Gulikit Dock 1
Image: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo Life

As a means to play your Switch 2 games on the TV, Nintendo’s official dock is perfectly fine. But when it comes to portability, it’s definitely a bit lacking. Though not massive, it’s going to take up substantial space in your backpack or suitcase if you want to bring the full-fat Switch 2 experience with you on the go.

So that’s where Gulikit’s new Portable Dock comes into play. It’s the latest in a line of third-party docks for Switch 2 that looks to provide a more space-saving option for when you’re out and about. The difference here is that it also works with Switch 1.

Weighing in at just 88g, the dock is 25mm high and 87mm both wide and deep. You’ve got four little non-slip pads on the bottom to keep it in place while in use, while the back houses a USB-C slot for your power supply, an HDMI slot, and a USB-A slot for wired controllers and whatnot.

It’s exceptionally dinky and light, then – much lighter than I was anticipating. And this is where the dock’s main issue comes to light. Much like the Antank dock we reviewed last year, Gulikit’s offering is so light that if you just yank your Switch 2 out from the top, you’ll just lift the dock up along with it. Holding the dock down with your fingers while you lift the console is the way to go.

But how do you actually insert it in the first place? Well, at first glance, the dock doesn’t have any obvious way to connect to the Switch 2, and that’s thanks to a magnetic protective cover that doubles as a makeshift stand. Simply pull the cover away from the device to expose the USB-C port, flip it over onto its back, and it will magnetically attach to the topside of the dock.

So not only does it keep the USB-C port tucked away while you’re travelling, but it also ensures your console doesn’t lean back too much when docked, potentially causing damage to the port or, indeed, the console itself.

It’s an elegant solution and it’s easily my favourite aspect of Gulikit’s dock. My only concern is what happens if you happen to lose the cover. It doesn’t seem like something Gulikit would replace at no extra cost, but at just $29.99, buying an entire replacement wouldn’t break the bank.

A couple of other noteworthy features include a mode button on the back of the dock, which switches it between TV docking mode and desktop charging mode. Meanwhile, on the bottom, you’ll see a switch that you can slide up and down to slightly change the angle of the USB-C port. So if you have a cover attached to your Switch 2 and it won’t fit into the dock via the default setting, you can change the angle to ensure it slots in with no hassle. Nice little touch.

As for image quality, the dock supports everything up to 4K/60 (and 1080/120fps seemed to run fine in my tests with Mina The Hollower, too), so you’re pretty much good to go whether you’re using the Switch 1 or 2. Static and dynamic HDR is also supported, and Gulikit has promised firmware updates to maintain compatibility with the Switch 2 in the event of system updates. In practice, the image quality on my 65" LG TV while using the Gulikit dock looked on par with the official dock.

Naturally, you might wonder how such a small device might cool your Switch 2 down if it's being used extensively in docked mode. Thanks to the dock's absurdly small size, the vents on the underside of the Switch 2 are partially free to take in air. The bits that are obscured, meanwhile, are helped along with additional vents included on the underside of the dock itself.

Having the Switch 2 be completely free of any plastic surrounding it does theoretically allow it to disperse the heat better than Nintendo's dock, although the official one has a fan. I've not been able to accurately verify this, but all things considered, I've not had any issues with overheating so far.

Of course, the one major thing that’s missing is an Ethernet port. A shame, perhaps, but then this really isn’t designed to be a permanent replacement for your official dock. Treat it as something to take with you on short trips and it’ll serve you well.

So if you’re on a work trip for a few days and don’t fancy watching sodding Love Island when you collapse onto your hotel bed in the evening, you can whip out the Gulikit dock (along with your official power/HDMI cables, which Gulikit recommends you use) and crack on with some impromptu gaming. Lovely.

Gulikit Dock 12
Image: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo Life

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The sample used for this review was provided by Gulikit.