Nintendo Is Hobbling Its Cheaper Switch 2 Accessories

This week’s Nintendo Switch 2 preorder madness, some successful the U.S. and abroad, offered much position connected conscionable however fashionable Nintendo’s new handheld console volition beryllium astatine motorboat connected June 5. Already, it seems consumers are consenting to wound their lingua and driblet upwards of $450 connected the successor to the archetypal Switch.

If you’re fortunate capable to bargain a device, you’re staring down the tube of $70 oregon $80 games, positive near-$100 for further controllers if you instrumentality with Nintendo’s first-party accessories. Third-party accessories thin to beryllium cheaper, but the licensed and more-niche peripherals acceptable to merchantability alongside the Switch 2 look to beryllium inferior successful immoderate ways compared to Nintendo’s authoritative gear.

For instance, if you’re looking for the astir authentic retro acquisition connected the Switch 2, you’ll person to commercialized practicality for price. The instrumentality of the GameCube controller—again—seemed similar a large triumph for gamers astatine first. But past Nintendo offered the confusing caveat that it’d lone enactment with GameCube titles disposable via a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.

© Nintendo

Confirming to Nintendo Life, Nintendo clarified that you tin so usage the GameCube controller to play different Switch 2 games truthful agelong arsenic they relationship for the deficiency of a near bumper fastener and a close analog instrumentality that’s shaped similar a nipple. Even still, the caller GameCube controller won’t enactment with immoderate different console but the Switch 2.

When asked for clarification, Nintendo sent Gizmodo the pursuing statement:

The Nintendo GameCube controller is designed for usage with the Nintendo GameCube — Nintendo Classics postulation of games and is an optional mode to play those games. Since it doesn’t person each the buttons and features recovered successful different controllers that tin beryllium utilized with the Nintendo Switch 2 system, determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate issues erstwhile playing different games. The Nintendo GameCube controller tin lone beryllium utilized connected Nintendo Switch 2 and is not compatible with Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo precocious updated the listing for its GameCube controller connected its website. Initial reports suggested the controller would outgo $65, but the merchandise leafage present conscionable says it’ll motorboat alongside the Switch 2 connected June 5. Only those who spell done Nintendo’s precedence merchantability connected the My Nintendo Store whitethorn person the enactment to bargain it archetypal connected May 8 done May 12. Gizmodo reached retired to Nintendo to corroborate a last retail price, and we’ll update this station if we perceive more.

Still, adjacent if the controller ends up retailing for $65, it’s overmuch cheaper than the caller $85 Pro controller and $95 Joy-Con 2 (Nintendo precocious bumped up each peripheral’s terms by $5, citing U.S. tariffs). Both of those first-party controllers consciousness precise bully in-hand, but the premium prices lone adhd the to outgo of what’s already a pricey Switch 2.

The Switch 2 GameCube controller isn’t the lone accessory that whitethorn not relation arsenic you’d think. If you paid adjacent attention, the April 2 Switch 2 Direct suggested gamers could look different issues with latency and jagged images erstwhile streaming to friends utilizing Nintendo’s $55 1080p-resolution Switch 2 camera.

Hori, which makes licensed Nintendo products, is selling a Piranha Plant camera that retails for $60. You’d deliberation due to the fact that it costs much than the authoritative Switch 2 camera that the solution mightiness beryllium better, but nope, it’s really worse! While adorable, the Piranha camera is lone 480p resolution, which isn’t adjacent modular HD.

Hori has different less-cute camera that’s compatible with Switch 2. You tin find connected Amazon’s Japan webpage, but it excessively is constricted to 480p resolution. It costs 3,981 yen, oregon astir $28 successful the U.S., though we tin lone presume prices volition beryllium higher astatine location owed to tariffs. On the upside, some of Hori’s cameras tin plug straight into the Switch 2’s USB-C larboard portion handheld, which is thing Nintendo’s authoritative camera can’t do.

Until we’ve tried retired the cameras we won’t cognize however they comparison to Nintendo’s. It’s imaginable the little solution connected Hori’s cameras could mean little lag and the representation prime is negligible connected the Switch 2’s screen.

Nintendo’s store leafage mentions you tin usage “any compatible USB-C camera you’d like,” connected Switch 2, which does insinuate you should beryllium capable to usage astir third-party webcams, but the institution has yet to corroborate that. If that’s the case, you could person mode much camera choices.

Why didn’t Nintendo conscionable update the GameCube controller to relation much similar a modern gamepad? Why is Hori cheaping retired connected the solution of its cameras? I privation I had existent answers. So earlier you tally retired and bargain immoderate Switch 2 accessories, conscionable marque definite you cognize precisely what they tin do.