Nintendo shares hit near 16-month high ahead of Switch Lite release
The platform holder’s stock hasn’t been this high since prior to E3 2018
Shares in Nintendo hit a near 16-month high on Wednesday as anticipation built ahead of the Switch Lite release on Friday September 20.
The stock peaked at ¥42,600 ($393) in Tokyo trading on Wednesday, its highest level since June 4, 2018, before ending the day up 1.19% at ¥42,390 ($391), its highest close since June 1 last year, shortly before E3 2018.
Switch Lite will launch on September 20 priced at $200/£200 — about $100/£80 cheaper than the flagship Switch model, which has sold some 37 million units since launching in March 2017.
Nintendo expects to sell 18 million Switch units during the current financial year ending in March 2020. Should it achieve its target, the system would surpass lifetime sales of the SNES (49.1 million units). It will be a while yet before Switch can potentially match the lifetime sales totals of NES (61.9 million) and Wii (101.63 million).
Announced in July, 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 kicked off its Switch Lite marketing campaign in early September. The system is available to pre-order now at Amazon, Best Buy and Game, among other retailers. Walmart reportedly broke the Switch Lite street date by selling the console ahead of its official release.
Switch Lite will launch alongside The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, the highly anticipated remake of 1993’s top-down action-adventure Game Boy title, which has been reimagined with a charming new art style. The first The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening review was recently published in Japanese magazine Famitsu, which awarded the game a 35/40 score.
A limited edition Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Switch Lite console will also be released in November.
