Nintendo Limits Switch 2’s USB-C Compatibility: Third-Party Docks and Accessories May Not Function

Sure, let’s dive into this swirling mess of Nintendo’s latest gizmo, the Switch 2. It’s like they sprinkled some fairy dust and bam! You get a bigger screen. High-res too. And those Joy-Cons? They snap on like magnets now. Graphics? Leveled up. There’s some chatter about social features, though who actually needs more ways to socialize on a game console?

But here’s the kicker: Nintendo’s playing gatekeeper with that USB-C port. Sticking it to third-party accessory makers by pulling out their secret encryption sauce. Two accessory maker dudes told The Verge (or maybe they just grumbled it out over coffee) that Nintendo’s using some fancy cryptographic mumbo-jumbo that blocks unofficial toys from playing nice with the console.

And there’s talk — maybe from GamesRadar, maybe from your neighbor — that the power requirements have jumped to 20 volts. Supposedly that’s why newcomers like Jsaux can’t get their docks to work with the hot new handheld. But dig a little deeper, and it’s really about those USB-C language protocols. Nintendo’s scribbled them into some alien language. Seriously.

Sean Hollister over at The Verge (yeah, he’s the guy with all the fancy tools) took this diagnostics gadget — Power-Z KM003C, sounds like a sci-fi prop — and poked around. Turns out, the Switch 2 and its official dock have a secret chat before showing any video love. Over 30 mysterious messages go back and forth. It’s all hush-hush unless you’re the Antank S3 Max. Now, that dock, it’s like the black sheep of the family that somehow still gets invited to dinner. Because it cracks the code, kind of.

So, Antank’s dock does its own little magic trick but needs the official gear to fully function. It nudges out compatibility but who knows for how long? Antank’s rep even said Nintendo might squish them with future updates, and they’re like, “Oh well, we’ll deal with it. Maybe.” They think they can patch it with software updates, but that sounds like a gamble with a handful of jelly beans.

Anyway, stay tuned for more twisty updates. Or just go do your thing on Tom’s Hardware News. Whatever floats your boat.