being positioned as purely a handheld system that appeals to a different audience.
In addition to the Switch Lite, Nintendo is reportedly planning an update for the regular Switch system. However, it's unclear if the new version will be more powerful, as it is rumoured.