The Nintendo Switch, by virtue of its hybrid and portable nature, is already arguably the most convenient and flexible home gaming system on the market. Nevertheless, in this era of houses with TVs in multiple rooms, the temptation exists to have multiple Switch docks in different rooms, allowing for easy plug-and-play on different TVs.
Nintendo has promised these will be available to buy, but up to now they've been elusive. Nintendo of America seems first out of the gate, though - its official store is now selling an individual dock for $59.99.
We've looked around a little and at the time of writing this seems to be the only store selling them. We suspect it's only a matter of time (and manufacturing) before these docks become more widely available.
Are any of you tempted to pick up an extra dock for some extra Nintendo Switch flexibility?
With thanks to Joe Corbett for the heads up.
[source store.nintendo.com]
Comments 48
Well, I'm surprised - wasn't it rumored it would be $90?
Oh no you don't Nintendo. I actually want to SLEEP at night. Not game into the wee hours of the morning. I have to get up at 4am.
It's quite expensive as it doesn't include a usb c adapter...
Not me. We have two other gaming consoles in our house. I'm still not sure where to put the Switch when we do get it. We only have two big screen tvs.
Strange that they would not include the HDMI and AC cable. At least it's cheaper.
Id like to receive my Switch first before you start flogging its individual parts.
Accessories seem so expensive but will hopefully get cheaper in time. If I was looking for an extra dock and extra joy-cons I'd be tempted to get another complete Switch.
@Pokefanmum82 Do you have a switch box at home? It might allow you to manage your devices more effectively.
Something like this: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BHu27tCKL.SY300.jpg
Still far too dear for what it is. If they priced it cheap and included the required HDMI/AC adapter - we're takling £25 at the very outside - I'd be interested. Otherwise I'll just move my dock and plug it where I want it to be like every other home console previously. No biggie.
$60 is surprisingly reasonable for Nintendo. And rather tempting, especially for those of us who do a fair amount of hotel stays.
Basically it is a plastic block with USB ports and a HDMI output.
How can that cost $60.00 and a Raspberry PI with the USB Ports, HDMI, 1GB RAM, CPU/GPU, RJ45 etc, cost half the price?
I am not buying any but I hope the fanboys buy 1000's. Nintendo shares and all that.
Still too expensive for something that does very little. Better than the original $90 price they announced.
@Luna_110 It is, but this is for the dock alone. No AC adapter or HDMI cable are included.
It's a little more tempting at this lower price, but ultimately it's a tough sell as Nintendo has stated that there isn't much to the dock in hardware. At this point I only see myself playing the Switch on one television, though in the future I see getting a second for my family. But at that point the new Switch comes with a dock, so again it's a tough sale and depends on your setup. A second dock certainly is not for everyone.
@Hotfusion
This kind of adapters tech is surprisingly expensive. Check out this Anker brand adapter that is basically the same thing- turns USB-C into HDMI and a few USB ports... $60 and it's not even in dock form
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Delivery-Charging-Specification-ChromeBook/dp/B018XF4KRC
I was gonna just buy a 2nd Switch and use the accessories for the extra dock but changed my mind. I don't need a second dock anyways. But some people will find them very useful.
Not too expensive imo, the rumors were higher, and it looks cool too! Definitely will consider
Not for me. I hope a lot of people buy this and all the special accessories
So in pounds, that's roughly £48. That is a little expensive but at the same time it's also not bad if you really wanted it. I won't be getting a second dock, because I don't need it. My bedroom is tiny, I play games on my own 43 inch tv downstairs, not in the main room, but in the dining room. If I wanted to play upstairs, I would just undock my switch and play in portable mode... that's what the switch is for!
When I finish the basement......if I ever finish the basement then I will want an extra dock. Maybe by then it will be $49.99 and come with all the cables
I want a second one, glad to hear it's not $90.
I would like it, but it would just be a case of me being able to play it on the upstairs TV or the downstairs TV. Might be better if I just unplug the dock and change it between TV's myself for the amount of times I'm going to do that.
I have to admit that I ordered one because I'm a sucker for exchanging money for perceived convenience. That being said I'd have to assume 3rd parties are going to make a cheaper and possibly more functional Switch Dock.
Weirdly expensive considering there's no AC adapter. Apparently, the USB connector in the dock must have some kind of security chip because the dock is the only way to output to TV. I wonder if that's to stall security breaches or just keep things proprietary. Making it so expensive is really not endearing.
Good for people that got multiple TV's. This is pretty neato.
I suppose if Ninty do a dump in the toilet they will try sell it to ya. Must have deep money pockets been a Ninty fan nowadays
@galaia2004 my thoughts too, I will be getting a 2nd by the time MARIO comes out.
I was really excited to see the price, seemed fair, except they shouldn't be allowed to call this $60 item a Switch "Dock". A "dock" sort of implies connecting it to something. Without any cables it's simply a Switch "Stand". I'd be OK with them naming it a "replacement dock", labeling it for people who have a broken dock, but without the cables it's just a "potential docking device", aka a stand.
Edit - 5 hours later and I see the small print on top says:
Store > Shop By Category > Nintendo Switch > Replacement Parts
So it is being sold as a replacement part, not really a new item. Seems steep for a replacement of a 1 day old part but oh well.
@JaxonH I agree with you on the price, might be OK for what you get, but I'm sure some people will order it thinking it at least comes with a charging cable if not an HDMI cable so it can at least be used to charge a Switch. For $60, it's really not much more than a storage spot as it is. It may not technically be false advertising, they do have the fine print, but it seems a bit too deceptive for me at first glance.
BTW Buying an extra Switch kickstand is $3.99, so if you are like CNET and you abuse your Switch's kickstand like a madman, buying a replacement is really cheap.
Cheaper, but where are the cords? Do I buy those separately as well?
@rjejr
I'm more concerned about the restrictions regarding all the items that can cause interference. May want to get a really long extension cord and rent a place in Walmart's parking lot.
60 bucks still isn't worth it. I think the sweet spot is 30.
One day I'll get a second dock, but for now I'll just switch the one I have from one room to another. Worked for my Wii U and Wii.
Overpriced piece of s... I mean plastic.
If this makes it to the UK for about £30.00- £40 I'll be happy, if they came here (they probably won't knowing Nintendo) I'll definitely would buy one as it would be pretty handy to have one spare.
Make it happen Nintendo.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE @Luna_110 It's cheaper because it's ONLY the dock, the HDMI cable and the Nintendo Switch AC adapter are sold separately. Together it's still $90US.
I'm assuming any AC adapter will work, but if you don't have a spare AC adapter of HDMI cable you'll still need to out and buy those...... Still a terrible price... Why isn't this thing $20US. If it was this cheap, tons of people would buy multiple docks for every major TV in their house!
@TsukiDeity
Maybe the adapter could be more expensive.... But you can get a decent HDMI cable from China for a couple of bucks, even less.
You can even get a good, cheap adapter from there (if you know where to look!). So, at least for me, its a nice surprise.
If you want an extra dock (+ an ac adapter/hdmi which the extra dock needs) + 2 extra joy con for multiplayer fun (+ you'll also need a charger for these). You might as well buy an extra Switch altogether!
@Pokefanmum82 I too was concerned where to put my Switch but it's sooo small that I just sat the dock right on top of my 360! Like I never bought a game system!! Lol
@Spanjard
Seriously, I was thinking the same thing. Why not just add a few more dollars and get another Switch rather than buy the dock, joy-cons, charger, etc. Heck, the spare Switch can be a charger the extra joy-con when you are using the other pair.
Maybe Nintendo sneakily thought the same thing, double the sales.
I am liking this new, mean, cold blooded Nintendo.
@k8sMum Hey mum. Didn't realize the Joy-con issue was all the rage today, I thought today was Switchmas. Had to do a quick Google check to see what was up. Best ironic part, b/c irony is funny by default, was Nintendo listing cell phones as items to be kept away from the Switch. The cell phones we need to use for voice chat b/c it isn't built into the Switch itself. Apparently somebody decided it wasn't so funny after all and removed cell phones from the list.
It's launch day, these things happen. I don't think it even matters as long as half the Switch continue to function.
https://consumerist.com/2009/08/17/xbox-360-failure-rate-is-542-percent-game-informer-finds/
I think the really big question is, how long can Zelda keep hype alive? B/c really after Zelda it's indies, tech demos and another Wii U port in MK8D. Splatoon 2 will do well, especially in Japan, but "summer" is hardly a date. Zelda is Zelda, has to be good for 2 to 3 weeks at least w/ all of those 10's, and that's when things get interesting. April has several games, E3 could be a gaming bonanza, but what about May? I can't find a single non-indie Switch game dated for May, only the indie Rime. Guess that will give them a chance to build the stock up for Splatoon.
@Luna_110 don't give them ideas or they'll find a way to make it the first piece of hardware to have paid dlc.
@Hotfusion I know what you mean. This is the first time I've been weighing my options so frequently with buying Nintendo hardware. I feel like getting spanked all the time, but I love them for it because Zelda and playing on the Switch is fantastic.
They need to add some sort of padding to the inside first to stop unintentional scratching.
I assume they dropped the price because they are charging £25'ish for a seperate AC adaptor? Still going to work out roughly the same as the original rumoured price.
I have my Switch hooked up in our living room on the big TV, but I also want to stream some Switch game son Twitch too. Having an extra dock at my computer attached to my streaming setup would be convenient, but it is not something I'm rushing to pay that much for at this time when I can just move the dock itself and plug it into a dedicated HDMI cable and power adapter at my computer. So I'd be more interested now in adding an extra power adapter instead.
Better than the rumored or originally stated $80. Still a tad pricy, so, not sure. But, much more workable price than before.
It would be cheaper to buy the $30 ac adapter and just move the dock since you'll need to buy it anyway and the dock is not that hard to move.
Sheesh, everything is $60 with this console.
I don't need a second dock. If I was wanting to play my switch elsewhere it has a lovely screen for me to do so!
I wonder if they'll sell the handheld bit individually at some point too.
Easy way to knock down the price.
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