Best Nintendo Switch Accessories and Cases: Our pick of the essential things every Nintendo Switch owner needs
So you’ve bought a Nintendo Switch, but what now? Well, you should probably play some of the best Nintendo Switch games – which include the likes of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2 and ARMS. But you may be considering which accessories to buy.
We’ve split our list into three categories: Essential, Worth Considering and Don’t Buy. We haven’t been able to test everything in this list just yet, but we’ll be updating our guide with recommendations as we get our hands on them.
Essential: A portable battery pack
Our first essential accessory isn’t even one Nintendo offers: a battery pack. As our piece on Nintendo Switch battery life explains, you’ll get around three hours of life from the Switch when playing Breath of the Wild. We think that’s decent given the experience, but it won’t get you through the longest journeys.
That’s why you need a portable battery pack – but not just any old one. We’ve found that chargers which don’t have a USB-C output don’t have a high enough output to charge the Switch properly. Slow charging is not only useless but could actually damage the battery in the long term.
Not all chargers with USB-C will work, but look for those which support charging larger devices such as Apple MacBooks. If they can charge a MacBook, they’ll do fine on your Switch.
We recommend the Anker PowerCore+ 20100 from Amazon for just £45. We’ve confirmed it charges the Switch perfectly via its USB-C port, and it has two more normal USB ports for charging other gadgets. The 20,100mAh battery is good for loads of charges and it’s a great deal too, as it’s currently got £34 off.
Buy Now from Amazon UK | Amazon US
Don’t Buy: Official Joy-Con Charging Grip
As explained in our article Why the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charging Grip isn’t worth buying, there are better ways to spend your money. All the grip does is let you charge the controllers with a cable when they’re attached. But since the Joy-Cons charge when docked on the console, you can always use them in handheld mode when they need a top-up. A battery pack is a much better investment.
Worth Considering: Joy-Con Charging Dock
Another better bet would be to order an official Joy-Con Charging Dock, which is due to go on sale on March 29. It only costs £10 more than the Charging Grip, but will charge four Joy-Cons when they’re docked. Far more convenient.
Pre-order now from Amazon UK | Amazon US
Worth Considering: Switch Pro Controller
Here’s what we had to say about the Pro Controller in our Nintendo Switch review:
“This is where the Pro Controller comes in, which is probably the most comfortable way to play the Switch. A giant, meaty controller, the Pro pad sits perfectly in the hands. It’s also light despite including much of the functionality found in the Joy-Con, including HD Rumble, gyroscopic sensors and NFC for amiibo. It also brings over the excellent battery life to boot, with a whopping 40 hours off a single charge.”
The only sticking point is the rather high price, £65 in the UK. We’d say try using the Joy-Con first and only buy the Pro Controller if you really need it.
Buy Now from Amazon UK | Amazon US
Essential: A case
While your Switch probably won’t come into any serious harm when shoved in your bag, why take the risk? Predictably, there are a multitude of options out there. We have a number on order for review, but none of them have arrived yet. Here are the options that look OK:
- Official Carry Case + Screen Protector: Nothing fancy here
- HORI Switch Touch Case: Space for three game cards and SD card
- Giotek Premium Carry Case: Larger case, space for 14 games
- Navitech Premium Hard Carry Case: Stores 8 games and USB-C cable
- Subsonic Armor Case: Only case that holds Joy-Con grip as well
Worth Considering: A microSD card
You probably won’t need one immediately, but the 32GB of built-in storage (6GB is used by the OS) will fill up quickly. A Class10 64GB card from SanDisk costs £17 on Amazon, so it’s not a big deal.
Spotted an accessory you think should be on this list? Let us know on social media!
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
