Random: Remember To Charge Your Switch At Least Twice A Year, Nintendo Helpfully Suggests

So does putting it in the dock count as charging?

I need to charge my Switch twice a day, though I always put my Lite's brightness at full capacity.

I just leave it in the dock whenever I’m not using it. Are there people who don’t do this?

@Retro_Player_77 Mainly a problem with the lite I guess.
I do need to remember to check on my DS, GBA SP etc battery once in a while. (In the end I almost miss AA batteries)

Mine is in the dock when not playing handheld.......odd thats not listed.

Funnily enough I just unplugged my wiiu and put it away, was not used in over a year or so lol

Mine is always charging / docked.

I dislike handhelds but love Nintendo.

@Krull yes, we call those people “Nintendo Switch Lite owners”.

Oh no. Haven't checked my old DS's in a while...

"Nintendo's a friendly company"
Then why can't I invert the Sunshine controls?! 😞

@Alexface DS batteries are easy to replace if yours is dead. That's the good part.
But for Switches...

Mine basically sits in its dock when not in use / travelling. Is that more damaging to the battery in the long run? Maybe, but back pre-Covid it never made it through 2 days worth of commuting, and there’s little more annoying than running out of charge with 20 minutes commute remaining (and no mobile reception)

The thing has never left the dock since launch. I play every day and just use it like a charging station. The battery is still pretty strong.

@Rexenoboy Exactly the same here, brother! At least once a day, usually twice.

full brightness, charging everday

That's a bit worrying. Sure it's fine now but what about when the Switch 2 comes out. I didn't touch my 3DS for at least a year when the Switch came out.

I mean, once I get home, I put it in the dock. Who doesn't?

@Retro_Player_77 yep

You guys are missing the 'I barely ever get it out of the dock' option...

Nice to know as I only play mine docked

@Krull overcharging can also be a problem (ok not really overcharging since the battery is 'intelligent' and when it reachs 100% it stops charging) since all batteries have a limit of charging and discharging.

When I know that I will not play it for a long time, I charge it until 100% and then let him out of the dock. Every week I take a look how much charge is still left. If it reaches 30% or less I put it again in the dock until 100% and repeat.

I basically leave it docked if I'm not using it.

I charge my Switch whenever it's almost empty. Which is about a daily event.

Mine is always in the dock, I only ever play it this way

I charge up my Switch Lite every couple of hours every day. Because of games like Monster Hunter and RPGs like Xenoblade.

Mine is always in the dock when I'm not playing handheld, this could be a concern for collectors as it my simply not work in the future. I know of one Youtuber who left his in the box and when he came to use it he couldn't turn it on

I leave it in the dock when I'm not using it.

Never removed the dock, so alwaya charging. It will "ruin the battery" but I've only played it outside the dock once when I got it at launch and it was attrocious so I'll never be doing that again anyway.

My active Switch is in the dock, but I still have some limited editions sealed in box.

I voted once a year because it pretty much lives in the dock. 😉

I only play on TV so always docked.

Really instead of 'Don't Own' this should be an option in a poll about a hybrid console.

My regular switch stays docked. My switch lite stays plugged into the wall outlet, and sits on my dresser when I'm not using it.

My switch almost never leaves the dock. When it does, it’s usually plugged in while i play.

This is what I was looking for. Not news about new or upcoming games, but a foolproof guide to looking after your Switch. Thanks Nintendo, that's Christmas sorted.

I always leave my Switch docked when not playing it. When I'm done playing (or when the battery runs low) I put it back in the dock.

I assumed this was common knowledge, guess Nintendo doesn't think so?

My Switches spend 70% of their time in a dock, as I have two docks in the house. Can't remember the last time the battery ran out fully.

Is that the same for all handhelds?
I haven't used my Vita for a long time, maybe I should charge it?

@shgamer I would highly recommend to have a reminder on your calendar to charge some of your stuff yeah. I had to change the dead battery of my old vita 1000 and it was pretty annoying

Lol, my switch gets loaded everyday 🤣

This happened to my Wii U. I hadn't touched it for 2 years, then went to play Twilight Princess HD last Christmas and it was completely dead.

@Krull I do the same, always docked except when I specifically want to use it handheld.

@neufel Now I remember. Had to buy a new battery for my first PSP because the old one was dead. Hadn't used it for years.
Nice of Nintendolife to highlight the problem.

@shgamer My black Nintendo DS Lite for me was fine after like 5 years of non-use. I guess that one is the exception xD

@setezerocinco Yeah, I don't play docked often anymore, so I charge to 100% then again around the same 30%.

I'm thinking the game drought is ending, with a tiny trickle of announcements and releases. 3d all stars enabled me to turn on my switch this year. Rather than turning it on so that the battery stays healthy, I suggest releasing more proper, full fat, games so that I have a good reason to turn on my switch.

Mine never leaves the dock.

@shgamer Every battery drains over time, and when it's completely empty it will start to have a chemical reaction that could make it unusable.

It's always in the dock, only play it like that.

@shgamer that’s what i wondering toi. Recently wanted toccharge my vita after a while but nothing haopend. Though it was the cable. But now

Mine lives in the dock whenever I am not using it so...

I haven't seen anything this ridiculous from Nintendo since their Wii safety guidelines.

It's always charging I mainly play on TV with the dock. I turn off the AC though, but it's almost always 100%.

But it reminds my that I need to charge my 3DS XL once or twice a year if I want the battery to survive a long time. Maybe I should sell it though.

Mine doesn't leave a charger. When I play, it's always connected to a power source.

Mine is in the dock all day I never play handheld mode because my Joycon drift from playing Ring Fit

If you buy a used Switch, I wonder how often they still have a good battery.

@neufel

My biggest concern is controllers. I have many wireless controllers for old systems that I charge time to time but probably not enough. Systems like the Wii/360 are great because they are AA. Still have to remember to take the batteries out to store.

@ShaiHulud
You can rebind buttons and invert analog sticks via the Switch settings. A feature that has only been available for a year or so I think.

That reminds me to charge my gba sp

I use mine almost 100% handheld but when I'm not playing i leave it on the dock so it's almost always charging.

I try charging my Switch, but the system updates have made it more stalwart than a bull by this point. It always wins.

Well considering I only ever play Switch in handheld it gets charged quite a lot.

I hadn't played my DS since 2011, DQ9. I found it in my closet last month and it fired right up and still holding 3/4 charge. Amazing!

You know there's a game drought when the manufacturer reminds you to use your console twice a year.....

Seriously though, I have a spare Switch in storage since 2017 that I count on in case anything happens to mine, and hadn't given this a thought since other rechargeable devices can live indefinitely in their off state. I did fully "power it down" before storage, but this does give me a bit of worry.

On a related note, does anyone know if third party batteries have become available for Switch yet? I recall it's pretty simple to open it and replace the battery but I don't know if any batteries ever became available. With a device this popular, I presume they're out there?

@Yorumi I haven't seen many devices truly in sleep mode that endure more than a week sleeping off the charger. Apple products may, and Windows laptops/tablets/Surface that go into deep hibernation would. But that's because it goes into total power down rather than actual suspend. Certainly no Android device, including Note & Galaxy series phones I've seen would.

Hopefully Nintendo reads all of these "mine never leaves the dock" comments so we can get a cheaper, and higher powered, Switch TV model. I'd buy 1 for myself and let my son have the current one as his own. We just bought my other son one for his high school graduation so he's good.

As for the Nintendo battery warning, I'm assuming that's for parents who bought their kid a Switch Lite for 1 game then the kid went back to their iPad and the parents forgot to charge the Lite after that.

Wouldn't need a battery warning w/ a Switch TV, no battery. 😁

Could do with the newer model (Mariko chip?) then I could go a few days without a need to charge

I do the same. I’m sure a million or more people do the same exact thing. As far as I’m aware it has no negative effects and makes no sense not to. @Krull

I leave mine docked?

Mine is almost always in its dock, so

@DreemWeever Cheers mate! I wasn't aware of that, what a life saver!

My switch is sitting in "her" dock since 2 years straight xD maybe 10 times outside since i bought it .....i hate portable gaming, at least with switch, so ....dock life 365days hehe

because i am tall 194cm/6,4" with big hands and even the "big" model makes me feel pain in my hands after 10 minutes of gaming ...the switch lite - i will sell it .... unplayable because even smaller lol

Mine stays in the dock and I almost never take it out

Twice... a year? This is what I call a useful piece of advice.

@Yorumi How do you know your Vita preserved it's charge, when it would run out of battery while using it faster than anything but a Game Gear?

That's interesting though, I never really tested the Vita's charge length. And I know Apple does do a lot of battery management where no Android phone does. But part of that is by putting things into a deep sleep while Android (and Switch?) is always at least partly active.

I recall there was a trick to Vita, but I haven't used it in ages, so I don't remember. I think you had to go out to the menu before putting it to sleep for it to really go into a deep sleep. If you suspended it with the game running, I think it drained like Nintendo. That could have been fixed in some patch or another though, I always did it out of routine from the beginning.

Technically, my Switch is rarely out of the dock so its charge displays as 100% most of the time. I have no idea how this might impact the battery long-term.

Where's the poll option for "I always leave it docked"?

@noobish_hat they have released plenty in the first 8 months.

Also Nintendo, Remember to buy new Joy-cons every 6 months because we made the sticks defective.

Always docked so i don't even know which option to pick.

@Yorumi I never don't routinely put any rechargable device I'm not actively using back on a charger at the end of every day. It always bites me if I don't!

But yeah, I'd say any of my phones if I leave them off the charger, I'll have less than half the battery left the next day.

@Yorumi That's the one and only thing that could ever tempt me into getting Apple devices at all. I'm just used to things losing lots of charge if it sits off the charger. Not sure I'd ever get out of the habit of touch up charges "just in case"

Is this true?? I brought my switch a year ago and only played it once and then the battery ran out. I will charge it up tonight and start gaming again

I keep it docked at all times. Not sure if that counts towards this.

Okay, rant time. Why, Nintendo? Why? If the batteries are this volatile, the joycons are drifting, and the screens scratch themselves on the dock, then why is any of this acceptable? Honestly, why does Nintendo get a pass? If Sony or Microsoft released a product that did any one of these things then the internet would explode. Why does Nintendo get a pass? My N64 still runs; why does Nintendo makes products now that can't even last a year anymore? I feel like I'm the crazy one. Dunkey said it best; Nintendo is great at making games, but absolutely terrible at running a company.

At least once daily!

freaking heck! this comment section is insightful to read xD lol, look at everyone coming together to talk about 'charging your switch' makes me smile but i charge mines normally when it's legit dying, i would, of course, leave it in rest mode majority of the time - now,- i used to turn it off and would recharge it, of course, like i stated - when it needs to be charged.

uh..i don't know if it's a good idea to leave in sleep mode?? can anyone fill me in if that's a good idea to leave it on sleep mode for too much....Q_Q" i don't want my battery to die,, although shouldn't this important information be already out in the public??? O_O oh gosh.

Does this apply to 3DS batteries as well? It's been a long time since I played.

My switch barely ever leaves the dock and has barley left the house.