Nintendo Patent Teases A Universal Dock For Both Switch And Switch 2

When Nintendo released the highly anticipated Switch 2 last year, it brought along a whole host of upgrades, including improvements to the dock that allows the system to be connected to a television. The new dock includes a LAN port  and an active fan that cools off the handheld when in docked mode, which the original Switch could sorely use. A newly discovered patent indicates that a dock that supports both systems might be in the works.

The keen-eyed folks at Nintendo Patents Watch spotted a new patent that the company filed in China, which they shared on Bluesky. The patent details the design of a universal dock that would be compatible with both the original Switch and the current generation Switch 2. This dock would intelligently manage features depending on which of the consoles happens to be slotted in.


If the dock detects the original Switch it would operate at USB 2.0 speeds, lower the resolution of the video output and spin the fan at a lower RPM. Meanwhile, when a Switch 2 is detected, it would increase the resolution of the video output, operate at USB 3.0 speeds and increase the RPM of the fan for the increased cooling requirements of the Switch 2.

It’s important to note that just because a company files a patent, it doesn’t mean a, actual device will make it to market. This particular patent was filed in January of 2025, six months before the launch of the Switch 2, and there are no signs Nintendo is readying this for production.

If it does end up being released it would be interesting to see if the original Switch sees any kind of performance improvement while in docked mode, due to the active cooling.