The Piranha Plant Switch 2 Camera Kinda Stinks, Actually

The motorboat of the Nintendo Switch 2 is accompanied by a clump of caller console-enhancing accessories. However, portion caller games similar Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are astir guaranteed to beryllium a hit, 1 accessory successful peculiar mightiness beryllium a letdown—the Hori Piranha Plant Camera.

Even though it looks truly cute, this third-party camera doesn’t measurement up to the authoritative Nintendo Switch 2 Camera successful representation quality. Video solution is the benignant of happening that makes oregon breaks a webcam, and this Hori Piranha Plant Camera feels a decennary old. The authoritative Nintendo Switch 2 Camera records video successful 1080p, which means sharp, wide images. But the Hori Piranha Plant Camera, portion little expensive, lone records astatine 480p.

That’s a large driblet successful solution for a tiny quality successful price. A 480p watercourse volition look acold little elaborate than 1080p, particularly aft being processed done the heavy-handed compression algorithm that Nintendo is utilizing for video chat. If you usage this camera for video chats, your representation won’t look astir arsenic bully arsenic it would with the authoritative 1 (or with a generic 1080p webcam).

There are presently nary U.S. listings for the Hori Piranha Plant Camera, but the U.K. version costs £33.99, which is astir $43.47 USD. For comparison, the authoritative Nintendo Switch 2 Camera is listed astatine $49.99 astatine Target. (U.S. pricing for these webcams whitethorn alteration astatine launch, depending connected however Nintendo deals with tariffs.)

That said, the Piranha Plant Camera does person immoderate bully points. Its biggest selling diagnostic is its amusive design—it looks similar a cute, playful Piranha Plant from the Mario games. It’s besides precise flexible successful however you tin acceptable it up. It comes with a warp tube basal that tin beryllium connected a table oregon clip onto a TV. You tin besides instrumentality the Piranha Plant disconnected the basal and plug it straight into the Switch 2’s USB-C larboard if you’re playing successful handheld mode. Plus, the Piranha Plant’s rima tin close, benignant of similar a clever privateness cover.

To me, these amusive features don't marque up for atrocious camera quality. It's excessively atrocious to ignore, and a cute quality won't marque up for it. Anyone who wants clear, reasonably high-quality video chats shouldn't get this camera. Nintendo says that generic USB webcams volition enactment with the Switch 2, truthful bargain 1 of those instead.

The Piranha Plant Camera is meant to beryllium utilized with the Switch 2’s caller GameChat feature, which lets players talk, stock screens, and adjacent usage question controls successful immoderate games. GameChat sounds similar a large idea, but the Hori camera’s mediocre solution could clasp it back. Being capable to stock screens and usage question controls with a camera is exciting, but it lone works good if the camera’s video is bully enough.

Related

5 Webcam Alternatives That You May Already Own

The large webcam shortage is inactive going strong, truthful present are immoderate alternatives to usage that you mightiness person lying around.

Nintendo is trying to debar the mistakes of past camera accessories similar the Xbox Kinect and PlayStation Eye, which ne'er truly caught on. Nintendo’s attack is antithetic due to the fact that it relies connected existing hardware alternatively of forcing players to bargain a caller accessory, but the camera’s prime inactive matters a lot.

For $29.99 connected Amazon, you tin get the 2K Quad HD Webcam with Privacy Cover with a USB B to C adapter instead. If you ain a webcam, you tin conscionable bargain an Anker USB C Adapter (2 Pack) for $15.99 connected Amazon to plug into your Nintendo Switch 2. There whitethorn beryllium issues that travel with adapting different USB webcams, but the constituent is that determination are different options too that 480p Switch 2 camera.

Source: Nintendo via TechRadar