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Why doesn’t the Switch dock have an ethernet port?
- Thread starter Deleted member 12833
- Start date
People really, really, REALLY don't like using Ethernet. In fact general public seems to have a huge distaste of wires. Where's my wired Joy-Cons, Nintendo?
Really though, if you got that socket an USB port would probably go away. The only evil thing here is the price of the official adapter.
Really though, if you got that socket an USB port would probably go away. The only evil thing here is the price of the official adapter.
The Wii U was just an extension of the Wii accessory product line. The Wii accessories worked with the Wii U, such as the Wii remotes, Wii balance board, or the Wii ethernet adapter.
I had the same problem that SpartyCrunch described earlier today when I downloaded Okami HD in the background (docked, using ethernet). My kid played Fortnite undocked, and when the Switch was back in the dock the download had ended with an error since the connection had been changed.
Perhaps it could be solved better in an Switch OS update, but currently toggling between portable and docked doesn't work smoothly when the dock is using ethernet and the portable mode isn't.
Yes, of course it could be solved. OS shouldn't switch the mode until the play session ends / console goes to sleep. ta-daa. Trivial.
pretty sure the usb ports on the dock is 2.0 as well so even if you got great internet speeds and use ethernet, it won't do you much good (unless your wifi is spotty)
I got gigabit speeds and tried hooking up a gigabit dongle and still was only getting 20mb down on speed tests :/
I got gigabit speeds and tried hooking up a gigabit dongle and still was only getting 20mb down on speed tests :/
It does disconnect. I think they were pointing out that since this is the case with the dongle, then it isn't a reason why they wouldn't include a port.
it gets warm, not overheat. Yeh it still happens.
I had an old Wii U usb Ethernet adapter when the switch came out so I'm good but yeah its been like this since Wii in 2006.
I wish they had more variety in the docks. Maybe a $50 standard dock that's just hdmi and usbc but a $100 or $150 optional dock that adds features would be cool.
I can dream of a Wii U/Wii player that has Wii U hardware inside the dock, only playable in tv mode of course.
I wish they had more variety in the docks. Maybe a $50 standard dock that's just hdmi and usbc but a $100 or $150 optional dock that adds features would be cool.
I can dream of a Wii U/Wii player that has Wii U hardware inside the dock, only playable in tv mode of course.
The worst part is that Nintendo cheaped out in both directions with the ethernet port and the wifi. It's literally the only device I own that can't reach my house's wifi from my room, and it's the only console I own that doesn't have an ethernet port so I can't plug it in.
I've been playing games online for more than a decade. Most of the time it's in people's heads when they think WiFi isn't good enough for online gaming.
Let's not also overlook the fact that minimal outcry over this has a lot to do with Nintendo not having games the require a strong internet performance. Given how many people want to have strong third party support for games in the console it would behoove Nintendo to start getting on board with online features and systems that were standard back in the xbox/ps2 era. This isn't a decision worth defending. Just put one in your damn console.
which entirely makes it worth it lol.
Exactly. You said even more than I did and better, thanks.
There's never such a response like "because Nintendo". The answer of this very topic was made many times already as for why this happens with two of the very likely reasons for why there's no such thing.
Having used a USB dongle on my switch, it does disconnect internet when you take it off the dock which is frustrating in games like Splatoon or Minecraft
There is a huge difference when I'm on wifi vs hardwired. The former is the only time I experience lag on my end.
A gaming forum is not the majority. Most people who play online on console use Wi-Fi.
It's pretty stupid, but the no ethernet port design has been part of Nintendo's numerous baffling decisions for more than a decade now, so I'm not surprised.
Also, there's a counterpoint for pretty much every argument made here in favor of Nintendo not adding said port on the dock.
Would suck to be changing from ethernet to wifi every time it's undocked? Well, users with a wired setup are most likely aware of this and wouldn't undock the Switch while the connection is being used, such as during an online match, plus there's a reason these users would prefer wired over wireless and they're probably playing wired most of the time.
It would add to the cost of the console/dock? The dock's already overpriced as it is, it should actually have a couple more features for its price, and I've read they've made it so third party docks may brick your Switch.
And you could keep going, but such is reality and sadly Nintendo won't add an ethernet port to their consoles.
Also, there's a counterpoint for pretty much every argument made here in favor of Nintendo not adding said port on the dock.
Would suck to be changing from ethernet to wifi every time it's undocked? Well, users with a wired setup are most likely aware of this and wouldn't undock the Switch while the connection is being used, such as during an online match, plus there's a reason these users would prefer wired over wireless and they're probably playing wired most of the time.
It would add to the cost of the console/dock? The dock's already overpriced as it is, it should actually have a couple more features for its price, and I've read they've made it so third party docks may brick your Switch.
And you could keep going, but such is reality and sadly Nintendo won't add an ethernet port to their consoles.
Wifi speeds are deceiving -- it's wifi's messier signal that becomes a problem in online gaming where dropped packets can have real impacts on split second action.
Still means most people we play against will be on wifi -- our connection may be solid but that won't help when the other player is dropping packets affecting how they appear on our side. Even if their router is decent, typical consumer isn't going to know how to configure it properly to maximize performance.
If you need a wired network to get lag-free gaming, either you're far away from your router or your router is trash.
Yeah, I've had a USB ethernet adapter on my Switch for some time now. Never had any issues Switch-ing back and forth. I'm going to go with most people won't use it and cost cutting as the reasons.
I think you exaggerated a bit.
Anyway, if they were to include the port the console would have a higher price. Either way, its not free.
OP
OP
Funny cause I keep my switch like four inches away from my non trash router and it easily has the worst dL speeds of any device in my house. Can't say I've really had many issues with lag though.
Edit: I take that back. PS3 I get some god awful speeds with.
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Well, it's a portable console so this is expected.
It wasn't them being cheap, it was them not wasting money.
"They want to sell you adapters" is the most hot trash take when they have even stopped making them altogether + it supports standard adapters :lol never change people.
Wii already came out without ethernet (cheap) but with wi-fi (more expensive) back in 2006 when Microsoft was charging $100 for a wifi adapter for the Xbox 360. If Nintendo didn't see a reason to include cheap ethernet back then when wifi was much worse and less widespread, they won't find one now that wifi is much better and ethernet became niche. No need to complicate the dock, add costs and a point of failure for something that serves a few, whom a part of have owned an adapter for a decade and can still use it.
That being said, I do use said adapter because wifi gaming sux (j/k but ethernet is optimal). Drawback of ethernet on the Switch is that when you pull it out of the dock you get disconnected while switching to wifi, which is another reason to not encourage ethernet on it, you lose some of the seamless switching abilities. I don't care much though, as I usually only play online when docked.
Wii already came out without ethernet (cheap) but with wi-fi (more expensive) back in 2006 when Microsoft was charging $100 for a wifi adapter for the Xbox 360. If Nintendo didn't see a reason to include cheap ethernet back then when wifi was much worse and less widespread, they won't find one now that wifi is much better and ethernet became niche. No need to complicate the dock, add costs and a point of failure for something that serves a few, whom a part of have owned an adapter for a decade and can still use it.
That being said, I do use said adapter because wifi gaming sux (j/k but ethernet is optimal). Drawback of ethernet on the Switch is that when you pull it out of the dock you get disconnected while switching to wifi, which is another reason to not encourage ethernet on it, you lose some of the seamless switching abilities. I don't care much though, as I usually only play online when docked.
I'm basically just saying that "Because Nintendo iz cheap lulz" is a silly answer.
I mean yeah, for literally every consumer product ever released in the history of earth, manufacturers will try to save on costs wherever possible, by eliminating features that most people don't need.
I'm just saying that in addition to cost savings, it seems like a good design reason to not include ethernet is because it can create a bad experience for people who are using the console how it was intended to be used.
Sure there's an ethernet adapter there for people who want it, but it appears to create a bad experience for certain people. But for people who always leave their Switch docked it might be a handy thing.
The other thing is that if you include an ethernet jack by default, then it might cause more people to use ethernet even if their wi-fi works perfectly for online gaming. So then Nintendo is basically reinforcing to customers that they use an option that can result in a bad experience even when they don't need to, just because the ethernet jack is there.
