Many Nintendo Switch 2 owners who use third-party docks were in for a rude surprise after updating their consoles earlier this week to the latest firmware. It seems the Switch 2 is no longer compatible with these devices, leaving many players frustrated and fearful of the future.
On November 11, Nintendo released Switch 2 update 21.0.0, which added some nice quality-of-life features, including the ability to turn off autoplaying videos in the eShop and some helpful tweaks to GameChat and new icons that indicate if a game is digital or physical. All good stuff. However, not long after the patch, players began reporting that many third-party docks were no longer working with the updated Switch 2.
On Reddit, GameFAQs, and other places online, you can find many, many Switch 2 owners complaining that after the new update, their third-party docks no longer transmit video to their TVs or are now far more finicky and require restarts to function again. “Can confirm my 2nd (3rd party) dock in our living room just stopped working as well right after today’s update. A full power cycle did not fix it for me,” posted one Reddit user. “I finally got around to ordering a dock cable for travel, it arrived today. Plugged it in, happy it worked right out of the box. Launched a game, update alert, update, cable’s borked,” said another Reddit poster. “I’m using the GuileKeys folding dock, and the new update broke compatibility with it. I am not sure if this dock can be updated. I have messaged the seller,” claimed another Redditor.
YouTuber AustinJohnPlays tested out two different Switch 2 dock dongles and found that once he updated Nintendo’s console, both stopped working.
So it seems clear that this new Switch 2 update did something, and now a ton of third-party docks that worked before are no longer compatible. We’ve known since the Switch 2 launched earlier this year that Nintendo was going to be more restrictive with the Switch 2’s USB-C connection, with testing showing that it isn’t quite as open and universal as you’d expect from a USB connection. This caused headaches for third-party manufacturers, but they did eventually figure out how to get their docks working with Switch 2’s odd USB-C restrictions. But it now seems like Nintendo has, intentionally or by accident, changed something and, in the process, broken many of these devices.
Kotaku has contacted Nintendo about the Switch 2 update.
Regardless of intent, for many Switch 2 users who relied on a third-party dock for various reasons or who liked having one set up on a second TV, this situation has made them nervous to buy another dock. It also means that if your Switch 2 dock breaks, you have to rely on Nintendo for a new one. Sure, your existing third-party dock might work for a bit, but there’s no telling how long it will be before another Nintendo update bricks it. And in the end, it works out for Nintendo as it means people are forced to buy their dock. That’s not a huge problem in 2025. But in 10 years or so, it could become a hassle.
