Nintendo has announced a new addition to the Switch Lite family, It comes in a “fresh” new blue color and will be available for $200 upon its release on May 21, 2021, just like the other Switch Lite systems.
The Switch Lite system is Nintendo’s cheaper, handheld-only console that does not dock to a TV like the original Switch. It comes in a variety of colors including gray, pink, yellow, and turquoise. This new shade of blue, which harks back to the GameCube’s color, was revealed on the official Nintendo Twitter account.
Introducing a fresh new blue color #NintendoSwitchLite, launching on 5/21 for $199.99. The blue Nintendo Switch Lite will release separately on the same day as the hilarious adventure game, #Miitopia! pic.twitter.com/WD6FAc8pqr
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 13, 2021
This new blue Switch Lite will launch on the same day as Miitopia. The Switch port of the Nintendo 3DS game comes with new features such as additional customization options.
First released in 2019, it’s clear the Switch Lite line has been lucrative for Nintendo. On its own, this line of systems has already reached 13.53 million units shipped, nearly surpassing the overall lifetime sales of the Wii U. In total, the Nintendo Switch reached 79.87 million units shipped (including the Switch Lite) worldwide as of December 31, 202o.
The announcement of the new blue Switch Lite system comes on the heels of reports of potential Switch shortages due to lack of parts.
There have also been reports of an upgraded Nintendo Switch system in the works that will likely launch at the end of 2021 or in early 2022. The reports suggest that it will be able to output in 4K, and will feature faster processing power and a better battery life. Nintendo has yet to confirm the existence of an enhanced Switch system.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.