Nintendo Limits Switch 2’s USB-C Compatibility: Most Third-Party Docks and Accessories Incompatible Due to Proprietary Protocols

Okay, so I’m staring at this thing called the Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s like they’ve sprinkled magic dust on it or something. Bigger screen, high-res, 120 Hz — which, let’s be real, sounds fancy. And those controllers? Yeah, they’re bigger and stick on magnetically now. Cool, right? But then there’s this USB-C port situation. Like, imagine buying a shiny new toy and they tell you, “Nah, you can’t play with all your old stuff.”

So, Nintendo’s got this whole Hogwarts-level encryption happening. Third-party stuff? Not invited to the party anymore. Why? They’re using some secret saucy chip and encryption jazz. Some folks chatted with The Verge, spilling the beans that this isn’t just about power-shifting — 20V, for the nerds who care — but because they really tweaked those USB-C protocols. Adapt or cry, accessory makers.

Sean Hollister, from The Verge, dives deep — bless him. Picture plugging something into your device, expecting everything to just… work, right? Nope. Nintendo’s throwing out their own secret handshake before anything shows up on screen. Hollister uses this gizmo, Power-Z KM003C or something, to decode all the back-and-forth whispering between the Switch 2 and its dock. It’s like, over 30 secret messages before they even decide to play video. Third-party stuff? Crickets, except this one rogue dock.

Enter Antank S3 Max, posing on Amazon as the SiWiQU TV Dock Station. At just $36, it’s kinda punk rock or something, doing Nintendo’s secret code dance. You gotta use the official power adapter, and the whole setup’s slightly off-kilter. But hey, it’s working… for now. Antank’s not holding its breath though. Nintendo’s the orchestra conductor and can change the melody anytime. Future firmware updates could be the wrench in this misfit dock’s plan. But Antank says, “Relax, we can update too.”

Oh, and if you’re all about tech updates and miss Tom’s Hardware, go click follow or something on Google News. They’ve got the goods.