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Nintendo Switch doesn't come with Joy-Con charging grip

emrober5

Member
Nintendo defense in full force in this thread.

It's an idiotic move to cut cost on Nintendo's side and to move the cost to the consumer. Their is no way to defend it. They didn't want to confuse consumers? Come tf on.
 
I never really got the grip in the first place. It will always be a secondary controller method for me. I'll probably just leave it packed away inside the Switch console box in my closet.
 
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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I can just tap my PS4 DS to PC (laptop so its close to me) with the cable that comes with console and continue playing while controller charges thru PC via cable that was included.

Can I do that with Joycon without paying extra?

No. You'd have to buy the extra $30 charging grip to do that and keep playing on the TV.

Granted, the JoyCon battery life is 20hours vs. the 6ish for DS4 so you're less likely to need to if you can remember to put the joycons back on the docked tablet to charge after sessions.
 

manueldelalas

Time Traveler
The easiest way to imagine this being a nuisance is to picture people that are going to primarily treat the console as a home console all or most of the time. They're never/rarely going to use it in tablet mode. They mainly just want to leave the Joy-Cons on the grip and treat it like a traditional controller. They don't want to transfer the Joy-Cons from the grip to the tablet on a regular basis.

Now, the JoyCon batteries have died. To continue playing, the only option is to attach them to the tablet. There is no way to charge them while playing the console in TV mode.

What I've described may not apply to you at all. That's the problem we see in terms of the divide with threads like these. For some people, this is a major nuisance. For others, it may be a problem you don't run into at all as you may regularly use the tablet mode and make a nightly habit of putting the Joy-Cons on the tablet and docking the tablet.
It's still isn't a problem, because you have a warning blinking light that tells you when you are low in battery; and it will blink when you still have a couple of hours to go (if it blinks at 20%, then you have 4 hours).

So it still isn't a real world issue. The fact that people are having a hard time thinking of a real world scenario this could be bothersome means that in reality this is not a problem; and that this whole thing is completely ridiculous.

So, blinking lights give you at least two hours to recharge them. Want to go to the bathroom? dettach controllers from grip, attach them to console; and hey! you can bring your console to shit with you, still playing and recharging those pesky 20 hour batteries! Want a sandwich? Recharge those batteries in the meantime. Etc.
 
Nintendo defense in full force in this thread.

It's an idiotic move to cut cost on Nintendo's side and to move the cost to the consumer. Their is no way to defend it. They didn't want to confuse consumers? Come tf on.

I haven't read through the whole thread here, but has anyone said that a charging Grip would confuse customers? I know I had a bit of speculation as to why they might have decided to go without one in the box, but it wasn't about a Grip confusing people on it's own. It was purely about the escalation of costs if they decided to include a charging Grip.

One could always argue that Nintendo could eat the extra costs, but it seems they want Switch to be as profitable as possible from day one. This is good for them but definitely hurts day one customers, as the pricing on most new technology does.
 
It's still isn't a problem, because you have a warning blinking light that tells you when you are low in battery; and it will blink when you still have a couple of hours to go (if it blinks at 20%, then you have 4 hours).

So it still isn't a real world issue. The fact that people are having a hard time thinking of a real world scenario this could be bothersome means that in reality this is not a problem; and that this whole thing is completely ridiculous.

So, blinking lights give you at least two hours to recharge them. Want to go to the bathroom? dettach controllers from grip, attach them to console; and hey! you can bring your console to shit with you, still playing and recharging those pesky 20 hour batteries! Want a sandwich? Recharge those batteries in the meantime. Etc.

I think the issue I see here is that people often times just talk past each other without realizing other people don't behave the same way we do. People don't always behave as expected. One obvious real world scenario is simply "what if I ignore the blinking lights?" "Well, that's your own fault Steve!" That's probably right. But others are noting that regardless of whose fault it is, it's a potential oversight that there's no way to keep playing in TV mode while charging the Joy-Cons.

Mind you, I'm just kind of playing devil's advocate here. The battery life on the controllers sounds great and I also intend to use it as both a portable and TV device, so I shouldn't have a problem keeping the controllers charged through normal usage. But I don't have it yet. Maybe I don't use it the way I expect and I find myself in a situation where my five-year-old starts throwing a fit because the Joy-Cons are dead and he can't play his game on the TV.

I think the situation is just kind of exasperated by realizing that the Charging grip does exist and does nothing particularly noteworthy. Like if the reason it was an optional accessory was to function as a battery pack, the add-on aspect would make sense. Mind you, I also get that perhaps this is only intended as a more convenient way to charge a second set of Joy-Cons. But at the same time, one has to wonder how much they're saving by not simply making the pack-in grip a charging grip. But then again, maybe that cost isn't as trivial as they're making it out to be.

Really, at the end of the day, to me this ranks pretty low on my list of concerns. But having said that, I also think it can be a nuisance for people that want to use it as a television console all/most of the time. Even if you know to charge them regularly, detaching them from the grip and attaching to the tablet just to detach them from the tablet the next morning and reattach to the grip hardly seems like the most convenient way to charge them. I mean, it's super convenient if you're using tablet mode anyway. But not if the handheld aspect holds little interest to you.
 
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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Really, at the end of the day, to me this ranks pretty low on my list of concerns. But having said that, I also think it can be a nuisance for people that want to use it as a television console all/most of the time. Even if you know to charge them regularly, detaching them from the grip and attaching to the tablet just to detach them from the tablet the next morning and reattach to the grip hardly seems like the most convenient way to charge them. I mean, it's super convenient if you're using tablet mode anyway. But not if the handheld aspect holds little interest to you.

Exactly. It's just an inconvenience. Any of us who are multiplatform gamers, especially if we have PS4s with the shitty DS4 battery life, and are serious gamers easily gaming 20-30+ hours a week already have some charging set up right next to our gaming chairs/couches/whatever.

It's far easier to just plug in and keep playing, or plug in when done without getting out of our seat, than to use a charging dock for DS4s IMO (unless you have room for it next to your seat of course).

The Dock is even less convenient as that needs to be at the TV, and a lot of people who don't plan to ever (or very rarely) use it as a portable will have it stuck on a shelf in their tv stand/cabinet where it's likely not accessible from above and thus a bit of a pain to be putting joycons on and off it just to charge them.

I agree 100% that it's still not a major issue, and certainly not a deal breaker for me. I'll suck it up and get a pro controller and just ignore the joycons entirely. If a pro controller isn't available at launch (still not up for preorder anywhere in NA) I'll get the stupid charger grip (already preordered one as back up for not finding a pro controller).

But I can see why others are more miffed about it. It's already annoying to have to pay $300 for an underpowered console due to the portable mode that they'll never/rarely use. Having to pay another $30 to be able to use the controller the same way they do their DS4s is just more salt in that wound.
 

bobeth

Member
It's still isn't a problem, because you have a warning blinking light that tells you when you are low in battery; and it will blink when you still have a couple of hours to go (if it blinks at 20%, then you have 4 hours).

So it still isn't a real world issue. The fact that people are having a hard time thinking of a real world scenario this could be bothersome means that in reality this is not a problem; and that this whole thing is completely ridiculous.

So, blinking lights give you at least two hours to recharge them. Want to go to the bathroom? dettach controllers from grip, attach them to console; and hey! you can bring your console to shit with you, still playing and recharging those pesky 20 hour batteries! Want a sandwich? Recharge those batteries in the meantime. Etc.

Talk about coming up with a scenario! You should write a movie!
 
Are people seriously talking about taking their console, one that's being pushed as a social gaming experience, to the toilet with them?

Uh, ok.
 

Interfectum

Member
Really, at the end of the day, to me this ranks pretty low on my list of concerns. But having said that, I also think it can be a nuisance for people that want to use it as a television console all/most of the time. Even if you know to charge them regularly, detaching them from the grip and attaching to the tablet just to detach them from the tablet the next morning and reattach to the grip hardly seems like the most convenient way to charge them. I mean, it's super convenient if you're using tablet mode anyway. But not if the handheld aspect holds little interest to you.

I think, at the end of the day, it's just annoying that this is another thing you have to buy that's not included in the package. They even went out of their way to make two versions of the grip (one gimped, one not). Across the board the buy-in for this system seems pretty steep and this is just another thing to add to the pile.

That's why I'm annoyed anyway.
 

Krakatoa

Member
This was purely a BS move by Nintendo to get customers to pay for something else. Well ,I am not buying any peripherals at Nintendo's price. I'll wait until the third party Chinese products start to appear.

In the meantime, I'll stick with what's in the box
 
Sorry I haven't been keeping up on this thread and I am sure this has been discussed already but are you not going to be able to plug the joy con grip that comes with the switch in via a usb c cord to charge while playing? The images I have seen of the joy con in the treehouse hardware breakdown show it has a usb c port on the top of the controller.
 
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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Are people seriously talking about taking their console, one that's being pushed as a social gaming experience, to the toilet with them?

Uh, ok.

I mean it's not like you're wiping your ass with it.

Set it on the sink counter. Drop your pants and sit down and shit and game away. Sit it back on sink counter when done. Wipe your ass, flush etc. Wash and dry your hands. Pick up the Switch.
Sorry I haven't been keeping up on this thread and I am sure this has been discussed already but are you not going to be able to plug the joy con grip that comes with the switch in via a usb c cord to charge while playing? The images I have seen of the joy con in the treehouse hardware breakdown show it has a usb c port on the top of the controller.

Nope. That's the charger grip that's sold separately for $30.

The included "comfort grip" is just a plastic shell to put the joycons on. No USB c port or charging contacts etc.

That's why there's been so much confusion. A lot of videos etc. show the charger grip as that's what they've had on the floor at the events, at media demos etc.
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
detaching them from the grip and attaching to the tablet just to detach them from the tablet the next morning and reattach to the grip hardly seems like the most convenient way to charge them.
This worst case scenario isn't more inconvenient than having to remove rechargeable batteries, grab a charger, insert batteries, remove batteries the next morning, put the charger back to its place, and batteries back into the controller.

I can see the inconvenience, it's so minor though. The outrage is exaggerated.
 

Crayon

Member
This worst case scenario isn't more inconvenient than having to remove rechargeable batteries, grab a charger, insert batteries, remove batteries the next morning, put the charger back to its place, and batteries back into the controller.

I can see the inconvenience, it's so minor though. The outrage is exaggerated.

Yeah changing aa's is not my prefference but it's not like it's a big deal.
 

Somnid

Member
Why does a non charging grip exist in the first place. Nobody wants that shit.

Bundle cost. The ICs for usb charging cost money but the plastic shell costs them almost nothing. It's not dissimilar from removing the AC adaptor on new 3DS and probably saves them about as much.
 
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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
This worst case scenario isn't less convenient than having to remove rechargeable batteries, grab a charger, insert batteries, remove batteries the next morning, put the charger back to its place, and batteries back into the controller.

I can see the inconvenience, it's so minor though. The outrage is exaggerated.

To be fair, many people bitch about the Xbox 1 using AAs and having to buy a battery pack etc. and prefer internal battery controllers like the DS4 that they can just plug into charge.

Personally, I prefer using Eneloops as I have a ton as I still have a lot of battery gadgets (Xbox Elite, 2 harmony remotes, Wii Remote, Wii Fit board etc. etc.) so I have a sack full of them. If something dies I just pop new ones in and keep going. I just set dead ones aside and charge them when I have 4 dead and then through them in the sack with the others.

But I agree "outrage" is exaggerated. Though I don't really think there is much outrage. Most who are annoyed by it are just saying it's a mild annoyance, and silly to have not included the charger grip given it can't add that much cost since there's no battery or anything.
 
Nope. That's the charger grip that's sold separately for $30.

The included "comfort grip" is just a plastic shell to put the joycons on. No USB c port or charging contacts etc.

That's why there's been so much confusion. A lot of videos etc. show the charger grip as that's what they've had on the floor at the events, at media demos etc.

They specifically say that this is what comes in the box and that you can also purchase a battery grip charger for the joy con's separately. The one that is being displayed has a USB C port on the top of it. Are there any screens of the top of the "comfort grip" that doesn't have the USB C? I am sure the battery life will be more than sufficient even if you can't charge them in the grip that comes with the system, just want to understand completely.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
They specifically say that this is what comes in the box and that you can also purchase a battery grip charger for the joy con's separately. The one that is being displayed has a USB C port on the top of it. Are there any screens of the top of the "comfort grip" that doesn't have the USB C? I am sure the battery life will be more than sufficient even if you can't charge them in the grip that comes with the system, just want to understand completely.

Yes, their are pics without the USB-C on the included one in this thread and/or this thread.

There's no battery grip. The charger grip only weights 9grams more than the comfort grip, no mention of the battery in the spec sheet from the Nintendo of Japan site people have posted etc.. It just adds the USB C port and charger contacts to the rails (and the internal wiring to them of course).

The Treehouse people were wrong. They just had charger grips and assumed they came with the console. You can't even buy the comfort grip separately (only third party ones) so it's not surprising they and all the demos have only had the charger grips.
 

xxracerxx

Don't worry, I'll vouch for them.
They specifically say that this is what comes in the box and that you can also purchase a battery grip charger for the joy con's separately. The one that is being displayed has a USB C port on the top of it. Are there any screens of the top of the "comfort grip" that doesn't have the USB C? I am sure the battery life will be more than sufficient even if you can't charge them in the grip that comes with the system, just want to understand completely.

Don't believe the Treehouse stream.

Also the charging grip does not come with a battery.
 

JaseMath

Member
Asked in the other thread, but I'll ask here as well...

How comfortable is the grip-style controller? I'm seriously considering the charging grip in lieu of the pro controller. I haven't read any impressions on it's comfort, weight, utilitarian components, etc.
 
Asked in the other thread, but I'll ask here as well...

How comfortable is the grip-style controller? I'm seriously considering the charging grip in lieu of the pro controller. I haven't read any impressions on it's comfort, weight, utilitarian components, etc.

I'm short on time so I can't provide links, but I've seen multiple sets of impressions on the Grip. Most seemed to say they preferred it over the Pro controller. Apparently the Pro feels a bit cheap and the buttons are "hollow" compared to the joycons. That was enough for me to decide to just get another joycon set.
 

JaseMath

Member
I'm short on time so I can't provide links, but I've seen multiple sets of impressions on the Grip. Most seemed to say they preferred it over the Pro controller. Apparently the Pro feels a bit cheap and the buttons are "hollow" compared to the joycons. That was enough for me to decide to just get another joycon set.

The only positive impression I found was Engadget's, and even that one was essentially, it's not that bad. Rolling Stone's had me pining for that pro controller though. Here's what they said about the grip:

The default Switch control scheme docks both of the "Joy-Cons" – essentially shortened Wiimotes – into a plastic shell called the Joy-Con Grip. You've probably seen the photos and thought "wow, that looks like it might make for an awkward hold." And it does. The buttons and joysticks are smaller and tighter than the PlayStation Dualshock or the Xbox controller, and the excess plastic on the bottom juts into your hands in a pretty unsatisfying way. It feels like a calculator masquerading as a gamepad – and just like the Wiimote and Nunchuk, the Joy-Con Grip won't likely be your preferred medium to digest more conventional games like Skyrim or Super Mario Odyssey. It's not awful, and it certainly won't go down in the Bad Controller Hall of Fame with the Power Glove and "The Duke" – the original Xbox's first controller – but it doesn't make a great first impression.

Ouch.
 
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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I still lean toward pro controller as I'll be more likely to actually use the portable mode if I can just leave the joycons attached and can thus always just pick it up to switch. If I have to take the joycons off the grip and put them on the tablet, I'm much less likely to bother. Especially for quick switches like bathroom trips etc.
 

SystemUser

Member
Are people seriously talking about taking their console, one that's being pushed as a social gaming experience, to the toilet with them?

Uh, ok.


I didn't get a Wii U, and I don't have a Vita for Remote Play. The Switch is finally going to let me play console games on the toilet. We have the technology. We live in a brave new world.
 

Skronk

Banned
Is the Switch box art that all of the retailers are showing final?

Because it looks like it shows the charging grip on the front of the box because you can see the lights which I've heard tell you battery life of the individual joy con.
 

SystemUser

Member
Is the Switch box art that all of the retailers are showing final?

Because it looks like it shows the charging grip on the front of the box because you can see the lights which I've heard tell you battery life of the individual joy con.


Those "lights" are light pipes. They are passive and just funnel the light from the LEDs on the JoyCon.
 

SystemUser

Member
If you have that many Joycons you'd probably want this product:

c11w2ubweaapxkf-de283.jpg


I am going back and forth between this and a charging grip. This thing would let me have a backup ready to go after I buy a second set of JoyCon, but a Charging Grip would allow me to keep playing on the TV while charging without the need to buy a second set of JoyCon. I guess if I buy a second set of JoyCon then I can just have one set charging at all times while playing a single player game. I doubt I am going to be doing any crazy marathon couch MP sessions that will need all four JoyCon to be charged to their 20 hour limit.


Ah, clever, how do you know?


I think it is a hard assumption that most people are making. The non-charging grip seems to be an empty plastic shell. The light pipes are a really common solution. I would be very surprised if this wasn't the case.

http://www.directindustry.com/prod/kingbright-electronic/product-15216-209119.html

yZKlQ39.jpg
 
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