If Nintendo Switch 2 blocks AR glasses again, I might actually lose it

(Image credit: Future)

So the Nintendo Switch 2 is set for a June 5 release, and it’s stacked with games I can see myself playing for hours on end (and spending a lot of money on).

But if there’s one downside I’ve experienced in my 30s playing handhelds, it’s the neck pain from looking down at the screen and playing.

And that’s why I’m such a fan of AR glasses — popping a 1080p picture right in front of your eyes to play without needing to crane your spine. It’s been a godsend for playing on some of the best handhelds like the Steam Deck, and they require a USB-C port with video out and DisplayPort Alt Mode.

The original Nintendo Switch used a proprietary protocol named “myDP,” which led to all kinds of bolt-on workarounds that were very unreliable. But with Switch 2, there’s a second port on top that does support Switch 2 accessories like the Switch Camera.

That makes me a little nervous, alongside the fact Nintendo has stayed quiet on this. All I can do is pray that it does support video out; otherwise my chiropractor is getting a lot more work over the next few years.

What do we know about the Switch 2 USB-C ports?

Nintendo Switch 2 Direct — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Let’s dip into the Switch 2's tech specs and figure out what we’re dealing with here.

So far, we know that the bottom USB-C port “is used to charge the console and connect to the Nintendo Switch 2 dock.” Meanwhile, that top socket “is used to connect accessories and/or charge the console.”

The word “accessories” is quite the coverall, but at the moment, we’re only talking about the Switch Camera for video chat and games. And so far, the only video output references are “output via HDMI connector in TV mode.”

Being real, that makes me worried. The original Switch’s problem was one that could be described as walled-off — the proprietary video out standard is completely different to literally every other handheld, monitor and pair of AR glasses on the planet.

What this meant is that you essentially had to trick the Switch into thinking it's running in docked mode. On the Xreal side of things, this requires the Beam, and the problems start to rise up fast with severe latency of the image passing through the encoder.

Pair that with the mountain of cables you need to make it, and it just becomes a lot more awkward to be worthwhile. And that is what worries me. Maybe we’re going right back to this.

Monopoly tricks?

But then again, maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way. Maybe Nintendo’s already thought of this. Maybe the company’s working on its own AR glasses that support this proprietary standard.

If that’s the case, I’d be even more worried. That kind of platform lock-in would just scream old-school Apple (and, let’s be real, new-school Apple too), and just laughs in the face of progress.

Now, I am aware of one very important thing here: this is not going to matter to a lot of people. Chances are many of you will enjoy that 1080p HDR LCD display and be done with it, and more power to you!

I realize that ranting about a singular socket makes me sound petty. And on top of that, the Switch 2 is still going to be a roaring success (hell, I’m going to be one of the millions feverishly trying to buy one).

But as the AR glasses guy here at Tom’s Guide towers, and someone who travels a lot, I need to raise the alarm. For all the love I have for Nintendo, the company has made some legendarily obtuse decisions. This USB-C port’s video out protocol could very well be one of them.

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Jason brings a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He has previously written for Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza if he isn't already.