The Nintendo Switch is a couple days away and everyone here at Pixelrater can hardly wait! For $299 you get the bulk of what you need including the Switch console, dock, HDMI cable, AC charging cable, Joy-Cons, Joy-Con straps, and non-charging Joy-Con grip. But there are other accessories out there that we think will make your Switch experience that much better. Some of us here at Pixelrater have a few of these on hand or preordered already. So here are some accessories for your shiny new Switch.
microSD Card
Okay, so this one may be more of a necessity as the Switch onlycomes with 32 GB of internal storage with roughly 25 available fresh out of the box. If you’re planning on going the digital download route, thankfully Nintendo opted to go with the standard (and cheap) microSD card format. The system is compatible with cards up to a whopping 2 TB, although they don’t exist yet on the market. Our suggestion is to top out at 200 GB which you can pick up for around $70. You can grab a 256 GB, although you’ll pay almost double fir it at around $149.
Protective Case and/or Screen Protector
The Switch build is pretty sturdy, but it’s not the kind of tech I’d want to carry around without a case. I also don’t want any scratches or nicks on my beautiful 6.2 inch display and, while I usually don’t use screen protectors, the Switch will be my exception. Fortunately, there are a lot of options already available like this starter kit by PDP that Tristan and I already preordered, or this Zelda themed case Daney snagged.
Stand
One of the ways you can play Switch is in what Nintendo refers to as tabletop mode. This is great and all, but the only issue (and one of my biggest gripes) is that the charging port is located on the bottom of the system. This makes sense considering it uses that port to connect to the dock, but it would have been nice if there was a second connection on the back of the console to plug into. The first option I came across is this stand by HORI which props the unit up with an opening for the adapter to connect to. Personally, I’m waiting for someone to come up with a dock that has passthrough power, similar to what you’ll find for iPhones.
Switch Pro Controller
I was surprised by how comfortable the Joy-Cons felt in the Grip accessory that comes with the system, however, I didn’t play a game for an extended period of time with them. For that, I’d rather have the Joy-Cons separated in each hand for something like Zelda, or use the Pro Controller. It has a very nice feel and I fell in love when I used it, then Tristan echoed my sentiments when he played Zelda Breath of the Wild. Is $70 a lot to ask? Yes, but it’ll most likely be my preferred way to play when my Switch is docked to my TV.
Second Power Adapter
Another thing you’ll want to invest in is a second power adapter. Now you may be wondering the same thing a few others in the Amazon comments were asking, “Doesn’t the Switch come with a power adapter?”. Well yeah it does, but it’s used for the dock. You could always unplug it from the dock and the wall to take with you when you need to charge it on the go, but for many that’d be a pain in the ass. Some secondary power adapter options are the official Nintendo charger for $29 (I’m not sure how long the cable is) or the Nyko power adapter with an 8 foot USB cable for $20 that I got.
Extra Set of Joy-Cons
If the two Joy-Cons in the box aren’t enough, then you can grab another set for $79 in either gray or the blue/red combo. Having four controllers will come in handy for games like Arms or Snipperclips, but may be unnecessary at this point in time for most. But if you do end up with four Joy-Cons….
Joy-Con Charging Station
Then you may want to look into this charging dock by PowerA. It can charge up to four Joy-Cons simultaneously though a single USB plug which you can hook up to the Switch’s dock. It’s weighed down for stability and has a small charging LED for each controller that isn’t obnoxious. This is something I may get down the line when Arms releases this Spring.
Joy-Con Charging Grip
If you’re a little light on cash and the thought of throwing down $69 for a Switch Pro Controller is out of the question, than you may want to consider the Joy-Con Charging Grip for $29. It’s essentially the same as the Joy-Con Grip that comes with the Switch, except that it also juices up your Joy-Cons while they’re connected.
Second Switch Dock
If you have multiple TV’s in your household and would like to carry your Switch from one to the other and seamlessly dock it to and fro, then Nintendo is more than happy to sell you another dock for the (insane) price of $89, That’s right, you’d pay almost a third of the cost of the overall system just to easily dock it to another TV. I won’t be getting one but if you do the docking station includes the dock, HDMI cable, and power adapter. As of writing it isn’t listed for sale just yet but Nintendo’s website shows it will be eventually.
External Battery Pack
Imagine this: You’re out and about playing Zelda when—gasp—your Switch displays the dreaded low battery warning! Your eyes frantically dart around but there isn’t an outlet in sight! What are you going to do?! Well first off, when your Switch dies it creates a save state of your current progress, so yay for that! But if you want to keep playing, then an external battery pack is the answer. You may want to hold off for a bit, however, as these batteries have varying charging outputs with some not providing enough trickle charge to sustain the console’s usage. Once the system is out on the market and it’s tested with various packs, it’ll be easy to find one that works without issue.
These are the suggestions we came up with. If you have any others we’d love to see! Tell us alk about them in the comments below.
