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Why doesn’t the Switch dock have an ethernet port?
- Thread starter Deleted member 12833
- Start date
Are you implying that I'm justifying their approach rather than just pointing out the pattern that they've never included an ethernet port for whatever reason and that it hasn't only been excluded for the Switch?
I would assume that the Switch being able to jump between docked and portable on the fly means jumping connection types like that could pose an issue.
i think PSO was the only one to support online. games like MKDD and Kirby Air Ride supported a LAN mode that you could use a tunneling service to play online
And they never had a paid online either...
I'm still not sure how bringing up older consoles from older generations from a Nintendo with a much different view is 'a pattern'...
I can see when Smash comes some of the competitive fans complaining about having to play with Wifi players like what happened with Injustice 2 players and demand always to avoid most people.
Yeah. Only a small percentage actually need an Ethernet port and those people could pay 5€ to by an USB-Ethernet adapter. I use the same one, which i bought with the Wii.
I just got an ethernet dongle for my Switch and this exact scenario just happened to me while I was playing matches online. I was playing in handheld mode and decided to switch to TV. When I did that I got disconnected because my network had changed. Nintendo probably would prefer to avoid these situations but is fine with people who go out of their way for a wired connection, as they likely understand the limitations.
Good answer.
For the same reason the grip that comes with the Switch doesn't have the charge functionality, for the same reason that the Mini NES/SNES don't come with power adapters (this is so hilariously cheap).
Because Nintendo is a cheap-arse company. Even when I expect little, Nintendo will find a way to disappoint.
Because Nintendo is a cheap-arse company. Even when I expect little, Nintendo will find a way to disappoint.
Because the OP's response to seeing a lack of ethernet port is one that seems surprised that Nintendo would exclude a basic port that's been omitted in all their past consoles despite the increasing connectivity brought on from 7th gen onward. They're still as backwards as ever with regards to online so their view isn't much different.
the switch inside port is usb 3.0, so you should consider getting a gigabit donglePersonally, I use this when I'm not mobile:
Personally, I use this when I'm not mobile:
Is there a teardown of this? I can't begin to imagine what would take that much space
Got a very cheap one of Amazon and have had no problems with it at all.
Hard wiring is more important to a streaming console than it is to a normal one.
Sure but competitive gamers can just buy a usb-ethernet adapter.
Or £6. Why would you buy a Nintendo branded adapter lol? Would you also buy those Nintendo branded micro SD cards that are like twice the price?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Network-Et...340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=usb+ethernet+adapter
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it's only a couple of letters, who hasn't made the same mistake before?
Yes, but this wasn't a problem on Wii or Wii U. It's just Nintendo...it's a lower cost for them.
They didn't include it because they knew people would rationalize the decision for them.
Playing Smash on WiFi sucks.
Playing Splatoon on WiFi sucks.
Playing Mario Kart on WiFi, again, sucks.
I just play couch multiplayer with my Switch.
Playing Smash on WiFi sucks.
Playing Splatoon on WiFi sucks.
Playing Mario Kart on WiFi, again, sucks.
I just play couch multiplayer with my Switch.
To be fair, I can't imagine the Venn diagram of people that would complain about changing their IPs when docking but who would also be separating their wired and wireless network in different VLANs. I guess this could happen on shared networks like campuses or something.
Regardless, even if DHCP is sticky, you'd probably get disconnected for a few seconds anyway (and I don't think that would be a big deal to most users).
The real question is why doesn't Nintendo take full advantage of gigabit Ethernet? Or USB 3.0. They dont need the port for that. :P
The speed doesnt go higher sadly. I have gigabit speed at my house, and my Switch only gets ~100Mbps. I do have a USB 3.0 adapter that works fine on PCs.
This is basic product design. Don't throw in crap that only a small amount of people want or will use. Especially if your product will function fine without it.
They wanted a thin cheap dock, with little to it. An Ethernet port would require more space their design wasn't going to fit. If you don't look at things from a design perspective, you'll generally wonder why a lot of consumer products are missing features.
That, or you'll expect the PS3 prototype. Or hell, the launch PS3. Compact flash ports.
I'm not saying Ethernet isn't useful. If I were dictator of the world/online gaming, I'd ban all of you wifi kids from playing.
It's just not necessary for the Switch to play games online, and connect to your TV.
HDMI 2.0 would have been cool too!
I wish they'd promote the Ethernet option a bit more, though. I have my Wii, Wii U, and Switch all hooked up with adapters.
There were a few tweets early on in Switchdom, but most folks I know use wifi and make life hell for the rest of us.
The speed doesnt go higher sadly. I have gigabit speed at my house, and my Switch only gets ~100Mbps. I do have a USB 3.0 adapter that works fine on PCs.
This is basic product design. Don't throw in crap that only a small amount of people want or will use. Especially if your product will function fine without it.
They wanted a thin cheap dock, with little to it. An Ethernet port would require more space their design wasn't going to fit. If you don't look at things from a design perspective, you'll generally wonder why a lot of consumer products are missing features.
That, or you'll expect the PS3 prototype. Or hell, the launch PS3. Compact flash ports.
I'm not saying Ethernet isn't useful. If I were dictator of the world/online gaming, I'd ban all of you wifi kids from playing.
It's just not necessary for the Switch to play games online, and connect to your TV.
HDMI 2.0 would have been cool too!
I wish they'd promote the Ethernet option a bit more, though. I have my Wii, Wii U, and Switch all hooked up with adapters.
There were a few tweets early on in Switchdom, but most folks I know use wifi and make life hell for the rest of us.
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I'll repeat in every Nintendo online thread-
Is it a Nintendo product? Is it online related? If the answer to both is yes then just expect to be disappointed with it.
The ethernet port should have been a standard feature of all their consoles and yet they've never had one. Its fucking inexcusable.
Is it a Nintendo product? Is it online related? If the answer to both is yes then just expect to be disappointed with it.
The ethernet port should have been a standard feature of all their consoles and yet they've never had one. Its fucking inexcusable.
It's not something most consumers care about. An Ethernet port is only important for the hardcore gamer since they're guaranteed a more stable connection. But the Switch is aimed at more casual gamers, and most casual gamers just use their in-house Wi-Fi.
I dunno OP, but the defense is silly. Always nice to have more features. But I'll admit I don't care that much, I rarely take my switch online.
Have you all actually used the USB ethernet dongles and confirmed that it doesn't have the hypothetical issue I'm pointing out?
Now I'm curious if your experience is the norm or the exception based on what the previous people I quoted said.
I'd agree that the dock should have included one, though the space is pretty cramped behind the door so it might have been a bit of a squeeze.
For those of you looking for usb ethernet adaptors, you need to bear in mind that not all ethernet adaptors are compatible.
From memory you need one based on the ax88772 chipset, thankfully it is very common and you can find them on Amazon and eBay. Firebrand mentions here about usb 3 compatibility on another chipset.
One small benefit is that you're not left SOL if your ethernet port fails, whereas PS4 specifically doesn't support USB ethernet and the built in ports are known to fail.
That doesn't help you if the USB ports fail on your Switch dock, or even worse if the USB C port gets fried at some point.
It definitely takes the quality of online play down several degrees since you really can't expect the majority of people to use ethernet even if they are docked. As has been said elsewhere in the thread I wish they made more of an effort to push the benefits of using a wired connection.
For those of you looking for usb ethernet adaptors, you need to bear in mind that not all ethernet adaptors are compatible.
From memory you need one based on the ax88772 chipset, thankfully it is very common and you can find them on Amazon and eBay. Firebrand mentions here about usb 3 compatibility on another chipset.
One small benefit is that you're not left SOL if your ethernet port fails, whereas PS4 specifically doesn't support USB ethernet and the built in ports are known to fail.
That doesn't help you if the USB ports fail on your Switch dock, or even worse if the USB C port gets fried at some point.
It definitely takes the quality of online play down several degrees since you really can't expect the majority of people to use ethernet even if they are docked. As has been said elsewhere in the thread I wish they made more of an effort to push the benefits of using a wired connection.
A 20c Ethernet port on every switch sold adds up.
When the switch sells 20 mill
And if a switch ethernet port cost $0.20
Thats $4 million, some Nintendo executives want there nice homes, cars, etc
When the switch sells 20 mill
And if a switch ethernet port cost $0.20
Thats $4 million, some Nintendo executives want there nice homes, cars, etc
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It's not "inexcusable", it's something called cutting costs for a thing that most people don't use... and the fact that there's no backlash over it all after all of the years just show that most people don't really care about this aspect unlike a minor part of consumers.
Same reason my €2200 Core i7 16GB RAM GTX1060 Razer Blade doesn't have an ethernet port.
It's 2018.
It's 2018.
OP
OP
Sounds like you got ripped. A gaming pc without Ethernet...that's like an oxymoron
Nintendo likes to reduce complexity, reduce options, give you one and only one gimmick. Apple built an empire on inferior MP3 players and Nintendo wishes it was apple.
Yep. I prefer wired really. A long wire is fine if the controller is simply more reliable. The problem with modern gaming is it's complex hardware built cheap. It's functional, but not great really, and more expensive for it.
Yep. I prefer wired really. A long wire is fine if the controller is simply more reliable. The problem with modern gaming is it's complex hardware built cheap. It's functional, but not great really, and more expensive for it.
OP
OP
Lol, I'm just messing.
People have been complaining about it for years tho. Its needlessly stupid. How much cost are you seriously saving to have a ubiquitous feature for every other console that provides more stable internet? It's a cheap solution that likely doesn't save them that much and is another shining example of how inadequate Nintendo is when it comes to online.
If you ever have to ask Why something, and the subject of the question is Nintendo, the answer is almost 100% of the time is going to be "Nintendo gonna Nintendo."
Doubtful considering just about any USB Ethernet adapter works with the Switch.
I feel like if that was the case they'd just not support Ethernet entirely, no?
Did you read what I said? People complaining online without a real backlash is nothing. It's just like Sony's crossplay where people complain on internet and there's no real backlash on it that affects them.
And yes, a ethernet not being there saves much more than you think in a hardware for a company to produce and maintain a price.
Yeah, because Nintendo is a individual entity and not a miriad of developers of software/hardware and other functions. I'll never understand that stupidity.
Just Nintendo being cheap. The cost to even include a base Fast Ethernet port on the dock is essentially zero, especially with economies of scale.
I've never had any problems but I've never tried to remove or insert my console from the dock while playing an online game. I would expect that to cause problems. Same thing would likely happen if you were gaming on a laptop and unplugged the Ethernet cord.
There is no need for a complicated rationale though. Nintendo has never shipped a console with an Ethernet port, ever. Nor have their consoles ever included TOSLink optical audio output. The Wii never got an HDMI port in any revision.
Nintendo avoids what they see as unnecessary ports. It's part of their hardware design philosophy. Saves money both on the port cost and on having one fewer thing that could break or be defective.
Ethernet is one of the cheapest things you can put on an electronic device lol.
You guys seem to know a lot about this, which is great since I've been curious about the Switch's margins for a while.
Exactly how much would it cost to include an ethernet port in every Switch? What's the margin on the Switch as it exists today, and how will adding this port impact it? And would the cost of including it (along with the assumed loss of one of the Switch dock's USB ports) be justified when it will lead to zero additional revenue and anyone who wants this feature can get it with a cheap adapter?
And it still amounts to a cost to be put into a console when the majority of people use wi-fi for their devices and the minority uses ethernet.
Console margins are generally very thin, and that's assuming the console is even being sold at a profit (the OG PS3 cost $1000 to make and was being sold for $600). To make up the loss console manufacturers sell their accessories at a premium and require online subscription for many of their features.
Odds are the Switch probably doesn't cost $300 to make, but isn't much less than that.