Tech Up! Nintendo Switch Adjustable Charging Stand

By Neil Flynn 19.11.2018

It didn't take long for the community to pinpoint design flaws in the hardware of the Nintendo Switch. Some issues have developed over time, such as the outer shell cracking due to overheating, while others were abundantly clear from the get-go. Nintendo pushed the Switch's playability over three distinct modes of play; docked, handheld, and tabletop. Unfortunately, the latter option has restrictions on being able to keep the unit charged while being played due to the charging point being located at the bottom of the Switch. Now, Nintendo has released the Adjustable Charging Stand, but how does it stand up to the competition?

Image for Tech Up! Nintendo Switch Adjustable Charging Stand

To be clear, this isn't the first solution to this issue; in fact, tabletop docks have been available since very early on in the Switch's lifecycle, but it has taken 18 months for Nintendo to create an official solution to the problem. Perhaps Nintendo's telemetry data, released as part of its investors report indicated that this is a solution that the market needed or, perhaps, it recognised that Third Party suppliers were making money on something it wasn't.

Image for Tech Up! Nintendo Switch Adjustable Charging Stand

The Adjustable Charging Stand is incredibly lightweight, small, and, most importantly, portable. The plastic is solid enough to hold the weight of the Switch but a tad too light to stop it from moving around. The Switch slots right into the dock and can be easily removed, although it would have been better if there was a locking mechanism instead. There is a port for the charging cable to be plugged in on the right-hand side of the unit, although the stand can be used without plugging it into the mains. The angle of the screen can be fully adjusted to get the preferred viewing angle, which is fantastic for use on trains, coaches, planes, or even just the average living room where the user would be sitting at varying distances away from the screen.

Image for Tech Up! Nintendo Switch Adjustable Charging Stand
Image for Tech Up! Nintendo Switch Adjustable Charging Stand

The unfortunate fact is that this retails for £16.99 in the UK, which is pretty pricey for what is essentially a small piece of plastic. In comparison, the HORI stand is priced around £9.99 but this perhaps a lot less portable in its nature, and given that the Nyko portable dock began to brick consoles in early 2018, it can be quite a risky business to use Third Party accessories.

Image for Tech Up! Nintendo Switch Adjustable Charging Stand

Whichever way it is looked at, the Adjustable Charging Stand is miles better than using the in-built kickstand, which is off-centre and incredibly flimsy. Whether or not to purchase the Adjustable Charging Stand is purely down to adopted play style. Those favouring handheld or docked need not invest in the product, yet for those who perhaps utilise tabletop mode more often, they might find that the charging dock is a useful piece of kit.

Comment on this article

You can comment as a guest or join the Cubed3 community below: Sign Up for Free Account Login

Preview PostPreview Post Your Name:
Validate your comment
  Enter the letters in the image to validate your comment.
Submit Post

Comments

There are no replies to this article yet. Why not be the first?

Subscribe to this topic Subscribe to this topic

If you are a registered member and logged in, you can also subscribe to topics by email.
Sign up today for blogs, games collections, reader reviews and much more
Site Feed
Who's Online?
Ofisil

There are 1 members online at the moment.