GENKI, maker of accessories for Nintendo Switch, recently started a new Kickstarter campaign for their portable Covert Switch Dock, with a funding goal of $50,000. The campaign ends on September 14, 2019 — and the dock has already received $198,567 in funding.
That’s more than 300% of its original target. Needless to say, there’s a lot of demand for a new kind of Switch dock.
The Genki Covert Dock lets you hook your Switch up to any screen by plugging the Switch into the charger port, then plugging an HDMI cord into the HDMI slot.
However, the Covert Dock is a compact charger first and foremost, with a USB-C charging port in line with both the Switch’s standard charging profiles and the standards for other USB-C devices.
It also uses a special Gallium Nitrade compound in its construction, reducing the amount of heat the Covert Switch Dock puts out.
You don’t have to worry about it frying your other devices either. The Covert Dock accommodates a range of other devices with PD 3.0 standards and reportedly charges them 250% faster than standard chargers.
What makes this charging port stand out is how it captures data while charging, which helps send information to the HDMI port at the bottom of the Covert Dock.
The second port is a standard USB 3.1 port that also transfers data, which means it lets you plug in a wireless mouse, flash drive, or any other accessory that relies on USB connections.
Being 90% smaller than the current dock, it fits in your average pocket, which is likely part of why the Covert Dock has already smashed its funding goal.
When Nintendo said the dock was for home play, it wasn’t kidding. The existing dock is bulky and completely impractical for carrying around. If you’re planning on gaming sessions away from your home, it means you either need a friend with a dock or everyone has to play in handheld mode.
Of course, there’s another obvious benefit to a portable dock.
U.S. Switch owners don’t get the choice of buying a dock on its own; getting an extra dock means buying a new console or chancing a third-party dock.
That essentially ties the system to one TV in a household. Sure, the Switch Lite is meant to fix that issue by letting everyone have their own system, but it’s limited to handheld mode.
Currently, the Covert Switch Dock can be yours for a $64 pledge, which gets you the dock, charging cable, and adapter pack. There are two “$59 or more” options, but they change to $64 or more when you click them. The Covert Switch Dock is expected to ship December 2019.
The one thing we didn’t see in all the product information is how you protect your Switch while it’s connected to the portable dock since it lacks the covering and stability of the standard dock.
Looks like Genki just created a market for its next product.
