Like any popular gaming system, the Switch has seen its fair share of largely pointless accessories, but CyberGadget's latest effort is perhaps the most ridiculous yet.
The Japanese company is releasing a protective plastic panel for the front of your Switch dock – you know, that piece of hardware that sits under your telly and doesn't move.
Hitting Japanese store shelves on May 31st, the Protective Dock Cover slides onto the front of the dock and prevents it from getting marked or scratched. The clear plastic means you can still see the dock underneath – so that's something – but outside of that, we're not entirely sure why this needs to exist.
Sure, we've seen dock covers in the past, but those are usually aimed at giving the dock a splash of colour or preventing it from scratching the screen of the Switch when it's docked. CyberGadget's option doesn't do either – leaving us well and truly puzzled as to why anyone would think this was a good use of plastic.
Maybe we're in the minority – let us know if you'd invest in one of these by posting a comment below.
[source gonintendo.com]
Comments 76
Yeah, um....
I tried to guess who this Item would be for, but I can't.
It’s probably worth it if you carry your entire Switch setup, system and dock, around a lot, like between multiple houses or whatever, but at that point you’re probably better off buying a second Dock Set secondhand.
I'd assume it's to protect that tiny bit of screen that shows while it's docked. My switch pretty much lives in it's dock, so I'd guess some people worry the screen may get scratched.
Someone should create a protective sticker to protect that cover.
It would have made more sense to be a decorative protective cover.
But the transparency might be for the sake of protecting special edition docks, such as the Animal Crossing New Horizons edition.
@Ralziel or you could just have a screen protector on the actual screen like everyone else. I get what you mean though seems to be for that reason but they obviously didn't think that's what screen protectors were doing anyway
@Hagemaru
It looks like it doesn't cover the who front of the dock so it's useless.
@Moistnado As long as we can have a protective cover for the sticker as well.
@Ralziel I don't believe so - the image above shows the plastic cover sliding onto the dock. Once it's in place it will cover just the dock.
It would be worth getting two, so that the first cover would also have some protection.
For the paranoid gamer afraid they'll scuff the paint job of the dock if they move around too much playing Arms, i guess.
@Damo TBF, a friend of mine once janked the whole thing off the shelf, because he was playing Smash with a controller with a cable.
The most pointless switch "accessory" is the Switch Lite. A handheld version of a handheld console but with less features!
It’s for stability, innit.
little rubber forms will not enough?
The light up dock sheild are advertised as doing the same thing. I bought it for decoration, but my switch dock does have a weird mark on the front, so maybe scratching the dock is a concern for some people.
As the world needs to start using less plastic we get this!
@JuiceMan_V It covers the whole front of the dock.
This is for people that want to preserve the dock's front panel, simple as that. Be it limited edition or the regular one, all of them can get scratched. I don't understand why it's so confusing for commenters and the authors.
Its not pointless - the thing is to protect your paint/stickers on your dock.
As shown in the picture, that looks like a COVID protection in case the gamer sneezes.
@Damo
Paint the dock to see real purpouse of this.
To be honest, I could think of a host of reasons I might want to put something like this on my dock.
I regularly have objects of all sizes and consistencies rummaging around in the immediate vicinity of the TV, either because they're in use or being carried.
One could use something like this to paint a design on the outside or fix items via hot glue without destroying their system. Apparently, not enough of you watch DIY craft videos. This is actually a really good idea, with thought, for young kids, or customizers alike, that want their own Switch design.
Probably a cough/sneeze guard similar to what grocery stores have put up to protect the cashiers during these COVID 19 times. The Switch is no exception and must adhere to social distancing and be protected from possible exposure. I'm waiting for the Switch Dock Mask to complete the ensemble.
Not useless. You can print your own art and display it behind the protector. Good-bye stickers! Like many of us did with a particular PGP Sony PSP case back in the day.
Almost a pointless CASH GRAB to create a problem to solve where none is needed.
Won't this thing make the dock even tighter for the switch to slide in?
@Zenszulu I wish nintendo sold an adult version of the switch with a glass screen. Installing a cover isn't too bad, but I really shouldn't have to.
@SwitchForce Maybe the clear dock cover is supposed to hold a family photo<333 🤪
I thought it was a sneeze guard like buffets have, but for coronavirus protection instead? lol
@RustedHero
Dang, beat me to it. Ha. I didn’t see this before I posted something similar.
What we really need are power plug covers. What if you get a scratch on the body of the DC adapter? Nobody thinks of these things.
I bring my dock to other places like friends houses and hotels (if they have a good tv) I bought some additional cables so i just unplug the thing and bring it with me so I could use this as I have scratched mine a little bit.
Makes sense. If you cough on Switch, it will get sick.
does this dock cover somehow help the system so that it will not over heat or will it trap in all of the heat to kill your system just to make you need to buy a new one.
or is this dock cover to keep your Nintendo switch in mint condition while sitting next to the TV even though it is still in use.
Might be good if you have the New Horizons Switch, but otherwise...
@Octane I've come >thisclose< to yanking my Switch off it's shelf b/c I always play wired, but I don't see how this would help much in that situation.
I know, maybe this is for the people who spent $90 to buy a 2nd Switch dock and they feel the need to protect that $90 investment.
I would buy a similar product that had some sort of hinged dust cover at the top, kind of like on a vinyl record player. Something small and unobtrusive but prevents dust from getting in the actual Switch's top vents when docked.
Gotta keep that animal crossing switch you paid 600 dollars for on eBay pristine.
If this costs more than $1.99 I'm gonna kick off lol! What a pointless piece of trash.....
People are hypothesising that maybe it's worth it in the event that people take their docks with them...but at that point, wouldn't most of those people be using one of those re-case kits that gut the dock and put it in a smaller shell?
@ChrisUnseen I was going to say the same thing. I’m sure my PSP case is made by Logitech but it’s the same principal. They provided a template and you cut it to fit.
It looks like the same could be done with this device even if it’s not what it’s intended for. And it saves wasting a decal be peeling it off and wrinkling it.
Not as useless as it might seem.
It is pointless, but you have to remember we are a society that champions screen protectors for whatever reason despite them being the most useless accessory for everything with a screen. I have no doubt this will sell well, and it will have its defenders despite (like screen protectors) the sheer stupidity surrounding the idea itself. Probably greatly overpriced as well.
This is right up there with the PS2 Horizontal Stand if anyone remembers that. There was a vertical stand for the PS2 to help it stand upright without tipping over, but they also released a horizontal stand for it to help it... sit the way it already sat lol.
Maybe I could see this being used to protect a special dock like the animal crossing one during transit or from clumsy hands. But given how few special docks there are compared to the normal ones, it would seem a really specialized product.
@StevenG I'm not sure if it's an adult thing or just a cost-saving measure. However.. we'd all end up putting a screen protector on the glass screen to protect it from scratches anyway.
My Switch is not getting Coronavirus on my watch. This is a must buy.
I own the Smash Bros Ultimate special edition Switch. It has detailed (painted on) artwork on the front of the dock/charging station. I keep it in wall mount, on the wall, by my tv. It looks great and it's safe. If I travelled around with my Switch system, however, I fully understand the benefit of a clear protector for my collector's dock. I keep mine home but I'm sure that not everyone else does.
Japanese are well known for their ultra tidiness. Even when it doesn't make a whole lick of sense. I think this is incredibly cute and I can imagine my Japanese self in her very tidy room being very pleased with her very clean switch cover.
@SigourneyBeaver there's at least two of us who think alike then. It's the first thing I thought of when I saw it. I had tons of different images printed for my PSP. It was cool. To me at least. I actually still have a lot of them on DeviantArt.
@DanteSolablood If it was good hard gorilla glass, I sure wouldn't. None of my phones have one.
Nintendo missing millions of dollars by not having a first party version.
Docks that have skins and dont want it banged up I guess. Makes it look shiny if anyone cares. I wouldn't buy it but I'd use it if gotten for free
It's likely use is if you have your dock signed. My switch is signed by Charles Martinet, so it has a clear protector
Why doesn't it go all the way down?
We actually had an acrylic prototype made of this 2 years ago. The propose, at least for us, was giving people a canvas to decorate without adhering anything to the dock itself.
the Switch dock station is actually the ugliest piece of any console ever made
This is for the same crowd that think a screen protector is a must.
I have never used a screen protector for any of my electronic devices and am puzzled by those who have been conditioned to believe that it is a must have accessory.
I did get a small mark on my Eevee/Pikachu dock when I took it to my parents last Christmas. This is an overkill answer to that scenario though.
@USWITCH64 And yet millions of people love the Switch Lite and prefer it. It's sturdier, more compact, lighter, smaller, has a sharper screen and better battery than the launch units, doesn't have that cheap, creaky feeling the joycons give the Switch in handheld mode.. and best of all, it's $100 cheaper. It was designed to be lower end in some ways, which is exactly why the large price cut is built in.
Arguing it's pointless is like arguing everything in every industry is pointless except the most expensive/best version. I'm sure virtually everything you own could be upgraded to a better, more expensive item. That's true of almost everyone alive. But we buy cheaper things because in many cases the more expensive things aren't enough better to justify the cost. For some, that's definitely the case for the Switch. I have several friends who weren't going to buy a second Switch for their kids to carry around, but they were more than happy to grab a Switch Lite.
FYI, this is from someone who doesn't own or want a Switch Lite and is happy with the launch model. But it's not hard to see why others want it.
Well my SSB Dock was scratched day one by my cat so it is not totally pointless
Seems like it's looking to solve a problem that doesn't even exist
I'd use it to protect my Smash Ultimate dock but other than that I don't care if my original dock gets scratched.
I just want to point out I'm one of those individuals that's apparently been bamboozled into using screen protectors. Obviously, I'm missing something here in the criticism. But my screens tend to be scratch and scuff free when it's finally time to remove them. So at least for me, they're doing something right
@apoqalypse
It doesn't even cover the whole front part of the dock, so it's useless.
@Deltath that's it mate. I was away from gaming for nearly 20 years, but seen the switch lite as a perfect way to get back into it. I will always play on my own, I travel away from home a lot for work too, so I buy mostly physical and I have hundreds of hours worth of content to play, with me on the go whenever I want it. It's been fabulous for me. I get why people wouldn't want it, but for some of us, it fits our needs perfectly.
@JuiceMan_V What? Did you even bother to see more pictures of it or are you talking based on the picture in the article? It seems a little obvious that this is a picture of the cover being placed and not fully applied.
Check out playasia's product page, there you can see it fully covering the whole front.
@PapaMurphy Exactly. There are tons of people it's perfect for.
@JuiceMan_V it’s not on fully
@SARankDirecto
Yep saw that.
I was wrong.
@JuiceMan_V probably for someone like me who's kids are prone to lobbing stuff around our lounge without a care in the world 😂
In general it does seem pretty redundant though
@Hagemaru Why doesn't the example picture use one of those then?
@ChrisUnseen Hey I had that PSP case back in the day! I had a perfectly cut out DOOM logo, from a magazine I think, centered under the plastic in front. Looked great, and as such a huge DOOM fan I loved carrying it around. I had pretty much forgotten about that thing until you mentioned it. Good memories
@DOOMguy yeah, I had a big stack of images and I'd just slide the next one to the front when I got tired of the design. It was pretty cool, if admittedly very geeky. It was great!
If someone at your party is swinging a knife around , this will protect from that.
@USWITCH64 I thought the Switch lite was an additional accesory to the Switch, like the controller with the screen that they released for the Wii.
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