As the days progress, Nintendo Switch accessories are becoming increasingly harder to find. Pay a visit to your local retail store and you’ll no doubt notice a scarcity in the amount of 1st and 3rd party products available. Be it controllers, cases, stands — even Amiibos — the world is barren wasteland and it seems nobody is able to keep up with the current demand.
Although playing your Switch on the big screen can be fun, there may come a time when you want to fire up a quick gaming session at your desk or coffee table (the Mrs. really enjoys her evening TV shows, so sometimes this is my only option).
While you could always prop the device up using the built-in kickstand, you’ll have to sacrifice charging the tablet while doing so thanks to Nintendo’s poorly planned port placement. To play in tabletop mode and charge, you’re going to need a proper stand. That’s where we come in.
Like most of you, I’ve had my eye on the $15 Hori compact stand. It was actually included in our 7 Best Switch Accessories from a few days ago, but the accessory has been sold out since day one. According to Amazon, stock wont arrive for another 1 to 2 months — that’s just not acceptable.
In search of a worthwhile replacement, I came across a simple, generic smartphone/tablet stand — one with enough ground clearance that would allow me to charge the Switch while playing. At only $8 (about half the price of the Hori), it works great, albeit there are some downsides…
Doesn’t play nice with the official Nintendo Switch charging cable
For one, the stand is solid metal and isn’t adjustable, so you’ll be forced to play at a single angle. Since it doesn’t fold flat, it’s not exactly the most portable either. Also worth mentioning, you’ll need to use a thinner, more flexible 3rd party Type C cable while charging (Nintendo’s 4A cable sticks out too far). The good news is that since Type C is the new standard in electronics, there’s a good chance your new smartphone already came with one, so just go with that.
If you don’t have a spare Type C cable handy, you may want to invest in a nice 90-degree cable ($11), or the Type C cables we bought from Cable Matters (pictured above). They’ll run you another $7 for a single cable (you’ll definitely want to go with 6.6 feet) or $12 for a 2-pack. After that, just plug in your Switch, and set it down on the stand for unlimited play sessions. The stand’s design means you don’t have to fiddle around with threading a cable through any holes, so it’s easy to pick up and play with out thinking.
The best part is the aluminum stand comes in a few different colors (even an electric blue option to match your controllers) and features Prime free 2-day shipping, so you can get it before the weekend. Hopefully you’ll be just as pleased with it as I was. Cheers.
Buy on Amazon: Aluminum stand ($8) | 6.6ft Type C cable ($7) – 2-pack ($12) | 90-degree Type C cable ($11)
