Yesterday saw the announcement of the Nintendo Switch OLED, which fixes several of the original Switch’s flaws. Among them, the fact that the dock had no dedicated wired ethernet port.
But you don’t necessarily need to buy a Switch OLED to enjoy this particular upgrade. That's because Nintendo will be selling the product as a stand-alone product.
- Everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch OLED
- Where to buy Nintendo Switch OLED: How to pre-order the new console
- Plus: Nintendo Switch OLED vs. Nintendo Switch — what's different?
Nintendo confirmed this news to Digital Trends, and like the Switch OLED console itself will be available in either black of white. However, Nintendo also confirmed that standalone really means standalone, so this dock won’t be coming with an HDMI cable or AC power adapter.
The lack of an HDMI cable isn’t the worst thing in the world, since they’re pretty easily available. But if you plan on buying the new dock to hook your Switch up to a second TV, you will need to spend $16 on a second power adapter. The Switch won’t output to TV mode without it.
That shouldn’t be a major surprise, because Nintendo did the exact same thing with the original Switch dock as well. But it does mean that any existing Switch owners won’t need to shell out $350 for a brand new console to enjoy a wired ethernet connection.
Of course, Nintendo does sell an ethernet adapter for the original Switch dock, for the princely sum of $29. Though that may well be cheaper than purchasing a brand new dock. Nintendo hasn’t confirmed how much the Switch OLED’s dock will be, but the fact it sells original Switch docks for $60 means this one isn’t likely to be any cheaper.
The company also confirmed that standalone docks will only be available directly from the Nintendo online store, and will not be available at other retailers. Unfortunately we don’t know exactly when it’s going to go on sale, though it isn’t likely to be before October 8.
Pre-order pages for the Nintendo Switch OLED have already started appearing at major retailers. So if you’d rather buy a whole new console, rather than a standalone dock, then be sure to check our guide on where to buy Nintendo Switch OLED. At the very least it means you won’t have to wait around for Nintendo to open up sales of the solo dock.
