Switch 2's Dock Isn't Compatible With The Original Switch, According To Nintendo

I was wondering about that, but not surprising to see. It probably wouldn't even fit with joycons on.

That should be obvious already...Honestly...

Come on NL, I wanna be surprised when I brick mine!😉

Kinda goes without saying...

Darn. I was hoping to just keep one setup. Well this wasn’t entirely unexpected.

That's weird that they say HDMI 2.0 cable, on Nintendo's website where they list what's included with the Switch 2, it says Ultra High Speed HDMI cable which means HDMI 2.1

That was quite obvious. The not-so-obvious part is that a spare one costs 120 bucks. It must be made out of gold or something.

I thought we already knew this? Why would anybody assume it would?

I think the headline and article here are talking about the opposite of what the Nintendo page says, it seems like the Nintendo support page is just saying the Switch 2 console does not work with the Switch 1 dock, which is what I think everyone would assume since the Switch 2 requires more power and a higher HDMI spec and whatnot.

I don't think there's any technical reason why the Switch 1 console couldn't work on the newer dock, however, aside from if it doesn't physically fit into the newer dock correctly.

@WoomyNNYes They’ll probably know that some dumb kids will not understand the difference between the switch 1 and switch 2 dock, so it will probably say something on the top of the screen, like ‘Switch 1 dock not compatible with switch 2’ or something like that.

Cancelled my preorder 🤬🤬🤬🤬

Yes but does it at least still charge the OG Switch/OLED?

@StewdaMegaManNerd @DanElectrode The Japanese website says something else, thats what the headline is mentioning. But this is a primarily English website, so they are talking about something related to reach word minimum.

@ProNerdy Could just be a typo here.

@KJW90 Cool, I'll take it then! 😈

=p

@pikachupikachup Ah yeah, I guess they're talking about that graphic near the bottom that is headed "usable main unit" (according to Google Translate) and only has Switch 2 checked. They just transitioned into the English one which is talking about the opposite scenario a little too seamlessly.

I guess I'd still take that little infographic with a grain of salt, the Switch 2 Dock is obviously "meant" for use with the Switch 2 and being listed that way, but I don't know if that necessarily means it will not work with the others if you cram them in there.

At any rate I'm guessing some third party will make an aftermarket dongle that works with either eventually, and probably still cheaper than the official dock, haha.

I already figure this wasn't going to work with Switch 1 units because of the hardware changes.

Dock for Switch 2 is completely different as it has cooling fan behind so I'm not surprised if Switch 2 machine can't be docked on Switch dock.
Also, Switch 2 size dimension is bigger than Switch 1 so definitely will not fit on Switch 1 dock.

@ProNerdy HDMI 2.0 supports exactly the same features that the Switch 2 say the docked play with feature. 4K 60fps, 1080p -1440p 120fps. Also the no VRR on dock play matches up with HDMI 2.0 not 2.1

Bummer, the recent TV mode hijinks on my part (tested to rule out multiple flatscreens/cables yet extending to another used dock in a weird way where the signal can hold on for minutes or hours on end and immediately come back or go poof until console reinsertion - with a stable charge maintained through it all on the one hand and the malfunctions typically offset by fully unplugging the charger for a while on the other hand🤔🤔🤔 ...but I digress😅) led me to entertain the thought versus the perspective of buying a whole brand new dock bundle with separate official chargers tricky to find in local retail. Guess I'll have to make do for now since my general gaming habits still make portable arsenal expansion a higher priority than smoothing out the proverbially sporadic TV experiences with the already owned hybrid.

Ofcourse it's not going to work. The Switch 2 is larger, a Switch 1 wouldn't fit in the dock.

Looking at the website, I'm not convinced yet.
I don't see it spelled out in text, I just see the checkbox system that states this is a Switch 2 accessory and not a Switch 1 accessory. It could have been simply copypasted from, say, the Joy-Con 2 page without a second thought.

For instance, the new MicroSD Express cards (see the bottom of the store page) ALSO only have a checkmark next to the Switch 2, even though they're just faster SD cards and fully compatible with older SD card drives (such as the Switch 1), the older devices simply don't benefit from the higher read/write speeds.
@dartmonkey
If I missed anything on the listing in the text explicitly stating the incompatibility, please let me know.

Absolutely not surprised by this.

@Liam_Doolan Except, they are making an assumption. Unless there is undeniable proof that Switch 2's 4k60+HDR output is using chroma subsampling and not the full 4:4:4, then the cable has to be HDMI 2.1. This is because HDMI 2.0 only supports up to 18Gbps. Can 4k60 fit into that? Yes, if you either disable HDR (which is not the case here), or is using chroma subsampling of either 4:2:0 or 4:2:2. Otherwise, pushing 4k60+HDR with 4:4:4 requires 20.05Gbps, beyond HDMI 2.0 scope. There is also the fact that the system supports ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which is a feature not supported by HDMI 2.0.

One can use a spec, but not to its full extent. PS5, for instance, uses HDMI 2.1, but it doesn't support 48Gbps as the spec allows. It's limited to 32Gbps, which is enough to push 4k120+HDR via DSC (Display Stream Compression) for a visually lossless output. Series X also uses HDMI 2.1, but supports 40Gbps, enough for 4k120+HDR with 4:4:4 chroma, uncompressed.

@sanderev It's the same thickness, so it should still fit. It's width is irrelevant. Hopefully accidentally docking a Switch 1 on a Switch 2 dock won't cause any significant damage, that's my main concern; though given the different voltages, I fear the worst.

@Jalex_64 With the dock being wider and taller, not only can you not put the Switch 1 system into the dock with its Joycons attached, but it would make it a hassle to get it out if you were to detach them.

@Discostew Yes but not everyone will have the joy-cons attached and you know some children will do it without a second's thought. With 150m Switches out there, along with tens of millions of Switch 2's by this time next year, it's going to happen at some point.

Is the pro controller(1) compatible with the switch 2? And wired pro controllers(8bitdo, etc), as well?

Well that’s disappointing…

I thought this was officially stated when it was first revealed....

@VeganHerpes The Switch 1 Pro controller is compatible, it just lacks the ability to start the Switch 2 console with the home button. You'll need to use the Switch 2 joy-con for that feature.

That would have been too practical.
Pretty sure they could have solved it if they wanted to.

Lol if that wasnt already obvious i dont know from which planet these people came 🤣

Wow, that's surprising!
Jokes.

@SirLink Technically, it is. Gold is used for the contacts for its anti-corrosion properties

Not surprising but the Switch 1 could use a dock with a fan built in. I play docked mostly and my OG Switch had its lithium battery expand inside the case. I unfortunately cannot swap in a new battery because the expansion has pressed up against one of the side screws (inside the joycon groove) and it will not unscrew. It still works for now, but I try to limit my use of it.

As expected, but still a shame. It would be much more convenient if they were compatible.

But is the included Ultra High Speed HDMI cable soft?

Disappointing to learn! I hoped the Switch 2 dock would accept a Switch for seamless backwards compatibility with the Switch. Now the question is if the Switch 2 AC adapter is compatible with the Switch dock. That would then make connecting the Switch to the TV easier.

PS: Before anyone jumps on me and says to transfer everything from Switch to Switch 2, I often have friends bring their Switches to play games on TV that I don't own.

PPS: No, I'm not fooling around with family groups and setting up primary and secondary Switches.

PPPS: No, not interested in the new virtual card sharing option either. It's so easy and convenient to simply insert their Switch into my dock, and bang. No sexual innuendo intended! 🤣🤭

Makes sense for the average consumer to avoid confusion, but I like others here are more of a core audience and I am surprised less people care about this

It just would have been practical to let the OG Switch plug into one universal dock for less cluttered setups for households with both Switch 1 and 2 units. I’ve seen a lot of posts from users here saying they will keep their Switch 1 units too. So why indifferent?

A backwards compatible SW2 dock, supporting SW1 hardware, seems like the smarter play. I presume the new, larger console size was a key factor to avoid manufacturing a backwards compatible dock. Still, they’ve solved these problems before. A simple bump or notch on the Switch 2 console and a narrower dock could have allowed backwards compatibility. No different than how they’ve handled Gameboy, Color, Advance, DS, 3DS, Switch 1 and 2 cartridges.

A missed opportunity in my opinion.

I hadn't considered whether that would have worked or not, but that would have been some pleasant news in what has otherwise been a dreary console launch.

This is not well thought out. I have a family, so we already have 2 Switches. With a Switch 2 we'll have 3. Why not just let people use the same dock for all 3. I'll need 2 docks plugged into my TV now, and more space on the TV stand. Did they ask anyone what they thought about the dock? Or did an intern design it on a weekend?

Admittedly, given the damage to my Switch’s screen, I’m not sure if the original Switch dock was fully compatible with the Switch in the first place.

Not all that surprising to be honest.

@Jalex_64 The screen is wider, so the attached JoyCon on an OG Switch will stop it from entering the dock of the Switch 2. And without JoyCon attached it might be impossible / difficult to get it out again.

And the OG dock won't work with the Switch 2 because it (the Switch 2) requires more power and active cooling. It would either not work at all or overheat. Risking damage to the device.

Could Nintendo have designed a dock that would work for both? Absolutely, but why bother? Each Switch 2 will come with a dock in the box.

I’m kind of mixed, it seems obvious as it’s a separate device and I wouldnt want a compromise/work around but at the same time it does seem like a bit of an oversight I mean they’re both usbc connected?

The backside of the Switch (2) has a slot that helps the docking. If you compare the Switch 1 and Switch 2 you can see that the slot is quite different. I am not surprised that each dock is not compatible with the other Switch generation.

@drypaphmrbro technically it isn't. Having gold plated contacts isn't really the same as being made out of gold.

Damn. It’s all Nintendos fault. Next they’ll tell me joy con 2 won’t slide on my oled switch

Most announcements for switch 2 seem confusing and contradictory. Weren’t the rumours that switch 2 was purposely delayed. Comms should be in a better place if that’s the case.

Would be nice to get some positives for this console. This doesn’t work. This isn’t physical. This is expensive. We’re gonna charge you for xyz.

Positive. Switch online hasn’t increased yet 😀

Of course the Switch 2 dock can't be used with Switch 1.

Of course you can't use the Switch 1 dock for Switch 2.

Unfortunately society is getting dumber by the day.

Not surprising, but would have been cool to double as a charge base.

It would be nice if they didn't redo the docks going forward. It could save us money and waste.

You hear that, fellas? NO. DOCKING.

When they eventually come out with a Switch2 Lite portable only console, why oh why can't we get a console only version. And people will say "well that's the whole point of the switch it's portable and a Home console in one." Then please teach me how to connect a Switch Lite to my TV

Why would anyone expect it to??

I mean it would have been neat and practical to have NS work in a dock 2 so that you can keep only one of these around the tv, but I understand.

Also watch as third parties release a double dock now. And watch as the AVGN fanbase mods it into a nintoaster 2.0.

Looks like big companies need to start make TVs with way more then 2 HDMI slots and small companies with way more then 3 HDMI slots!!!!!

Darn, I was hoping I'd only need to have one dock with my TV setup. Oh well

Of course it isn’t.

What? This is an outrage — Nintendo should give us the dock for free.

The dimensions make it obvious, but to be honest, I never even thought of this. Now that I have, I think they should have made it work with both. It would have been really cool to have just one base work with both systems.

@Stwert
Yes, that's a good breakdown, but my only point is that such a card would work just fine if used in a Switch 1, yet Nintendo doesn't tick the box next to that family of systems, showing that the ticks may also be inaccurate for the Switch 2 dock.

This isn't the least bit surprising, and I honestly don't understand the angst expressed by some commenters here. The dock is part of the unit; of course a new generation would use a new dock, and of course S1 and S2 wouldn't be dock interchangeable. Being upset about that seems like pointless entitled rage to me. I'll enjoy my S2 on its dock, and my kids will still use their S1s with the S1 dock. Both of us can charge at the same time, and none of us think Nintendo is the literal antichrist for each system having separate docks. 🤷🤦

Not surprising at all when considering the hardware changes and slightly different Switch 2 form factor. It seems some people still think it's only a Switch 1 with some extra dressing. Interviews with the system designers indicate Switch 2 was actually redesigned from the ground up, not necessarily added to.

@Jalex_64 Nintendo surely considers the possibility of hardware being damaged by the wrong console being put in the wrong dock when designing their hardware and will design it to not fit to prevent any accidents.

Well that's not remotely surprising, why would anyone even assume that it would be, and what would the point be anyway, even if you could?

@hcfwesker did you see macho nacho's switch pro video... they really Mae it, higher clockspeed etc.... really weird that nintendo didn't bring it to the market

Did anyone at all in the entire world expect it to be?!

I AM SHOOK TO THE CORE

This was pretty much expected, and it doesn’t seem like the Switch 2 will work on the original Switch dock either.

As for HDMI cables, will an Xbox or PS5 Ultra High Speed HDMI cable work?

@DanijoEX-The-Kumiho It's not really obvious. Aside from Joy cons not being able to be attached to the OG Switch because of being smaller physically then the Switch 2; the USB C port, the charger and the HDMI, have no reason to not work on a OG Switch.

HDMI revisions are retrocompatible with devices with older HDMI specs.

Chargers are "intelligent" in a way they wouldn't pass more energy than needed.

And there's no reason the USB C port inside the Switch 2 wouldn't be compatible, other than a intended way to prevent it connecting to the previous console.

Sigh. 2 Docks.
One new dock every 8 years

Blrghhhh

@SuperRetroArt
It could.

The new dock is for Switch 2 and power needs the older units will not match it's specs it's not that hard to figure that out. Core gamers most likely figured this would happen. They aren't the same dimension so it won't fit and also the power needs are different as well. I do wished they had USBC ports on the Dock it's 2025 and they couldn't give one more besides the power connector port?

@Hwatt 100% agree. It may have been a design and engineering challenge, but the upsides for a universal dock in households with Switch 1 & 2 systems would be highly appreciated. Maybe a third party will deliver such a device, but Nintendo should have done it.

@Repete Exactly. The dock is just a slab of plastic with a male USB-C port, a small circuit board with a converter to display out (HDMI), USBs, and the ethernet port. If anyone is unsure, just google “Switch dock teardown”.

There really isn’t a technical reason why the Switch 2 dock and power supply couldn’t support Switch 1. The other way around? Of course it wouldn’t make sense. Switch 1 power supply isn’t sufficient to power Switch 2 and there is no fan in the Switch 1 dock. So it would throttle and also be power chocked.

I wasn’t expecting the Switch 2 dock to support Switch 1, it is Nintendo after. It’s just a missed opportunity. Nintendo being Nintendo if you will…

@WarioInAHardees - You picked up on that Ninnuendo too eh 🤣

@Andee - If they gave the Dock for free; the plug and HDMI cables would be sold seperately 😒

wow next you're gonna tell me I can't attach switch 2 joy-cons on the switch 1

@Hwatt I wasn’t expecting the Switch 2 dock to support Switch 1, it is Nintendo after. It’s just a missed opportunity. Nintendo being Nintendo if you will…

That's not true. Why should they keep supporting Switch 1 when they are going towards Switch 2 hardware levels? I think your thinking hey why not put my Switch 1 into the Switch 2 dock and get 4k. That's not going to happen.

Like a lot of people I have my tv mounted on my wall with some long hdmi cables hidden in the wall coming out to a cabinet. I’m hoping these will just work with the switch 2, it’ll be such a pain to run a new cable (the one that comes with the system won’t be long enough)

@Jester676 I’m not sure why you’re bringing up 4K. The Switch doesn’t have the hardware to support it. Further, HDMI and USB-C are backwards compatible…

A Switch 1 in a Switch 2 dock should behave exactly like a Switch 1 in a Switch 1 dock.

@Hwatt This is what you want to do why else would someone want to put a Switch 1 into the Switch 2 dock. Nintendo already said this isn't compatible with Switch 1 console.

https://nintendoeverything.com/switch-1-not-compatible-with-nintendo-switch-2-dock/

@Jester676

A simplified setup for owners of both systems? There are over 150 million Switch owners out there. I’m sure a sizeable portion would appreciate having a dock support both systems.

Yes, Nintendo confirmed it’s not compatible… but when you break it down, there really is no technical reason why you couldn’t have your Switch 1 output to your TV on a Switch 2 dock.

@sanderev How would it be impossible to get the tablet out of the dock without joycons? The top sticks out enough to grab onto. And i'm pretty sure the NS2 dock is even lower than the NS1 one, so it'd be even easier.

Wow, it really seemed like a no-brainer that they'd be compatible. I was hoping that people would be able to play their switch on the TV at a friends house using their switch 2 dock. But no, I guess you'll need to keep a switch 1 dock at the ready for that.

I'm really surprised they went about it this way, it seems unnecessarily inconvenient. And not even in a way that Nintendo could theoretically profit off of. I mean, it's obviously no big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's still a pretty disappointing oversight.

This is what happens when the tech changes you can't go backwards. You can use your Switch 1 games in Switch 2 and if they have updates take advantage of the Switch 2 power and graphics for better gameplay or not but have upgrade hardware to improve gameplay. There are also hardware specs from different HDMI port version and cable, Power adapter watts being different and larger dock because size of Switch 2 is wider so OLED size probably will not fit properly and could damage the Switch 1 models. Remember Nintendo isn't our friend they are in the business of making Consoles and games for the consumer whom wants to buy in return for their investments and shareholders first.

They should be selling a dockless SKU that just comes with the system and nothing else.