Posted in: Games, Nintendo, Review, Video Games | Tagged: Covert Dock, Genki, nintendo switch, Review

We Review The Genki Covert Dock For Nintendo Switch

Recently, Genki released a brand new item for Nintendo Switch fans to get excited about as the Covert Dock is now on the market. The idea behind the new dock is to give people an option to play the Nintendo Switch without having to use the bulky dock that comes with the main console. But how effective is this when it comes to actually play the Switch and using it effectively in-home and on-the-go? We took it for a test drive to see how it handles Nintendo's current console.

So first off, the picture below shows you almost all of the contents. You get the dock itself, a six-foot USB-C cord, three plug adaptors, and a six-foot HDMI cable. The entire makeup of this thing is meant to be compact and easily removable depending on the situation you're in, so they didn't pack it with a ton of add-ons or accessories. You basically have everything you need for if you use it at home or if you're taking it somewhere for travel.

The dock itself is pretty cool as it's a small but hefty little beast. As you can see here, it is a retractable plug unit using the standard two-prong plug as you would find on the Nintendo Switch's primary dock. On the other side, you have an HDMI output, a USB 3.0 input, and a USB-C input. This design is amazing as it basically takes everything Nintendo had on its dock and out it all in an easy-to-reach system. When you plug this into a wall outlet, you have everything you need right there without having to find it around the back.

The HDMI is obviously meant to send the signal from the dock to the TV or monitor you're using. The USB-C plug is designed to be the input for the Nintendo Switch as it uses the same input for charging and docking. The fun bonus to this is that it works much like the regular dock in that it will charge while it is plugged in, even while you run it. The USB 3.0 is for the controller support if you wish to charge a pro-controller, as well as directly connect to the console.  We absolutely love this design and it made everything so much simpler to operate, especially when we took this around to places like our local coffee shop where they have a TV you can hook anything up to. It made everything a breeze without much work.

The added bonus to the unit is that you basically have a universal plug system to come with it. Much like universal adaptors you buy for when you're traveling around the globe, you have three different outlets to choose from depending on where in the world you might be. As you can see here, you attach them by sliding them into a pair of slits at the top of the dock. However, and this is the one detriment we came across with the dock, it is a royal pain to get these out. Once you snap them in, they are in! It basically takes a good amount of strength to get them out, even when you're following the guide of how to properly remove them. We get it, you want an electrical device completely secure before you plug it in. But it shouldn't' take 10 minutes to get it back out.

Overall, Genki did well with their Covert Dock. This is basically a must-have if you travel around with a Nintendo Switch and want to play it at a friend's house or at a hotel on the room's TV. This even makes for a great replacement in a home if you're looking to minimalize all the stuff around your own TV. The picture quality doesn't suffer, the audio is crystal clear, no issues with the ability to play games on it at all. That said, it is $75, so you're basically looking at an item for a specific use that unless you use it a LOT, it might be a tad pricey for some. However, it's worth the money if you do travel and makes for a great alternative for home use.

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