Confirmed: Nintendo's Switch 2 can work with existing docks and webcams after replacing their firmware
You shouldn't necessarily need to buy a brand-new gadget to plug a TV or video glasses into your Nintendo Switch 2. Three manufacturers have already proven that firmware updates are enough for now, and hopefully more will follow!
The existing gadgets I just successfully tested are: the AverMedia Elite Go GC313 Pro and AverMedia Core Go GC313 compact charger docks, the Elgato Facecam MK.2 webcam, and the Viture Pro Mobile Dock for the company's AR glasses.
None of them worked with the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch, but each now has firmware updates available, and I was able to get them all working in my own home — and bust a few additional myths about Switch 2 compatibility.
The gadget: Elgato Facecam MK2
The story: Elgato was one of the very first companies to promise it would update some non-working webcams to work with the Switch 2, and provided its own theories to The Verge on why they didn't work on day one. The company won't formally release its firmware updates for the Facecam MK2 and Facecam Neo till the end of July, but it sent us an early copy so I could show you video proof!
Here, follow along with me as I install and test it for the very first time:
(Sorry, I'm not allowed to share the early firmware update files.)
What we learned: Elgato originally claimed the primary reason its cameras didn't work was that the Nintendo Switch 2 requires cameras to advertise a low-resolution 480p video mode, even if that's not the mode the Switch 2 winds up using. Sure enough: the USBView tool shows me that the Facecam MK2 now makes 480p the default video streaming mode that a USB host device (like the Switch 2) will see before anything else.
Also: Remember when Ugreen told us that cameras wouldn't work with Switch 2 if they used the HID (human interface device) protocol? Weirdly, it seems Elgato actually added some HID references in its latest firmware. Here's the diff if you want to peek.
The gadgets: AverMedia Elite Go GC313 Pro and AverMedia Core Go GC313
The story: I'd never even heard of these 100W GaN compact charging docks, the $130 GC313 Pro and the $90 GC313 — but it now appears they're the first and only portable docks for the Switch 2! (The Pro also doubles as a 1080p60 USB capture card, if you're wondering about the price delta.) The company has a whole page dedicated to Switch 2 compatibility firmware updates, mostly for its video capture devices, but also these portable docks, as well as a more traditional standing dock if you don't mind plugging your Switch in upside-down.
What we learned: The firmware update was quick to install and the HDMI connection totally works — probably because AverMedia's dock is now using the exact same proprietary commands that we see Nintendo's official dock using. (Once again, I pulled out a USB-C PD analyzer to check. Before the update, AverMedia's dock didn't speak Nintendo's language and was quickly rejected; after the update, it did.)
AverMedia's dock didn't work quite as reliably as the official dock in my early tests. It doesn't always connect the first time I plug it in, and there's also a short delay. Also note: the GC313 only seems to support vanilla 4K60 output with no HDR or VRR.
As you'll read below, video glasses maker Viture has a firmware update that makes its gadgets compatible with Switch 2 — but takes away compatibility with the original Nintendo Switch. But I tested the AverMedia dock working with both generations of Switch, and Viture says it'll do the same in future.
The gadget: Viture Pro Mobile Dock
The story: This $130 dock is a battery pack that can power your handheld or phone, while routing its video to Viture's USB-C video glasses or a USB-C monitor. (The HDMI port is for input, not output to a TV.) With a firmware update, it gains support for Switch 2, but breaks support for the original Switch unless you downgrade afterwards. A future update will support both, though, Viture spokesperson Emily Wang tells The Verge.
What we learned: Viture shipped me its dock pre-updated, so I didn't test before-and-after. But with the update, it totally works — after a bit of a delay, which seems to stem from some miscommunication between Viture's gadgets and the Switch 2, if I'm reading the USB-C PD traffic right. But after that miscommunication, I can see the Viture dock sends the exact same proprietary commands as Nintendo's official dock.
One of the things we'd heard early on is that Switch 2 docking stations need to offer 20 volts of power for the Switch 2 to kick into TV mode — even though the handheld only actually uses 15 volts. But the Viture dock only advertises a maximum of 15 volts at 1.34 amps (20 watts in total), and yet Viture got video output working anyhow.
We know these third-party docks are working with the Switch 2 as of today, and we expect more are on the way.
(One I didn't get to test is this Hagabis, which fits the entire HDMI adapter into a cable instead of a dock — beware that the firmware update only official works with the 8K version which is black, not white or red and blue and keeps going out of stock.)
But we don't know if Nintendo will move to block these accessories with firmware updates of its own. Today, it appears that each of these docks can fool the Switch 2 into thinking they're the official dock by emulating its commands, but several manufacturers admit that could lead to a game of cat-and-mouse where they have to issue new firmware updates to keep up with Nintendo.
'Similar to what Antank shared with you, it's true that we may need to provide firmware updates if Nintendo changes its protocol specifications,' Viture tells The Verge.
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