Just recently the release of the Nintendo Switch Lite took place, which costs $100 less than the original that released more than 2 years ago.
According to component suppliers that spoke to the Wall Street Journal, this was very intentional. The suppliers said that “Nintendo took an aggressive approach while sourcing parts for its Nintendo Switch Lite, all in the interest of hitting that $200-or-less price point and keeping the system within reach of the lower end of the console market”.
Hard negotiations
One executive in particular mentioned that they “had a months-long back and forth with Nintendo, all over the price of one key component”. In fact, Nintendo wanted a low price-point so bad that Nintendo targeted a new battery supplier for the Switch Lite. This was due to Nintendo “fostering competition between Murata Manufacturing and TDK Corp”, The latter is Nintendo’s primary battery supplier and the former is the company’s new one.
Either way Nintendo’s work here is sure going to pay off. The Nintendo Switch needed a SKU that is even more kid-friendly and portable to make sure those markets are being handled. A lot of people have gone as far as to call the Nintendo Switch Lite the actual successor for the Nintendo 3DS.
