Human Things has launched a new Kickstarter campaign that will be music to the ears of any Switch owner who craves wireless audio on their console.
Genki is the first USB-C Bluetooth transmitter uses the latest Bluetooth 5.0 technology and Qualcomm’s aptX Low Latency codec to deliver low-latency audio using headphones or speakers - you can even attach two pairs of headphones simultaneously.
A simple press on the left button and it lights up to signal a connection to the first paired set of headphones, while a press on the right button connects another pair for multiplayer games. The adapter doesn't requite its own power source as it consumes just 15milliwatts, less than 1 percent of your battery, which actually means you'll get more stamina than when using the console's standard speakers.
While it uses the USB Type-C port, Genki doesn’t deliver any power to the console and therefore won’t brick or damage your system, unlike some third-party docks. A dock adapter will be available that allows you to use the device when playing in docked mode.
Genki crowdfunding campaign runs until July 28th and has a funding goal of $30,000. Backer prices start at $39 (the early bird price is even lower at $35) but the final product will retail for $50. Should the campaign be successful, the first units are expected to ship to backers in October 2018.
Here's what Eddie Tsai, CEO and co-founder of Human Things, had to. say:
We thought wireless headphones had become the norm, so we were really surprised that the Nintendo Switch was still very much in the cable era. I love the console but having to pack a second pair of cheaper wired headphones became a pain in my daily commute. GENKI was designed to be the simple solution to everyone’s Nintendo Switch Bluetooth audio frustrations.
The guys at Human Things have been kind enough to prepare a list of frequently asked questions which will hopefully address any queries prospective backers might have:
Will this brick my Nintendo Switch?
Short answer, no. The long answer is that Genki does not provide any data or power (in fact, it has no battery) to even possibly damage the console. There has been some cases of bricked consoles (Switches that no longer work) using third party docks. The root causes has been confirmed to be faulty resistors found in USB-A to USB-C power cables.Does it work with the Nintendo Switch dock?
With the Genki dock adapter you can simply plug Genki into any of the three USB ports of the official Nintendo Switch dock.Does this work with my [insert name here] headphones?
As long as it’s a Bluetooth audio device it should be fine. The simplest test is if it works in your phone it will work with Genki. It should be noted there are some wireless headphones that are not Bluetooth.Can’t I just use one of the cheaper headphone jack transmitters on Amazon?
You could but almost all of them were made a long time ago as a way to play iPod music on your car stereo and have been rebranded to say they work for gaming. Using the headphone jack introduces a lot of issues including static noise, charging, and most important latency. And we think they’re all designed to be pretty ugly but it’s because they need to house a battery and an ADC (analog digital converter).Why didn’t you design passthrough charging?
Genki is detected as a USB audio device on the Switch and receives a small amount of power and audio data, unfortunately in this state it cannot simultaneously deliver power in/out through the same port.Will this work on my third party case or stand?
We designed Genki to fit flush with the Nintendo Switch. We can at a special request add a longer USB Type-C plug to extend the gap to make them compatible with your case but we cannot ensure fit or sturdiness of such a modification. As for stands, Genki measures roughly 1.4” wide or 3.5cm which may require some modifications to existing stands.
Does this sound like something you'd be prepared to back? Let us know with a comment.
[source kickstarter.com]
Comments 50
This is awesome, great idea!
Has there been any successful third-party Switch accessory crowdfund that delivered a quality product within a reasonable timeframe?
I really want one
It would be nice to use my beats x wireless earphones with my switch, I mean c'mon even my Vita supports bluetooth headphones 😑.
I would definitely be interested if I used bluetooth headphones, but I don't and most likely never will because I'm good at losing/breaking headphones 😂
Perfect to increase the volume of the audio from Street Fighter 30th Anniversary.
Doesn't the Switch already have built-in Bluetooth technically that could be used if Nintendo would simply allow it?
A BlueTooth dongle. Last time I had one of those it was an old DELL in college.
The VITA had BT audio back in 2013, for the love of god.
I thought this would have been a feature out of the box it’s quite annoying cos the headphone jack is on the top as well my PSP go supports Bluetooth headphones think this must have been an oversight
Blocks the power port. Needs extra adapters (not yet built) to work with a stand (the most likely use case for BT audio), won't work when docked and is chunky as hell.
Standalone BT adapters are about the same size and don't have the above issues.
Good idea, but it would work much better if it was an BT-adapter set in the 3.5mm audioport. USB audio is also of less quality.
@riChchestM well, except this should have much less latency since it's going straight from digital internally... And they do sell a stand that is compatible with the unit for $10
@RasandeRose Why would you say that USB is 'less quality'? USB is a digital signal, the quality of the output will be based on the quality of the digital to analog converters and the speakers being used. It should be possible to be better quality than the already converted to analog headphone jack being converted back to digital and then back to analog in the headset.
Does it work with voice chat, and can it merge the switch chat app!
how its gonna pair? dont you need some software to pair your headset.
most adapters only work if its from one brand (adapter+headphone)
my JBL headphones won't pair work only via smartphone where you can see your headphone on screen.
@RasandeRose, it is known that BT audio is of lesser quality than plain old analog (because BT bandwidth isn't large enough to use an uncompressed signal), but using a BT dongle in the audio jack means digital signal from the Switch being converted to analog, then to digital by the dongle to send to your headset, which converts it again to analog. The more conversions you do, the more likely there is that fidelity goes out the window. It's definitely serviceable though, but I think for Switch, a BT dongle from USB sidestep a lot of conversions, and thus would reduce lag.
I'm ususally the first one who says that analog audio beats BT audio hands-down for fidelity, but in this case, I think the USB dongle may be a better choice, since the source is already digital.
@derrin Digital audio is missing spectrum compared to analogue audio. But I guess it wouldn't work transmitting analogue through bt anyways.
@sremick, I think the BT chip is used to communicate with the controllers when not attached to the unit. Granted, Nintendo could probably enable it for when they are attached to the console (as I think they use the connectors on the side to communicate when attached - don't know for sure). But then, you'd lose audio the second one controller would be detached from it. I think it would become a hassle and people might complain about that in the end, and that may be why Nintendo haven't made it work like that.
"There has been some cases of bricked consoles (Switches that no longer work) using third party docks. The root causes has been confirmed to be faulty resistors found in USB-A to USB-C power cables. "
Was it? It's not like the wave of third-party bricking was caused by some power surge that melted the switch. The third-party docks worked great, then Nintendo pushed the 5.0 software update, and somehow Switches would stall while booting up. My third-party dock worked great for many months before 5.0 released.
It sucked to lose the Switch, but Nintendo replaced it for me for free, and I even talked them into a free game out of it. But I pressed hard, and it was before their official response came out... so I don't think they'll be as generous in the future.
After what I went through, there is no way in H E double-hockey-sticks that I'll ever let anything non-Nintendo-made touch my Switch's USB-C port. Buyer beware!
@RasandeRose All audio coming out of your Switch is digital audio. The audio from the headphone jack has been through a DA converter, converting the digital audio to analog. In the case of this Bluetooth dongle, the digital audio from the switch is sent right to your headphones, so the DA converter is in your Bluetooth headphones itself; conceivably, depending on your headphones, it could be of higher quality than the DA converter Nintendo uses for the Switch (conceivably).
But we can still have the debate about Bluetooth audio in general, though BT 5.0 audio is really good. EDIT: And, of course, the best possible headphone audio you could get out of out of your Switch would be to connect a high quality USB headphone amp/DAC to the USB port of your switch and then connect your wired headphones to that, but as I doubt the switch is capable of 24-bit/96kHZ audio or anything there's probably no point unless you want fuller sound overall. EDIT 2: Actually, I'm going to try that now. If nothing else, it'll get the headphone jack on the bottom of the switch where it belongs.
No mention of microphone input so I'm not interested.
@DrJiggle
Ok, I thought Switch only output digital audio when docked, as Nintendo DSi (?) introduced loud analogue built-in speakers compared to old DS with digital. Therefore, I assumed the 3.5mm on Switch transmitted analogue audio.
For those who want a bluetooth transmitter the fits 3.5mm jack, they sell them on amazon. Like this one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/FirstE-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Headphones-Transmission-tx80/dp/B06Y57H7H2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1529001013&sr=8-8&keywords=bluetooth+transmitter+3.5mm+jack
@RasandeRose You're right: the headphone jack outputs analog audio, but it's been converted from digital audio to analog audio on a chip, in the Switch.
Soooo I just threw some money on it yay
Neat but not sure what the issue is with standard headphones... I mean you're holding the Switch just a couple feet from your face right?
@Dizzy_Boy This would be worth a purchase if it allowed you to use bluetooth earphones with a headset so games like Fortnight could be played easier in docked mode. Unless I’ve missed it this device doesn’t support bluetooth gaming headsets which is a shame as I would have made a purchase.
@FarkyValentine I think the issue is that you'd need to carry two sets of headphones with you: a wireless set for your phone and a second wired set for the Switch. Also wires can be a bit of a pain if you're playing on the go around other people, commuters, etc. I think it's a good idea, and I look forward to purchasing it once it's available through retail.
I getting kind of sick of all these peripherals that shouldn't even exist if nintendo did their job right
I will buy if it works well. They could be onto a winner.
@Agramonte
The official PS4 headset I have uses a blue tooth dongle.
@RasandeRose @Realnoize
Between the 3 of us, no one is Tintin?! Tonnerre de Brest!
@riChchestM
You can plug it into one of the dock's two usb ports, so it definitely works in the dock. I currently use my PS4 headset and its blue tooth dongle just fine in the exact same method.
The optional stand they offer ist a shameless copy of the iPad stand named Compass from TwelveSouth!?
I own one, it works perfectly with the switch...
@Agent721 Yeah man, and boards lit up on how that was crazy also. Not sure how SONY doing it makes Nintendo any better (You should call BS regardless) At a minimum, the PS4 gives you a way to play across your living room without needing to run a wire or paying an extra $50. The VITA (and PS3) was more feature complete years before either. You cant even use your console for media now.
I'll definitely buy it if my store has it. Was bummed my headphones couldn't work on the Switch.
This wouldn't be needed if Switch just supported Bluetooth audio. Even my psp go supports that.
And it's kind of large. Aptx-supporting full size USB dongles are tiny, but even together with the USB plug they're smaller than this massive box.
Cya
Raziel-chan
This is something we really really should not need and something I still think Nintendo could simply patch into the system. I mean, the controllers are bluetooth based right?
Regardless, this might be the first kickstarter I ever buy into.
@TheOpponent The one I know for sure that did well was the Skull and Co GripCase. I love mine. The large grips (interchangeable with smaller ones) are great for my big man-paws.
I'm really liking the idea of this adapter. The only thing I'm worried about is the audio latency. The codecs they mentioned aren't compatible with all BT headphones and headsets. For example, my Plantronics BackBeat FIT 505s use BT 4.1, but not ACC or AptX. I don't think the adapter will be low-latency for most headsets that people own.
To be honest. The Switch SHOULD have had blue tooth capability built in from day one.
Cool, I'm backing this.
This is nice and all, but that thing sticking right out of the console doesn't exactly help portability. I'm still hoping to get some solution like an update or maybe a joy-con with a built in bluetooth antenna, anything practical. Still weirded out that they didn't think people would be using headphones on this machine, I've been wearing bluetooth headphones around day-to-day for years.
Are wired headphones really that much of a hassle??
Jesus just buy 2$ bluetooth reciever that plugs into the headphone jack, works heavenly
@AcridSkull Apparently the hardware can do this, they just have to do some updating from the software end to make it work.
I feel like this is something Nintendo could add with an update. Am I wrong? The controllers use Bluetooth.
Kickscammers = No thanks.
Backed it, just because they have multiplayer support, which is nice. This feature (have multiple bluetooth headphones paired with the Switch at the same time) will never be added by Nintendo, as they need the Bluetooth spectrum already to support all these controllers.
Oops, I have been eyeing for this and missed the day one price. At least still get early bird.
Here is my thought why this is important, the 3.5mm jack from Switch simply sucks. They are noisy and not well isolated, a sensitive IEM picked a lot of hiss and the volume is not strong enough for full size headphone. The Bluetooth adapter that attached to 3.5mm will add latency by the ADC process and will also transmit the noise from the 3.5mm port. The USB audio on the other hand is clean from this issue, as it's only getting digital signal from the Switch.
So I think this is a great solution and nicely designed to sit flush with Switch, also the multi pairing option is a nice bonus. I was hoping to see aptX LL more widely adopted as I don't have any receiver that support one, but I don't have much issue with aptX so hopefully it'll be fine. Other than latency, I also worried about how stable the connection will be, Bluetooth 5.0 support is promising though.
Also on the subject of USB audio, the Switch USB audio only support USB Audio Class 1 I think. Finding a DAC that support it is already a challenge, it's a shame that I can't use a more sophisticated DAC like Chord Mojo there, but I found it to be working with Schiit Fulla 2 and recently with Bluewave GET (a Bluetooth receiver but also works wired as DAC), which is more portable. The music in Switch games deserve a much better audio output, so I constantly looking for a solution on this.
NGYES!
Good thing I didn't pledge for the Genki yet, because... there's already something that does the job perfectly!
I ordered this one last week and got it today.
It works on the go, even when my Switch is sitting in my Hori Playstand.
And it also works docked via the USB-cable that comes with it.
No need to wait for the Genki or to pay extra for their USB adapter.
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