The Nintendo Switch turned seven back in March, and with its successor console (commonly referred to as the Switch 2) on the way, you might think Nintendo would be winding down the first-generation Switch. That’s what makes the announcement of a new official Joy-Con Charging Stand rather perplexing.
Earlier today (July 18), Nintendo Japan revealed the Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way) accessory will launch in the region on October 17. Following this, Nintendo U.K. confirmed the charging stand will launch in the United Kingdom on the same date. At the time of writing, we’re still awaiting news of a U.S. release, but we can assume it’ll be confirmed in due course.
Charge your #NintendoSwitch Joy-Con controllers and Nintendo Entertainment System controllers with the Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way) accessory, available October 17th. pic.twitter.com/ayNdvHTppLJuly 18, 2024
The Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way) accessory is up for pre-order on the Japanese My Nintendo Store for 3,000 yen (roughly $21 / £16). No international pricing or pre-order information has surfaced, but we expect that to drop relatively soon.
As you would expect, the Nintendo Japan press release detailing the accessory is in Japanese, but we have a translation (courtesy of Nintendo Life): "You can easily charge the Joy-Con at any time without having to attach it to the Nintendo Switch console. This is recommended for those who have multiple Joy-Cons, such as when you want to charge the number of Joy-Cons for everyone to play games such as the "Mario Party" series or "Nintendo Switch Sports" together, or when you want to charge Joy-Cons that you are not using while playing in portable mode. It can also charge the "Family Computer Controller" for Nintendo Switch."
Looking at the listing images, the accessory appears to be a revamped version of the Joy-Cons grip that comes with the Nintendo Switch already. However, this Charging Stand adds a USB-C port and can be fixed to a supplied plastic stand for storage. It’ll be a useful accessory for Switch owners with multiple sets of Joy-Con controllers.
This new accessory could be designed for Switch 2
Of course, the real question is “why now?” As noted, the Nintendo Switch is more than seven years old, and Nintendo has confirmed its next console will be revealed by April 2025, so it seems a less-than-ideal time to release a new accessory for the current Switch. However, internet detectives are theorizing this product could be designed with the Nintendo Switch 2 in mind.
The Switch 2 is rumored to utilize a new magnetic connection for its reworked Joy-Con controllers instead of the railing system found on the current Joy-Cons. So, perhaps this accessory is a way for Nintendo to ensure that users can still charge up their first-generation Joy-Cons even after switching (pun intended) to Switch 2. After all, Nintendo has a history of making its controllers forward-compatible, you can even use an N64 pad with the Switch!
However, there’s no guarantee that Switch 1 controllers will work on Nintendo’s next-gen hardware, so only time will tell if that theory is correct. In the meantime, we’ll await getting our hands on this new accessory to see if it’s worth purchasing, and will also update this article with U.S. listing information when available.
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