HORI Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand
I bought additional Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers recently and was wondering how do I keep them charged? The ultimate disappointment in multi-player gaming is when the spare controllers run out of batteries. To avoid that, I bought theHORI Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand to keep them charged. It cost ￥2,677 (approximately S$33) from Amazon Japan.
Why get it from Amazon Japan?
Firstly, I usually get my stuffs online as I can shop on the move (i.e. when travelling to-and-fro places). Secondly, Amazon US seems to be slightly more expensive.
The HORI Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand
The Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand is pretty common out in the marketplace. One can find third party ones from Amazon (i.e. AmazonBasics Charging Station for Joy-Con) and China retailers (i.e. Aliexpress).
The difference between the HORI Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand and the rest is that it is officially licensed by Nintendo. I have read horror stories of third party Nintendo Switch Docks burning out the USB-C connectors on the Nintendo Switch. I want to avoid being in the news titled “Dude burns out his Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons with third party Charge Stand“.
Unboxing the HORI Joy-Con Charge Stand
Within the package, you will find the following:
- The HORI Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand; and
- Instruction sheet.
Taking a closer look at the HORI Joy-Con Charge Stand
The HORI Joy-Con Charge Stand charges up to 4 Joy-Con at once. According to the specifications at the back of the packaging, it takes 3.5 hours to fully charge up two (2) Joy-Con controllers and the time doubles to 7.0 hours when you charge four (4).
It is mainly made of plastic and feels sturdy. The base has non-slip materials to prevent it from sliding around.
The USB cable has a ferrite choke (the “bump” on the cable) to reduce EMI and RFI. I supposed it is meant to reduce the EMI and RFI when attached to the Nintendo Switch Dock.
Using the HORI Joy-Con Charge Stand
The Design
The Nintendo Switch Joy-Con easily slips on and off the HORI Charge Stand. It does not use the clip/ locking system like the one you encounter when attaching or detaching the Joy-Con from the Nintendo Switch.
There is enough space around the Joy-Con when attached to the HORI Charge Stand. So it should not pose an issue if you are using protective shells/ rubberised grip (on your Joy-Con).
The USB cable is pretty short. I guess it is designed to be attached to the Nintendo Switch Dock instead of a wall charger.
Charging Indicators
The charging part is something that I found to be pretty weird. When the red indicator lights (at the top of the HORI Charge Stand) are on, it means that it is charging the respective Joy-Con. However, if the indicator lights are off, it could either mean that you did not seat the Joy-Con properly or it is fully charged. From my observation, it goes red briefly before off to indicate that the Joy-Con is fully charged.
Conclusion
The Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand by HORI works great as a charger, keeping the spare set of Joy-Con ready for your next multi-player gaming session.
The Joy-Con controllers slips on smoothly onto the Charge Station. It is actually a little light and you can just slide off the Joy-Con without holding down the HORI Charge Station.
Personally, I find this Joy-Con Charge Stand to be a good purchase. The build quality is really nice and it is officially licensed by Nintendo. So if you are looking around for a charge station, consider the HORI Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charge Stand.
