The Crappier Your Webcam, the More Likely It'll Work on Switch 2

Gizmodo

2 days ago

Since Nintendo launched its Switch 2 three weeks ago (time flies when you're playing Mario Kart World), the one lingering question about its hardware is which webcams it supports. Multiple users found that a whole slew of modern webcams were simply incompatible with Nintendo's new handheld. We suspected that the Switch 2 was better at supporting worse-quality cameras compared to your expensive 4K streaming cam, and now multiple brands have effectively confirmed it.
Cameras attached to the Switch 2 need to perform multiple functions. They allow for video in GameChat—Nintendo's Discord-like feature that lets users talk to friends, see each other's gameplay live, and stream their faces at the same time. The camera is also able to capture a room full of people sitting around the couch together. In games like Mario Kart World and an upcoming update to Super Mario Party Jamboree, you should be able to see your compatriots' expressions as you trounce them in local multiplayer.
Julian Fest, the general manager of streamer equipment maker Elgato, wrote on Wednesday that several incompatible webcams, like the Facecam MK.2 and Facecam Neo would soon receive firmware updates to allow compatibility with Switch 2. Fest then speculated that Nintendo's system would only reliably allow for its multiple faces on screen at 'very low resolution.' The Mario maker sells its own $55 1080p Switch 2 Camera, but it also promotes licensed products from Hori for a $65 480p webcam that can attach like a barnacle to the Switch 2 in handheld mode. There's even a version shaped like a Piranha Plant. As Fest said, Nintendo, 'being Nintendo,' hasn't revealed what other specifications third-party cameras need to adjust for compatibility.
On the resolution – I think this is just Nintendo being Nintendo. They've never cared about tech specs, only about creating very specific experiences. In this case it's putting multiple tiny facecams on screen and I can imagine that only works reliably at very low resolution. https://t.co/RCHF3LK1fq
— Julian (@JFest) June 25, 2025
The majority of cameras that work with the Switch 2 are usually older, less capable cameras. A thread on Reddit shares a crowdsourced tally of which webcams are compatible, though I wouldn't trust it completely. While the DJI Action and Osmo 4K cameras aren't compatible, other devices like the Logitech Brio 4K have reportedly experienced issues. You can force some cameras to connect with Nintendo's handheld, but that doesn't mean you'll see a better-quality image higher than 1080p. Earlier this week, Chinese brand EMEET launched its PIXY PTZ 4K webcam with the promise that it was also compatible with Switch 2. It's not a cheap device by any standard at $160 for a dual-camera setup that supports both 4K at 30 fps and 1080p at 60 fps. The Switch 2 has routinely proved it won't output 4K video, so most likely any such camera would default to 1080p. We reached out to EMEET for clarification on its device, and we'll update this post when we hear back.
In a statement to The Verge, camera maker Ugreen laid out what it found in its own tests for Switch 2 camera compatibility. As it stands, it seems cameras can't use a HID protocol USB connection. The device must work with isochronous transfer mode, which provides a steady stream of data compared to batch transfer, and it can't support framerates below 30 fps. These aren't hard and fast rules. It seems some cameras that are confirmed to be compatible with Switch 2 break the third point about frame rates below 30. The Switch 2 is encoding your own video and decoding up to three other streams at once. The console can only support so much data and still play your own game. The point is, you're better off getting something cheap if you intend to only use it with Switch 2.
At this point, we can definitely say that if you have an older, cheaper webcam available, the more likely it will play nice with Switch 2. A webcam outputting 480p will be better if it's closer to your face, while the 1080p sensors are more versatile and will be better off set up on your TV cabinet to capture from further away. However, the Switch 2 uses its own software to cut out backgrounds and center the image on a user's face. These background cutouts created a pixelated, wobbly effect that isn't very pleasant to look at up close. If you intend to use it with GameChat, you won't see too much of your friend's mugs anyway, especially if you play your own game at the same time.
Your audio through the Switch 2's built-in mic isn't going to be that great, either. Switch 2 users will have to accept that the lower-quality cameras and mics will be standard going forward. At least we can get creative with it. The Verge's Sean Hollister previously proved the Switch 2 is compatible with a cheap endoscope.
Other hardware hackers have shown you can get an old Game Boy Camera to connect with Switch 2, made easier if you have an Analogue Pocket, a dock, and a Genki Shadowcast to transform the HDMI signal to USB-C. The lower-quality, black and white image is somehow more appealing than the blurry, washed-out view of the official Switch 2 camera. Now I just need some device that will let me attach it directly to the top of my own handheld.