Nintendo is finally giving us the Switch accessory we’ve been crying out for since the console’s launch way back in 2017.
Nintendo’s UK X (formerly Twitter) account has just advertised a very interesting new Switch accessory. From October 17, you’ll be able to pick up the Joy-Con Charging Stand, which will let you charge your Joy-Con controllers without having to hook them up to the Switch console itself.
It sounds like such a simple thing – and it is – yet it’s taken Nintendo seven years and almost the entire console generation to release an official solution. The mind boggles.
As you can see from the images, the Joy-Con Charging Stand essentially resembles the central part of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Controller Charging Grip that ships with console, but rather than being flanked by controller grips it’s mounted on a plastic stand.
That central component exists separately from the stand, so can be removed and laid flat. And presumably wielded as a more compact controller.
The Joy-Con Charging Stand then plugs into your Switch dock’s USB-A port (or any other such port or plug) via a bundled in USB-C to USB-A lead. It’s simple but effective, and it can also mount special-shaped controllers like the Japan-exclusive Family Computer Controller for Nintendo Switch.
It should prove ideal for those of us who want to charge a set of Joy-Con controllers while playing the Switch in handheld mode with a secondary controller.
Over in Japan, the Switch Joy-Con Charging Stand is being sold for 3,300 Yen, which works out to around £16 or $21.
So why now? We can’t say for sure, but it’s possible Nintendo wants to open the way to the Joy-Cons remaining chargeable, and thus usable, on a future Switch sequel with a different controller mounting system.
Nintendo has confirmed that it will launch its next console in early 2025.
