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The best accessories for the Switch
The Switch is the most versatile game console yet, but you’ll need to buy a pile of accessories to get the most out of it – whether you’re playing at home or on the road.
The first thing you’ll want to do with your Switch after pulling it out of the box is equip it with a tempered glass screen protector. There are a number of options out there, all of them cheap enough that you’re crazy not to use one. The amFilm Tempered Glass Screen Protector is the best seller on Amazon, and it’s available for $7.99.
Controllers & Arcade Sticks
Pro Controller
For long sessions with shooters or games like Breath of the Wild, you’re unlikely to find a better option than Nintendo’s official Pro Controller. The only issue we have with it is the D-pad.
GameCube Controller
If you’re looking forward to the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in December, then you’re going to need at least one of these. Nintendo is finally releasing a new edition of the classic GameCube Controller to replace the increasingly rare (and damaged) originals.
Hori Pokken Tournament DX Controller
Most people are unhappy with the D-pad on the Joy-Cons – and even the Pro Controller. If you’re looking for a cheap, wired controller with a strong D-pad for all those 2D indies, HORI’s Pokken controller is a popular option – despite being designed specifically for Pokken Tournament.
Hori Real Arcade Pro V
The Switch has a growing lineup of fighting games, and the Real Arcade Pro V is unquestionably the best arcade stick available with native support for the Switch – provided you’ve got the money to spend. The stick is equipped with Hori’s patented Hayabusa stick and low-profile buttons, and a generous 10 foot cable.
8BitDo NES30 Arcade Stick
If you’re looking for an arcade stick that’s easier on the wallet than Hori’s option, the NES30 is a great option. The NES30 uses knock-off Sanwa parts, which means you can replace them with real Sanwa parts and end up with something that feels like a legit Japanese arcade cabinet for a fraction of the price.
Cases & Bags
If you’re looking for something smaller that can slide into a backpack or messenger bag, here’s two strong options. The main problem with the smaller Switch cases is that you’ll need to carry a charger separately.
Orzly Carry Case
RDS Game Traveler Deluxe Travel Case
Sometimes you want to take the whole setup over to a friend’s house or away for the weekend.
RLSOCO Deluxe Carrying Case
RDS Game Traveler Deluxe System Case
This packs enough room for your Switch, dock, power adapter, Pro Controller or Joy-Cons + grip, and comes with two cases which store four cartridges each. This is an officially-licensed Nintendo product, which makes it a little more expensive for what you get than some of the other cases in this list.
Smatree N600 Hard Case
If you need room for two Pro Controllers and two sets of Joy-Cons, this is the case for you.
WaterField Switch Cases
If you’re prepared to pay a lot more, then there are classier alternatives. WaterField has been making specialty bags for 20 years and has a number of products specifically for the Switch – from a simple pouch to a larger case for parties – all featuring full-grain leather and made in San Francisco.
If you’re still opting for cartridges over eShop downloads, you’ll likely want a case to carry your collection with you – and both AmazonBasics & Hori have cheap options to hold up to 24 cartridges, which is a super convenient way to lose $1,200 worth of games in one go.
AmazonBasics Game Storage Case
Hori Game Card Case 24
WaterField Game Card Holder
Adapters
Mayflash Magic-NS
If you’re anything like me you’ve got a whole range of controllers and arcade sticks from older consoles hidden in the garage. The Magic-NS is an affordable bit of kit which allows you to use Xbox One S, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Wii U Pro Controllers wirelessly with the Switch. Xbox One and Xbox 360 controllers will also work via wired USB.
Genki USB-C Bluetooth Adapter
We covered the Genki a while back, and it’s by far the most read article on the site. They’ve since launched on Kickstarter, and absolutely smashed their goal with nearly a month to go. It’s a Bluetooth 5.0 adapter that plugs in to the USB-C port on the bottom of your Switch and allows you to pair two sets of Bluetooth headphones, and supports the aptX low latency codec. Earlybird pricing of $35 is still available.
FastSnail HDMI Type C Hub
The Switch is perfect for travelers – but taking a dock with you in order to plug in to a hotel TV just isn’t an option for those like to travel light. This adapter packs an HDMI and USB port, and is small enough to slide into any case, bag or pocket.
Comfort
KontrolFreek Turbo Thumb Grips
KontrolFreek pioneered the stick-extension accessory back in 2009 with the FPS Freek. Basically, the longer stick gives you finer control over the joystick using the same amount of movement. Once you’ve tried them, you won’t want to use a controller without them.
Skull & Co. Thumb Grips Set
Skull & Co. have a cheaper alternative, with three different pairs of grips for half the price of one pair of KontrolFreeks – which is perfect if you’ve got multiple sets of Joy-cons.
Orzly Comfort Grip Case
Holding the Switch in portable mode can be pretty awkward after a while – so here’s a solution for those long sessions laid back on the couch.
Skull & Co. GripCase
If you’re willing to pay a bit extra, Skull & Co’s GripCase has interchangeable colored grips and is thin enough that you can still use your Switch with the official dock without taking it out.
AmazonBasics Grip Kit
If you’re going to hand someone a single Joy-con for a round of four-player Mario Kart, the least you can do is put it in one of these first.
Style
dbrand Nintendo Switch Skins
Joy-cons are currently available in a few colors, and Nintendo is bound to release the Switch console in new colors eventually. If you’re looking to stand out in the meantime, you can’t go past the dbrand skins. They spent 12 months in R&D with 3M to develop an adhesive which is safe to use with the Switch.
Charging at home
The Switch can only charge one pair of Joy-Cons at once, so keeping multiple pairs charged can be a real pain – thankfully there’s a few different options to make sure you’re never down a player.
Nintendo Charging Grip
Nintendo’s official Charging Grip allows you to charge the Joy-Cons while playing.
Pecham Charging Grip
If you’re prepared to go third-party, Pecham has its own charging grip which has an added 1800mAh battery so you’re not tethered to the TV.
Joy-Con AA Battery Pack
These official solutions add support for the ubiquitous AA battery to the Joy-Cons, while also adding a nice bit of heft – which can help those of you with bigger hands. They also offer something none of the charging grips do – the ability to use motion controls while charging.
PowerA Joy-Con & Pro Controller Charging Dock
In our experience, the Pro Controller holds a charge better than any other console controller. PowerA’s charging dock adds a small dongle to the USB-C port of the Pro Controller allowing you to easily charge it along with two Joy-Cons.
AmazonBasics Charging Station for Joy-Cons
Charging on the go
Anker has announced two Nintendo Switch editions of its PowerCore line of portable batteries – the PowerCore 13400 Nintendo Switch Edition and the Anker PowerCore 20100 Nintendo Switch Edition. They’re only available for pre-order ahead of their wider release in August.
If you can’t wait, we’ve been using a Anker PowerCore+ 20100 USB-C – and had no problems at all.
Anker PowerCore+ 20100 USB-C
Stands
AmazonBasics Playstand
HORI Compact Playstand
Storage
Sandisk Ultra microSD Cards
The 32GB of storage on board the Switch is increasingly ill-equipped for its growing library, with upcoming games like Wolfenstein II requiring at least 23GB of storage. So a high-capacity microSD card is a must, and the cards which most consistently offer the best bang-per-buck are the Sandisk Ultra series. At the time of writing, the 128GB is available for $35.80, the 200GB is available for $61.99, and the 256GB is available for $104.90 – which should be more than enough space to tide you over for a while.
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