Nintendo’s personal dock is a non-nonsense gadget that simply works. You slide your console in, crack the Pleasure-Con off, and increase, you are off to the races. Given the bigger dimension of Swap 2, although, its dock is a considerable slab of black plastic and numerous third-party companies have stepped in with choices which might be just a little extra moveable.
Antank is one such firm, and the S3 MAX TV Dock Station for Nintendo Swap 2 — also called the SIWIQU Dock Station in some components — is actually smaller than the dock that comes with the console. Weighing in at 109 grams (in comparison with 383 grams), you will barely discover you are carrying it in your satchel, backpack, or wherever else you care to secrete your {hardware}.
Antack despatched me the usual mannequin for evaluate, though they’ve one other one that features an Ethernet port for wired web connection. In any other case, on the again of the dock, you get the anticipated ports: two USB-A slots, a USB-C port for the ability, an HDMI port going to your TV, and a button to change between TV-out and the Swap 2’s personal show. Past the dock itself, within the field you get just a little foldout handbook with the tiniest textual content I’ve ever seen, and that is your lot.
For $35.99 / £28.99, it ought to come as no shock that you just’re not getting Nintendo-level construct high quality and supplies, and the lightness right here would not assist promote the S3 as a premium little bit of package, both. But it surely’s wonderful; the crimson and blue finish caps match up with the accents across the Pleasure-Con, and sitting beside your TV, it appears nice sufficient.
You are additionally not getting an AC energy adapter, the requisite cable, or an HDMI cable, and Antack recommends utilizing Nintendo’s official gear. In case you’ve bought a Swap 2, you will clearly have that already, however in case you’re shopping for this as an affordable dock for a second room, you will must issue into your price range one other $34.99 / £24.99 for the ability adapter, plus an HDMI 2.1 cable (the extremely excessive pace selection).
Setup is so simple as you’d anticipate. Join the cables, flip your TV on, and increase. It really works. In truth, I needed to reconnect the console a few instances — apparently a quirk that is been ironed out with a firmware replace I’ve subsequently run in keeping with the directions on Antack’s web site — however then it simply functioned as marketed.
Somewhat blue LED on the entrance signifies that every little thing’s powered up. The S3 helps 4K (8K, in actual fact, in keeping with the blurb, though you will not get that out of your Swap and I’ve bought no strategy to show 8K content material) and as much as 120Hz output – though the Swap 2 can solely handle 120fps at 1080p, and you may want a 120Hz+-capable TV, naturally. A number of hours of Donkey Kong Bananza, UFO 50, and Drag x Drive delivered picture high quality on a 55-inch LG OLED that seemed indistinguishable from the official dock to my eyes. HDR fired up simply as with the usual providing, and every little thing simply labored.
Again to the unit itself, Antank’s web site blurb mentions a “spring-buffered docking port”, though I am unable to see any proof of a spring on my unit. The connection on the backside is completely inflexible and matches the console port snugly when you seat the factor appropriately, which might take a few tries.
Having the system ‘unsheathed’, you will undoubtedly word the warmth it is pumping out in a manner you might not when it is resting in Nintendo’s dock. The S3 successfully blocks the console’s air intakes alongside the underside edge, which gave me pause, however temperature-wise, the truth that the system is not wrapped in black plastic helps disperse warmth from the casing and “offers higher cooling than the unique charging dock”, in keeping with Antank. I haven’t got the tools to measure that, sadly, and I might query if the cooling is ‘higher’ than Nintendo’s dock, nevertheless it appeared roughly the identical to me from a quantity and temperature perspective.
Switching to handheld mode by hitting the spherical button on the rear, I observed the console’s fan whirring up extra in the summertime warmth. Given the truth that you’ll be able to cost through the highest USB-C port anyway, I might favor to have these intakes uncovered in tabletop mode, personally. Sure, a cable protruding the highest is not aesthetically pleasing, however I might moderately not tax my still-relatively-new system greater than obligatory when it isn’t outputting to the TV. Maybe I am being overly cautious, however actually, I do not see a lot level within the tabletop button when that is constructed into the console as-is.
The dimensions discount is a boon, actually, however the S3 does include some minor irritations. Firstly, you will want to carry the dock down earlier than pulling to take away the console – there is no slide-in/slide-out right here. The tight match signifies that the S3 would not work with third-party circumstances, both, so you will must take away them beforehand. Additionally, the dock doesn’t appear to speak with the TV to wake it from standby, if that’s one thing you’re used to with the usual dock.
Whereas three rubber ‘toes’ forestall it from slipping, the dock depends on the ability and HDMI cables being related to supply stability and forestall every little thing toppling backwards on the slightest contact. Clearly, the Swap 2 has its personal kickstand, so utilizing the S3 as a makeshift stand would not make sense anyway – simply be cautious while you’re setting issues up and do not put your system within the dock till the cables are related.
And that is it. It is undoubtedly extra of a journey accent in my eyes; if I have been available in the market for a second dock for the house, I might most likely pay the additional for the slide-in/out comfort (and the required cables) of the official possibility. In case you’re the form of individual desperate to journey as gentle as potential, or who feels a missed alternative when enjoying your Swap 2 within the shadow of a giant hotel-room TV, the S3 is likely to be for you, although.
And even factoring within the obligatory extras, you are still a good manner off the $124.99 / £92.99 that Nintendo needs for a second dock with these necessities included. For the budget-conscious gamer, then, or travellers who fancy having the ability to hook up on the fly, it is a good possibility.
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Because of Antank for supplying the pattern used on this evaluate.
