You can now buy the Nintendo Switch OLED dock separately – but is it worth it?

(Image credit: Future)

You can now buy the Nintendo Switch OLED dock separately for $70 / £59.99, which means users can upgrade their existing Switch dock to the new model or buy a spare one to use in another room if they’d like.

The question is, though, should you bother picking up the new Nintendo Switch OLED dock? Nintendo’s redesign dock isn’t a dramatic departure from the original, but a few improvements may make it a worthwhile purchase for some.

The most notable addition to the new Nintendo Switch OLED dock is the built-in LAN port. If you play Switch games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Splatoon 2, or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online, a wired connection will provide a more stable and consistent experience than Wi-Fi. It also means you don’t have to purchase a USB LAN adapter, which many resorted to when using the original Switch dock.

Analysis: a non-essential Switch upgrade

It’s clear that the Nintendo Switch OLED dock isn’t a must-have upgrade, then, but having the option to buy it separately is certainly welcome. The dock will work on older Switch models, but they may require a firmware update to do so.

The Nintendo Switch OLED continues to be extremely hard to find in the US, but stock is more readily available in the UK. The OLED dock is already sold out in the US and the black version is out of stock in the UK as of writing.

Nintendo has previously warned that it won't be able to meet the demand for its hybrid console over the holiday season, so if you do see a Nintendo Switch console in stock, we'd suggest picking it up before stock dries up.

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Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.