With the Switch 2 nearing its first anniversary, more products have been unveiled that add new functionality. One is the Genki Covert Dock 3, a handy and portable dock that works with the Switch 2 and lets you connect to a TV without carrying the bulky original dock.
Available now and priced at $77, it can handle the beefier Switch 2 hardware, and it’s compatible with handheld gaming PCs. If you’re someone who travels often and you’d like to enjoy some big-screen gaming with your Switch 2 when you stop at a hotel, then this device is highly recommended.
Essentially, Genki’s dock allows you to use your Switch 2 in docked mode without having to worry about cable clutter. It’s equipped with an HDMI 2.1 port that allows it to transmit up to 4K 120fps video to a screen, and it also supports HDR and variable refresh rate (VRR). That’s a significant improvement over the previous model–which could handle up to 4K 60fps footage–and the USB-C port charges at up to 65W, so if you want to hook an Xbox ROG Ally X, it has more than enough power under the hood to do so. All you need is an HDMI cable and a power outlet with your handheld and the covert dock, and you’re good to go.
GameSpot managing editor Tamoor Hussain has gone hands-on with it, and he walked away suitably impressed with it.
“As someone who obsesses over visual clutter and making my work and play areas look tidy, I have a particular frustration with large and bulky devices that are difficult to hide away,” Hussain explained. “While I am able to put consoles in discrete places, the shape of the Switch 2 when in its dock makes it considerably trickier. And the options to switch to something that’s more compact are few and far in between when it comes to reliability.”
“The Genki Covert Dock 3, however, changes that. I have been fortunate enough to test out the previous generations of Genki’s devices and, like them, the Covert Dock proven itself to be a lightweight, highly-portable, and–most importantly–low-profile device that allows the Switch 2 to be connected to power, USB-C and HDMI (everything you need to run it as normal), by simply plugging it into an outlet. Whether I’m at home or taking my Switch 2 on the road, the Genki Dock 3 is what I use to power the console. And wherever I am, I have an aesthetically pleasing device that is able to be out of sight and thus out of mind.”
Switch 2 owners can also pair the Covert Dock 3 with Genki’s Shadowcast 3 Pro. Priced at $90, this portable device addresses one of the major weaknesses of the Switch 2–its poor video capture functions. Currently, you can only capture 30-second chunks of gameplay on the Switch 2, but with the ShadowCast 3, you can record for much longer.
The pocket-friendly device features a modular design that allows you to attach an HDMI passthrough module to it–which allows for low-latency big screen recording–and it’s also compatible with PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Switch consoles. It can also work with other HDMI-compatible devices like the Steam Deck and retro consoles, and it can capture footage in up to 4K 60fps.
Genki has designed it to be a plug-and-play capture card, and it’s also designed to work with third-party video apps.