Nintendo announced today that the Switch will charge over USB-C, making it the first Nintendo device to charge over a standard connector. The adoption of a universal charging standard is a big deal for Nintendo, which has stubbornly insisted on using its own proprietary charging ports since the company added rechargeable batteries to its portable consoles with the Game Boy Advance SP.
The Nintendo Switch charges over USB-C
The first Nintendo console to charge with a standard cable
The first Nintendo console to charge with a standard cable
The addition of USB-C to the Switch is especially welcome, since it means that the console — which can be used as a portable device — can be charged with a far more widespread cable, as well as adding the option to recharge a Switch on the go using a standard external battery pack.
Unfortunately, the Switch only includes the primary charging dock in the box, a trend that Nintendo started with the New 3DS, which also shipped sans charging cable. That said, USB-C cables are more popular than ever, so it should be easy to pick one up — not to mention cheaper, since unlike the New 3DS charger, USB-C isn’t a proprietary Nintendo format. (If you’re looking for suggestions, Amazon has one for $8.99 to get you started.)
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