Updated: Jul 20, 2022
The main appeal of the Nintendo Switch is that you can play it both on your TV and on the go. However, some people don´t care about anything but mobile gaming, so Nintendo released the Switch Lite for them, a cheaper mobile console.
Unlike the normal Switch, the Lite doesn´t come with a dock to connect to the TV, it only has a charging cable. However, what if you already have another Nintendo Switch, and a spare dock?
The Switch Lite cannot be docked, It will not fit into the official Nintendo dock. Furthermore, even if you happen to own a third-party alternative that´s roomier, the Lite will not connect to it, as it lacks the hardware to do so.
It is currently impossible to connect your Lite to a TV, even with third-party accessories. We will see if it can at least connect to the OLED Switch´s dock to take advantage of its LAN port.
Because it doesn´t need to, so Nintendo removed the hardware that was supposed to connect to the dock to cheapen the Lite´s cost. The dock fulfills three functions: charging the console, charging the Joy-Con, and connecting the Switch to a TV.
The Lite comes with a charger cable and doesn´t have Joy-Con, it doesn't need the dock for anything energy-related, and using it for the TV is opposite to it´s intended purpose as a mobile-only alternative.
Without that piece of hardware, any connection to the dock is impossible. Even workarounds that work with the normal Switch, like trying to connect it to a computer or using a multiport hub will not work on this model of the console. It lacks the capability, and no third-party accessory can (as of yet) grant it.
But wait, you might be saying, I´ve seen pictures of the Lite hooked to dock, so there must be a way! Unfortunately no. You might have seen the Lite connected to one of these playstands:
These gadgets will help you prop up the Lite and connect it to a gamepad, like the Pro Controller, but they do nothing else. They aren´t a dock by any means, and they will neither recharge your console nor let you play on the TV.
There are some stands that do recharge your controller, but they can´t connect the Lite to anything else. In a pinch, you can charge it up with your phone´s cable.
And that´s it. If you want to know more about what the Lite can´t and can do, check out the article here to learn if the Lite has motion controls and how to play games on it that require the Joy-Con. Or our other article here to learn how to connect a keyboard to a Lite.
And remember, while dock might not work with the Lite, regular third-party controllers and other accessories do.