Nintendo recently released an update (21.0.0) for its Switch 2 console what, besides some small changescaused some third-party docks to stop working properly. In the first weeks and months of console availability this summer companies rushed to figure out the right commands, the right power consumption, and the right chips to use to trick the Switch 2 into thinking it's connected to the real thing – the Nintendo Dock that comes with every console. Now some of them will have to figure out how to do it again.
You're not alone if you think Nintendo did this on purpose. But did he do it? According to Nintendo, not really. Gaming site My city released a new statement from the company saying it “has no intention to impede or invalidate the lawful compatibility of third-party docks.” On the one hand, it looks like Nintendo didn't intend to cause these problems with its latest update. In other words, Nintendo has apparently established that there is a legal and illegal way to create a third-party dock for the Switch 2, and many of them were apparently made illegally.
Without more details from Nintendo, it's difficult to predict what this means in the future. Are there more docks on the docking chopping block? Is it changing its signature Switch 2 dock handshake system to leave third-party dock manufacturers in a constant battle? Will it develop (or has it already developed) something similar to Apple's MFi certification program, allowing companies to pay a fee for promising out-of-the-box support with a blocked port?
Whatever the answers, Nintendo will naturally want to push consumers toward using its expensive dock and discourage third-party companies from trying to develop duplicate gadgets at a fraction of the cost. This promises an interesting next couple of months for third-party developers, including the likes of Genki And JSAUXwhich this year will release compact docking stations the size of a power adapter. Switch 2 support is on each of their feature lists, but we'll see if it remains a benefit closer to their launch.
