Nintendo Limits Switch 2’s USB-C Port Compatibility — Most Third-Party Docks and Accessories Unusable Due to Proprietary Protocols

Alright, so you know how the Nintendo Switch was, well, kinda cool but also a bit lacking in some areas? Enter the Switch 2! It’s got this fancy bigger screen, which I swear looks better—I mean, it’s 120 Hz… which is, uh, faster or something. Ah, and those Joy-Con controllers? They’re like magic now—magnetically snapping on or off. But, as usual, there’s a catch. Nintendo’s doing this thing with the USB-C port. Surprise, surprise, it’s limited.

Anyway, apparently, Nintendo’s being a bit, how do I say it, possessive? They’re making sure only certain accessories work with the new console. Accessory folks are like, “Um, what?” ‘Cause there’s some encryption nonsense going on. I guess they’re keeping it all snug in their little circle. Something about secret chips (not the kind you eat, sadly). So, if you’ve got docks laying around from Jsaux or whatever, they might be outta luck without a redo in design.

Sean Hollister from The Verge dug deeper. I imagine him like some tech detective—pretty cool, right? He found out, usually, you can plug stuff into USB-C ports and it all just works, like magic. But Nintendo’s all, “Nah, you’ll need our special handshake first.” It’s like a secret club meeting with whispers only they get. Regular old cables aren’t invited to the party, unless it’s the Antank S3 Max. And that one’s a mystery too! It somehow talks like Nintendo’s own dock. Magic, maybe?

Oh, but there’s a twist. As you’d expect, Nintendo might throw another wrench in the works with updates. Some guy from Antank was like, “Yeah, we’re ready for the chaos if Nintendo changes the game.” Sounds hopeful. Fingers crossed for them, I guess.

And hey, apparently, you should keep up with Tom’s Hardware if you want more scoop or whatever they decide to talk about next. They’re on Google News or something.

Okay, that’s all from me for now. Hope it kinda made sense. Or not. Who really knows?