It’s been almost six years since The Dress went viral, but I feel like I’m experiencing the same phenomenon when I look at the latest iteration of the Nintendo Switch Lite.
For those that don’t remember, The Dress was an image that took the internet by storm one day back in 2015, as people were getting in heated debates about whether the garment was white and gold or blue and black. It turns out, there’s a long scientific explanation as to why people would perceive the exact same photograph as depicting different combinations of colors. But we’re not here to talk about the nuts and bolts of why are our eyes are such flawed creations. We’re here to talk about this Blue Switch Lite. Which is actually purple. Or, at least it looks it in some of the photos Nintendo posted.
See, if you look at the first image at the top of this blog, I can buy that thing is blue. A very nice, dark shade of blue. But definitely blue. But if you look at this one, where the light is less direct and there’s some shadows of the user’s hands on the device, that Nintendo Switch Lite is purple, actually.
Does it actually matter what color it is? Not to me, really. I’m satisfied with my Super Mario Odyssey Switch that came with dope red Joy-Cons. They’ve served me well since I bought it in 2017, and there’s no sign of Joy-Con drift yet. But I worry about the GameStop associate that is going to inevitably get in argument with a belligerent customer who insists upon their interpretation of the device’s color. I worry for the grandparent who goes to buy a Blue Nintendo Switch Lite during the holiday season, and is confused and worried when the Walmart Electronics associate hands them a handheld just a few shades away from repping the original 1988 Barney the Dinosaur. I worry that an unsuspecting Super Smash Bros. Melee fan will see the GameCube-adjacent color and think that Nintendo is dropping hints of a surprise remaster of the 20-year-old brawler.
In other news:
- Nintendo Wants to Pursue More New IPs
- Gorgeous Rhythm Adventure Game Unbeatable Gets Fully Funded In 15 Hours
- New No More Heroes III Trailer Reminds Us that the Series’ Strength is its Personality
Anyway, the blue-but-actually-purple-probably Nintendo Switch Lite will launch next month on May 21, and will run you $199.99.
