Can A Nintendo Switch Be Played W/O A TV?

[Blood Eclipse]

This is likely a really stupid question, but I'm considering buying a Switch to experience the hype of New Horizons along with other fans of Animal Crossing and I don't have a TV in my room... Can Switch games be played without a TV? Can you connect a Switch console to another TV and play games via the controller screen, similar to a 3DS? If so, can this be done with a Switch Lite, as well? And is the Lite worth buying over the regular or are you better of saving a few bucks for the original? I hear there's a Switch HD in the making, and knowing Nintendo's history, it wouldn't surprise me. Is the Switch Lite really that much laggier than the original Switch because I think I'm late in the game, and the rumors are likely true, so I'd rather not spend too much in wait for the "HD" version. (Sorry for all the questions.)

 

[SolarInferno]

You can play all Switch games without a TV, the standard Switch works the same both docked and undocked. When docked, the Switch turns off its own screen and sends the output to whatever TV or monitor it's connected to, so as far as I know it's not possible to play the games via the screen. Afaik there is no difference in performance between the Lite and original, the main reason to buy the original is if you intend to play on a TV or play "tabletop" mode since the Lite isn't compatible with all games. There is no official confirmation of the Switch HD, I guess you could wait until E3 to see if anything is announced then (depending what happens with COVID-19) depends if you want to wait another year or so to start playing Animal Crossing though.

 

[R. Planet]

Well yeah I mean you can play it without a tv. In all honesty the Switch is a portable system that just happens to be able to connect to your tv. If you never plan on hooking it up to a tv just go the Lite route and save some money. And there hasn't been any official mention of a HD Switch from Nintendo. Some insiders think its coming but not anytime soon.

 

[Blood Eclipse]

Thank you both very much! I think I'm going for a Switch Lite. I really like the pink and yellow colors, and there aren't any incompatible games that I were on my wishlist yet.

 

[MrBox]

If you have a monitor, the Nintendo Switch can be hooked up to that. It can also be set up in tabletop mode and you can also play it handheld as well. You can't play it via the screen while it's on the dock.
In my opinion, it's better to buy the original but if you're planning on just playing handheld, it'd be better to buy the Lite. The Lite doesn't have motion controls so if you're planning on playing a game with motion controls (Splatoon2) then it's not worth it. The Lite also don't have rumble. You need external joycons for motion controls and rumble but the Lite doesn't have a kickstand. There's also a chance of the Lite getting joycon drift but some people say it doesn't get it? I'm not sure.

 

[shendere]

Thank you both very much! I think I'm going for a Switch Lite. I really like the pink and yellow colors, and there aren't any incompatible games that I were on my wishlist yet.

i also wanna let you know that for the lites, when drifting with the joycons happen.. well, you'd have to send the entire switch to nintendo to repair and stuff lmao and drifting will happen because it's a problem with their product unfortunately. getting the switch with the dock makes it easier because you can just replace the joycons and stuff- but yeah you can also just get custom skins for the switch if you want pink specifically, there's many on etsy, skinit and other sites :3

 

[Blood Eclipse]

If you have a monitor, the Nintendo Switch can be hooked up to that. It can also be set up in tabletop mode and you can also play it handheld as well. You can't play it via the screen while it's on the dock.
In my opinion, it's better to buy the original but if you're planning on just playing handheld, it'd be better to buy the Lite. The Lite doesn't have motion controls so if you're planning on playing a game with motion controls (Splatoon2) then it's not worth it. The Lite also don't have rumble. You need external joycons for motion controls and rumble but the Lite doesn't have a kickstand. There's also a chance of the Lite getting joycon drift but some people say it doesn't get it? I'm not sure.

Hmm...this is an issue. Joy cons seem to be $60-80, plus the charging station is an additional $20-30, so in total it comes out costing more or less the same. I guess I really am better off with the original. As long as I can play it handheld like with a 3DS that's all I'm really looking for. I'll need to do a little more research before making up my mind, but now I'm leaning towards the original. Thank you for the information.

- - - Post Merge - - -

i also wanna let you know that for the lites, when drifting with the joycons happen.. well, you'd have to send the entire switch to nintendo to repair and stuff lmao and drifting will happen because it's a problem with their product unfortunately. getting the switch with the dock makes it easier because you can just replace the joycons and stuff- but yeah you can also just get custom skins for the switch if you want pink specifically, there's many on etsy, skinit and other sites :3

I think the 2DS had a similar problem if any debris got underneath the screen or just randomly over time. Guess I'll have to learn how to make my own repairs with the Switch too. Hopefully, it's as simple as with the 2ds. I'm leaning towards buying the original, but I'm going to be kicking myself if a better Switch console releases next year, as is my usual luck, lol. Thank you for the etsy tip!