We are in the seventh year of life of Nintendo Switch. The hybrid console has already exceeded 122 million units sold and is approaching what aims to be another of its historic releases, as is the case with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
We think we know everything about Nintendo Switch, but even the most experienced users have some questions. For example, can the battery deteriorate?
Or more importantly, is it harmful leave the console docked permanently? In this report we will try to clarify this aspect in the face of any possible doubts you may have.
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The dock is an essential accessory for all Nintendo Switch users (except for the Lite model). Without the dock, Switch would not be a hybrid console, which is precisely one of the innovative concepts that has boosted its sales.
In addition to allowing connection to a television or monitor, also serves as a loading lane (although it is not the only one), and it has even been incorporating new features, such as the possibility of updating in the case of the Nintendo Switch OLED dock.
It is common that, at the end of a game, we dock the Nintendo Switch to the dock. But the question is, Is it harmful for the Nintendo Switch battery to always leave it charging in the dock?
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It is true that the large catalog of games is one of the biggest attractions of Nintendo Switch. So is the quality seal of the Great N, its portability, the backward compatibility offered by Switch Online or its functions.
However, much of the success of Nintendo Switch is due to the hybrid concept. It’s a real treat to be able to switch between portable play and desktop sessions at any time.
This is thanks to dock, a docking station (something that Steam Deck and other similar systems have also replicated) in which we can leave the console.
The dock incorporates different connections: USB, HDMI o Ethernet (the latter only in the case of Switch OLED), which allows us to connect the Nintendo Switch to TV, the Internet or other devices in a matter of seconds.
Of course, remember that, to power the dock, it is necessary to connect the Switch charging cable. In other words, your console charges while you play in TV mode (with the console docked).
In fact, it is a very common practice among Nintendo Switch users. At the end of a game session, we leave the console attached to the dock, and we even take the opportunity to load it while we sleep
The question is: is it good to leave the Nintendo Switch docked in the dock? Of course, we are referring to the situation that charging is complete (100%) and still connected to electric current.
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If you know that the batteries of many mobile devices degrade when abusing this (although we still do). It also happens with old laptops. You will notice it because the battery lasts less than before, for no apparent reason.
Does this happen with Nintendo Switch? Let’s see what Nintendo says about it, but we already anticipate that you can rest easy.
There is no danger, confirms Nintendo
If we take a look at the Nintendo support page, we will immediately be calm. Unlike what happens with mobile devices, the Nintendo Switch battery does not have a limit of charging cycles at full capacity.
On most mobile devices, there is a limit number of full charge cycles. When these are exceeded, the battery cannot maintain a complete cycle for the same time as before.
However, Nintendo Switch has a battery specifically designed not to degrade over time. It makes sense, since the hybrid concept is what gives meaning to the machine.
This is what the official Nintendo support website says:
”If you dock the console or plug in the charging adapter directly to charge before the battery is fully depleted, it will only count as a partial charge cycle. Leaving the console docked or plugged directly into the AC adapter overnight, or beyond the point where the battery is fully charged, will not damage the battery.”
In other words, when Nintendo Switch reaches 100% charge, the process will be automatically disabled on batterywhich avoids any long-term degradation problems.
Come on, you shouldn’t be afraid to leave your Nintendo Switch docked overnight, even though it’s already charged.
Of course, we remind you that it is advisable to charge the console directly (without being attached to the dock, as if it were a mobile device) from time to time, as confirmed by the official Nintendo support.
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Now that you know that your Nintendo Switch They are not in danger, remember that it is good to charge the console by connecting it directly to the electrical current. In fact, Nintendo recommends doing it every x months.
In any case, the Nintendo Switch battery has sufficient guarantees not to believe in degradation (something that does happen in mobile devices). Did you know that you can fix lDo you have drift problems with the free Joy-Con?
Are you one to leave the Nintendo Switch docked in the dock? In this case, you have nothing to worry about, at least that is what the support page of the Japanese company says. And we assume that this will continue to be the case in the successor to the hybrid console.