Nintendo Switch Lite ‘street date broken’

The Nintendo Switch Lite street date has seemingly been broken in the US.

Twitter user David Reed claims to have purchased a Switch Lite in a Walmart store in Rockmart, Georgia. He posted a video showing the unboxed system booting up, as well as his receipt from the store.

Reed says only the yellow Switch Lite was available when he purchased the system on September 9, but that grey and turquoise versions were also on sale when he revisited the Walmart store the following day.

https://twitter.com/DJDaveReed/status/1171567798847492096?s=20

If Reed’s report is accurate, it’s unclear why Walmart’s system allowed the sale to go through. One user on ResetEra suggests retailer systems should flag up street dates and block transactions if vendors attempt to process a sale prior to a product’s official launch date.

VGC has contacted Walmart to ask if it’s aware of the report and for further information.

Announced in July and due to launch on September 20 for $200/£200, Switch Lite is a smaller, lighter system than the original Switch console.

It can’t be connected to a TV but can play all Switch games that support handheld mode. It features integrated controls that don’t include HD rumble or an IR motion camera, and the directional buttons previously on the left Joy-Con have been replaced with a traditional d-pad.

Nintendo’s official estimate for Switch Lite’s battery life is 3 to 7 hours, compared to the launch model’s 2.5 to 6.5 hours and the recently updated flagship Switch’s 4.5 to 9 hours.

The platform holder kicked off its Nintendo Switch Lite marketing campaign in early September. Switch Lite is available for pre-order now at Amazon, Best Buy, Game and other retailers.

A limited edition Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Switch Lite console will also be released in November.