Nintendo announces smaller, cheaper new Switch console

Game giant Nintendo has announced the release of a scaled back, cheaper version of its runaway success “Switch” game console, expected out in September ahead of the key holiday shopping season.

Switch Lite, which will sell for $199.99, will be a strictly handheld device that can’t be used with television sets.

It will hit shelves on September 20, the Japan-based company said in a statement released overnight.

Unlike the existing console — a hybrid that can be used for handheld play or hooked up to a screen at home — the new edition’s controllers will be permanently fixed on either side of the screen.

It will be small enough to fit in the pocket of an adult’s jacket.