The Switch Lite models are lovely little machines, aren’t they? Perfect if you don’t play on the TV. We thought the original three turquoise, yellow, and grey colours were all pretty swish, but the fourth colour, coral — released in April 2020 — was a very different but welcome addition to the line-up. And, as it turns out, the inspiration for the colour came from a very big 2020 game.
In a Nintendo keyword article, which has been translated by Jarop for Nintendo Everything, Nintendo designer Sakai Yuriko shared that Animal Crossing: New Horizons served as the inspiration for the console.
Yuriko was aware that the game would be launching before the console, but he wanted something to match the aesthetic and mood of the series. And a warm colour — like the coral — was perfect.
“The concept behind the Nintendo Switch Lite is a small, light, and easy-to-use device, but it’s also a kind of fashion accessory – like shoes or a purse, it’s something you show off when you’re out and about. The idea for the new color came from playing the Animal Crossing series. Looking through the potential candidates, we decided that pink would be a good choice, as there weren’t any warm colors on the existing line-up.”
Yuriko wanted the shade of pink to be a different one from the neon-coloured Joy-Con that came out alongside Splatoon 2, and acknowledged that pink could be a “divisive” colour, but felt that the warmer coral balanced out the other three choices, and was also “well-suited to the Animal Crossing franchise, with its yellowish tinge that evokes the excitement that spring brings”.
Well, we couldn’t agree more! And Nintendo obviously recognised that as one of the coral bundles comes with a copy of Animal Crossing, It’s the perfect poolside game, the perfect relaxing game, and the perfect summer-coloured console!
We’ve since had a fifth colour in the Switch Lite line-up — a rather lovely blue that reminds us a bit of the GameCube — along with a few limited designs for Pokémon Sword & Shield and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but what if there was a sixth colour, a Yoshi green?
Do you have a coral Switch Lite? Have you played a lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on it? Let us know!
