Nintendo has treated fans to numerous unexpected surprises this year, including Princess Zelda as the playable character in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the upcoming revival of the Mario & Luigi RPG series, and the first official Switch Joy-Con charging stand. Wait, what? But it’s arguable that last surprise is the biggest, albeit least exciting, of the three since the Nintendo Switch has been available for over seven years.
Nevertheless, if you’ve been patiently waiting since 2017 for a first-party Switch charging stand, now’s your chance to buy one. Nintendo’s Joy-Con Two-Way Charging Stand launched today, October 17, and is available for $30 at multiple major retailers.
$30
Announced in July, Nintendo’s first-party charging stand costs $30 and is available at Best Buy, Target, and GameStop. You won’t find it on store shelves at the moment, but you can order it online and pick it up at your local Best Buy in a week or so.
It’s described as a “two-way” device, meaning you can charge your controllers while connected to the stand or while playing. The actual charger is basically the official Joy-Con grip without the handles. You’re essentially turning a pair of Joy-Con controllers into a single USB-C wired controller. It’s remarkable that Nintendo hasn’t released its own Joy-Con charging stand until 2024, a year that has been filled with speculation around the Nintendo Switch’s successor. But perhaps Joy-Con controllers and this stand will be compatible with the Switch 2.
Though this is the first official Joy-Con charging stand, it’s not the first Joy-Con charger designed by Nintendo. The now-discontinued Joy-Con Charging Grip was one of the few first-party accessories released alongside the Switch in 2017. A replacement for the standard Joy-Con grip that came with the console, it also charged your controllers while playing. You could refer to that as a one-way Joy-Con charger, though the inclusion of ergonomic handles was a nice bonus. This new two-way option drops the grip and adds the stand.
If you want the original Joy-Con Charging Grip, you can get a preowned one for $20 at GameStop. Alternatively, you could snag a new Japanese edition at Amazon for $32–it’ll work just fine with North American Joy-Con controllers.
The Joy-Con Two-Way Charging Stand is the first of its kind made by Nintendo, but it’s not the only charging station with the Nintendo seal of approval.
There’s no shortage of third-party charging stations for Joy-Con controllers, but only a select few are officially licensed by Nintendo. One of those licensed options is PowerA’s Joy-Con Charging Dock, which originally sold for $30 but is now available for only $20 at Amazon. This one is capable of charging four Joy-Con controllers at once. Hori also has a similar charging station supporting four Joy-Con controllers for $30.
So if you are interested in grabbing a Joy-Con charging stand over the holidays, you’ll have to make a choice between charging four controllers at once or only charging two with the added benefit of being able to play while you replenish your batteries.
Nintendo’s Two-Way Charging Stand will probably be fairly popular this holiday simply because it’s practical. It’ll probably be one of the most common accessories gifted alongside new consoles. If you’re looking to buy a Nintendo Switch as a gift this year, Nintendo released two holiday bundles this year. The Nintendo Switch OLED is bundled with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and 12 months of Switch Online for $350 (valued at $430). The same bundle with the regular Switch console is available for $300 (valued at $380).
If you want to pair your new charging stand or holiday bundle with extra controllers, Walmart has the Neon Red/Blue Joy-Con for $65 (was $80) and Neon Purple/Orange for $66 (was $80).
Switch Joy-Con controllers are convenient for many multiplayer games, but there are better controllers out there. Check out our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch controllers in 2024, which is led by Nintendo’s Pro Controller and 8BitDo’s Bluetooth Ultimate Controller for docked play on your TV. For portable gaming, we recommend Hori’s Split Pad Pro and CRKD’s Nitro Deck.
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