How is the Switch Lite a Switch if it doesn't "switch"?

Just one of the things blowing my mind today.

Carry on.

EDIT: It's Friday, guys. And I'm in a spicy mood. ;)

Because Nintendo says so. It's their brand and they'll call it what they want to.

Because it plays Switch games

These answers do nothing to assuage my crisis. Somebody save me from this madness.

It's pretty stupid. But what would they call it? unSwitch?

It is a Switch. Only thing is it doesn't switch. Had it been named something different, the name wouldn't help them with sales. People know what the Nintendo Switch is now.

It plays the same games. If Nintendo named it something else, people would think it’s a completely different system. Why are some people so hung up on this? I don't see it as a big deal, it's a portable only system that plays Nintendo Switch games and if they didn't call it a "Switch," people wouldn't know that it plays Switch games. For that reason they have to call it a Switch, even though it doesn't "Switch" anymore.

Edit: We don't wanna see Wii/Wii U situation naming ever again do we?

It's truly the new... Bait & Switch. :P

Take a break, go to the gym. This crisis is silly. :p

It is giving me an existential crisis.

Personally I prefer jogging. ;)

Cause Nintendo tricked morons with the gimmick, duh.

Personally, even if it's just a handheld, I'd rather play the games on my TV anyway, big screen and all... Plus, all Nintendo teams are now focused on the Switch.

The sad thing here is that future games won't use the joy cons full capabilities because if they do, they'll alienate their Switch Lite fanbase, which, I believe, it'll make most of the userbase in the long run.

Don't worry, everything will be fine ;)

Let's face it. Ninty missed a prime opportunity to call it the "Switchless Switch".

Or, I guess maybe the "Paradoxical Switch".

@davillain- said:

@subspecies said:

@davillain- said:

Why are some people so hung up on this?

It is giving me an existential crisis.

Don't worry, everything will be fine ;)

Awwwwwww. So adorable. :)

It should be called the "No Switch".

How is a Playstation 4 Pro a Pro, if it sucks?

@dzimm

Nintendo Switch Nil

Is a Switch less of a Switch if its stuck in one mode?)

Just like the 2DS is a 3Ds with no 3D ...

Honestly, Nintendos naming and their cheap versions suck.

Because MS called their 3rd console xbox "one" thus setting the standard for other console providers to throw logic out the window when it comes to system names?

You know what ...

They should have called it Switch/2

I was gonna say Doesn'tSwitch but yours is far better.

Also, even if they named it unSwitch, if people knew it was a 'Switch' it would sell like gangbusters anyway. It's basically the latest Nintendo handheld, and there's no competition there.

@X_CAPCOM_X: Actually unSwitch is really catchy and...actually makes sense for what they're making the device to do.

It would not only identify that it still plays "switch" games, it would also leave people less confused about the original "switch" console.

Switch and UnSwitch, thats pretty damn cut and dry and to the point!

Nintendo haven't really been great at naming consoles in the past decade.

How can sheep or Nintendo claim switch is a console or hybrid now?

It’s officially a handheld. It doesn’t connect to the TV at all.

You can’t trust Nintendo’s sales numbers either because they combine everything. From now on, we have to assume the switch total sales are handheld only.

It’s not competing with PS4/PS5 or Xbone/xboxTwo.

Switch is now the successor to the 3DS and Nintendo has officially stopped making consoles.

They should have called it 'light switch' to confuse the most amount of people.

Did they pull the original Switch from store shelves and discontinue it?

Options really throw some of you for a loop...

Because it plays Switch games and that’s good enough for me.

Whatever makes you cope buddy.

Switch is the name of a branded family of Nintendo consoles. This is just one of numerous iterations the Switch will receive during its lifespan.

Is this supposed to be a stupid question? Companies can call their products whatever they want and they do not have to be literal. It is like asking why Nintendo/Intelligent Systems called its tactical RPG Fire Emblem series even though the last several games has nothing to do with an item called the Fire Emblem. The same goes with other RPG franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

How about "The Sweetch"?

Because it's so good it'll make you want to...switch... your preferred console.

It's called that because you'll have to switch from it to a proper Switch when you want to play in TV mode.

When all the trailers start with a joy-con making the switch sound to form the switch logo it is weird to see that the new version of that console can't do that; It's like if they released a DS but only with one screen and still call it a DS.

They're admitting it's Not Switch or UnSwitch by calling it Switch Lite.

Might as well change it to USwitch... oh wait, that name already exists.

They should have just dropped the regular Switch to 200 and they would have saved money on R&D and manufacturing costs of another machine.

@subspecies: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things Nintendo does, the courage to change my mind on stupid things, and the wisdom to know the difference between the Switch and a Switch.”

If it did switch they could have called it the Nintendo Lite Switch. ??

@ten_pints: This person gets it. Let’s confuse the most amount of people and high five each other.

Should have named it the Nintendo Vita since it already looks like a Vita and sell like hundreds of them.

It's a Switch'd.

The switch lite is a perfect entry point for Pokemon which I feel is Nintendo's huge push for the September release.

Why do we still call films 'films' when most films these days no longer use it? (Most recent I did see that used such was Detective Pikachu)

Hardcore Fanboy's never ceased to amaze me! LOL! It's a dedicated handheld model to play all Switch titles if you have no use to dock it! It's an entry level device like the 2DS is to the 3DSXL. I won't be surprise if Nintendo announces a Switch Pro that will probably be a souped-up Nvidia Shield TV and you still have the same fanboys crying that it's still called a Switch.