4 ms·

Nintendo locked down the Switch 2's USB-C port and broke third-party docking

46 points by snvzz 1y ago

snvzz 1y ago
https://archive.is/GGivC https://archive.is/GGivC
throwaway7679 1y ago
Screwing customers with sabotaged crap is standard Nintendo behavior. See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30773214 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30773214 But I wonder if they have run afoul of the EU Radio Equipment Directive in this case, by refusing to receive power from some devices.
- 0points 1y ago
  > But I wonder if they have run afoul of the EU Radio Equipment Directive in this case, by refusing to receive power from some devices. Sorry for being out of the loop, but is this recent? I have been annoyed on my ps5 dualsense controller since purchase, as it wont take charge from several of my USB-C cables. Most notably it refuses to take charge from my macbook USB-C charging cable. One of those small annoyances, I need a "special" usb-c cable around just to charge my usb-c controller...
  - MonaroVXR 1y ago
    > Most notably it refuses to take charge from my macbook USB-C charging cable. Had the same issue, thought I was going crazy, luckily it's my alternative charger, since I don't own any some products
  - Deukhoofd 1y ago
    That directive (Radio Equipment Directive of 2022) has been in effect since December 2024, so fairly recent.
  - snvzz 1y ago
    >I have been annoyed on my ps5 dualsense controller I have ds and ds pro, no problem with either. (I own no PS4 or PS5) Probably some unintentional, accidental incompatibility rather than by design.
  - bombcar 1y ago
    The biggest annoyance of USB-C is the proliferation of identical looking cables that are actually physically and computationally different. The Mac charger cables won’t sync a phone because they’re power only, iirc.
  - attendant3446 1y ago
    I didn't have this problem when I had a PS5. Is it a known problem? Because I charged my controller using a Sennheiser headphone cable, and even an old type-A to type-C cable worked. Never had a single problem.
leakycap 1y ago
Who is Nintendo's biggest buyer? I don't know if it is parents buying Switch 2 for kids to use, or adults for themselves. Weird choices from Nintendo on the Switch 2 given the needs of the two markets.
- snvzz 1y ago
  Most likely the latter, based solely on price.
  - bombcar 1y ago
    For now, perhaps. But within time the vast majority of users of the Switch 2 will be children (for some value of “are teenagers children”) - our first switch was bought for me, but the other ones are definitely kids toys (and they’ve overtaken ours, too). But even a five year old can understand “use this charger/connect and it charges fast, that other one is very slow, and this one doesn’t work.” It’s way more annoying to the parents.
    - RestartKernel 1y ago
      > But even a five year old can understand “use this charger/connect and it charges fast, that other one is very slow, and this one doesn’t work.” It's funny to consider the layers upon layers of abstraction modern children are taught as common sense. Putting water in a container is one thing, but charging a battery must be downright metaphysical at that age.
thih9 1y ago
This looks like something that EU might question or treat as anti competitive perhaps. Is this behavior also present in the EU? Was the legality of this in the EU discussed already?
flowerthoughts 1y ago
> But Nintendo has intentionally broken the Switch 2’s compatibility with those devices, using a new encryption scheme and some form of dedicated encryption chip, two accessory manufacturers tell The Verge. It's pretty unclear from the article if this is about charging or video. DRM for video might be OK if properly labelled in the shop, but not charging. I really hope the USB-IF punishes this behavior, and the EU too. Don't use the USB-C connector if you don't have honorable intentions regarding interoperability.
- Mindwipe 1y ago
  The terms of the USB-IF don't give it any enforcement powers, how exactly is that going to happen? They stop letting Nintendo representatives having bad sandwiches at the meetings? The EU also only requires USB-C for charging, and the Switch 2 is entirely compliant with that.
  - dofubej 1y ago
    They can disallow Nintendo from calling the port a USB port if it doesn’t conform to the spec. Although I suppose that would not be too relevant.
    - Mindwipe 1y ago
      USB-C is trademarked, but USB isn't, nor is the USB logo, so they can't stop either of those.
mrheosuper 1y ago
i just dont understand how nintendo can get away with so many anti-customer shenanigans. They are even somehow worse than Apple.
- dofubej 1y ago
  They make stuff their customers desire - other companies should try that instead of running to the EU for help.
  - MrDrMcCoy 1y ago
    I don't know that customers have really cared that much about console hardware for several generations. They care about their games working well enough to be enjoyed, and only upgrade when they have to for the next game to work at all. Bad behavior like this just means people like me are going to boycott them until the games can be emulated on something better. I would even be willing to pay an emulation tax if it meant I could get legitimate copies and use them as I please within reason, and I know I'm not alone in that.
  - mrheosuper 1y ago
    There are a lot of things they made that customers don't desire.
  - DoctorOW 1y ago
    The existence of a third party dock industry disproves the customer's desire for lockdown.
    - hwc 1y ago
      the new dock is huge and has a fan. We won't be able to find a more compact alternative.

46 points by snvzz 1y ago

https://archive.is/GGivC https://archive.is/GGivC

Screwing customers with sabotaged crap is standard Nintendo behavior. See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30773214 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30773214 But I wonder if they have run afoul of the EU Radio Equipment Directive in this case, by refusing to receive power from some devices.

0points 1y ago
> But I wonder if they have run afoul of the EU Radio Equipment Directive in this case, by refusing to receive power from some devices. Sorry for being out of the loop, but is this recent? I have been annoyed on my ps5 dualsense controller since purchase, as it wont take charge from several of my USB-C cables. Most notably it refuses to take charge from my macbook USB-C charging cable. One of those small annoyances, I need a "special" usb-c cable around just to charge my usb-c controller...
- MonaroVXR 1y ago
  > Most notably it refuses to take charge from my macbook USB-C charging cable. Had the same issue, thought I was going crazy, luckily it's my alternative charger, since I don't own any some products
- Deukhoofd 1y ago
  That directive (Radio Equipment Directive of 2022) has been in effect since December 2024, so fairly recent.
- snvzz 1y ago
  >I have been annoyed on my ps5 dualsense controller I have ds and ds pro, no problem with either. (I own no PS4 or PS5) Probably some unintentional, accidental incompatibility rather than by design.
- bombcar 1y ago
  The biggest annoyance of USB-C is the proliferation of identical looking cables that are actually physically and computationally different. The Mac charger cables won’t sync a phone because they’re power only, iirc.
- attendant3446 1y ago
  I didn't have this problem when I had a PS5. Is it a known problem? Because I charged my controller using a Sennheiser headphone cable, and even an old type-A to type-C cable worked. Never had a single problem.

leakycap 1y ago

Who is Nintendo's biggest buyer? I don't know if it is parents buying Switch 2 for kids to use, or adults for themselves. Weird choices from Nintendo on the Switch 2 given the needs of the two markets.

snvzz 1y ago
Most likely the latter, based solely on price.
- bombcar 1y ago
  For now, perhaps. But within time the vast majority of users of the Switch 2 will be children (for some value of “are teenagers children”) - our first switch was bought for me, but the other ones are definitely kids toys (and they’ve overtaken ours, too). But even a five year old can understand “use this charger/connect and it charges fast, that other one is very slow, and this one doesn’t work.” It’s way more annoying to the parents.
  - RestartKernel 1y ago
    > But even a five year old can understand “use this charger/connect and it charges fast, that other one is very slow, and this one doesn’t work.” It's funny to consider the layers upon layers of abstraction modern children are taught as common sense. Putting water in a container is one thing, but charging a battery must be downright metaphysical at that age.

thih9 1y ago

This looks like something that EU might question or treat as anti competitive perhaps. Is this behavior also present in the EU? Was the legality of this in the EU discussed already?

flowerthoughts 1y ago

> But Nintendo has intentionally broken the Switch 2’s compatibility with those devices, using a new encryption scheme and some form of dedicated encryption chip, two accessory manufacturers tell The Verge. It's pretty unclear from the article if this is about charging or video. DRM for video might be OK if properly labelled in the shop, but not charging. I really hope the USB-IF punishes this behavior, and the EU too. Don't use the USB-C connector if you don't have honorable intentions regarding interoperability.

Mindwipe 1y ago
The terms of the USB-IF don't give it any enforcement powers, how exactly is that going to happen? They stop letting Nintendo representatives having bad sandwiches at the meetings? The EU also only requires USB-C for charging, and the Switch 2 is entirely compliant with that.
- dofubej 1y ago
  They can disallow Nintendo from calling the port a USB port if it doesn’t conform to the spec. Although I suppose that would not be too relevant.
  - Mindwipe 1y ago
    USB-C is trademarked, but USB isn't, nor is the USB logo, so they can't stop either of those.

mrheosuper 1y ago

i just dont understand how nintendo can get away with so many anti-customer shenanigans. They are even somehow worse than Apple.

dofubej 1y ago
They make stuff their customers desire - other companies should try that instead of running to the EU for help.
- MrDrMcCoy 1y ago
  I don't know that customers have really cared that much about console hardware for several generations. They care about their games working well enough to be enjoyed, and only upgrade when they have to for the next game to work at all. Bad behavior like this just means people like me are going to boycott them until the games can be emulated on something better. I would even be willing to pay an emulation tax if it meant I could get legitimate copies and use them as I please within reason, and I know I'm not alone in that.
- mrheosuper 1y ago
  There are a lot of things they made that customers don't desire.
- DoctorOW 1y ago
  The existence of a third party dock industry disproves the customer's desire for lockdown.
  - hwc 1y ago
    the new dock is huge and has a fan. We won't be able to find a more compact alternative.