Using a Switch Lite as your second Switch? It’s harder than you think

The release of the Nintendo Switch Lite — the smaller, lighter, handheld-only younger sibling to Nintendo’s flagship console — this Friday has prompted a few people to ponder the possibility of owning a second Switch. The idea of leaving one Switch safely nestled in its dock while bringing a lighter Switch on a daily commute, or on a long plane flight, has a certain appeal.

[dazzysima]

From that article

“Obviously you can’t buy one copy two places and have them running at the same time.”

He’s wrong, you can. It works exactly the same way as the PS4 does in that every user on your primary machine can play all of your digital titles but only you can play it on your secondary console due to the DRM check. And the title can be open at the same time on both machines.

[garos82]

well it is Polygon, i wouldnt expect them to get the facts right.

im surprised they didnt make this a race issue though

[badz149]

what? when has NIntendo changed this? the same copy can be running on 2 switches at the same time. If you start playing the same copy of the game else where, the other one will be paused....unless you disconnect the main Switch from the internet, which will disable online play.

it's nothing like the PS4

[VariantAEC]

I think the more pressing questions revolve around how seamlessly you can pick up and play right where you left off using two consoles via the use of cloud saves... So what did Polygon say about that? Apparently they did (which is really shocking), but they also addressed that you can play your games on Switch Lite on the go as long as it is the primary console.
"The secondary Switch will need an internet connection, at least upon loading a game, which is bad news if that Switch was somewhere without an internet connection. Which is a lot of places, even in 2019. And who wants to get on public WiFi any time they load a game? One potential workaround: setting the original Nintendo Switch as the secondary system, since it’s more likely to remain at home (or another place with a reliable internet connection), and making the Switch Lite the primary device. When I ran this idea by Rodrigo, he mentioned that some Treehouse employees testing the Switch had done this, and others were planning on doing it when it hit retail."
As mentioned they also addressed the finicky nature of cloud save transfers...

[Mr Marvel]

There is an easy way to play games on multiple systems. You remove the game card from one Switch, then you insert that game card into the other Switch. Mind-blowing, I know.