It’s the most wonderful time of year! No silly, Grand Theft Auto VI isn’t out for another eleven months(!), it’s only frickin’ Christmas! And for us fans of video games, that means we’ve normally got some new shiny things under the tree for us to open and look at longingly, knowing it’s there but unable to open until the fabled December 25th. I KNOW IT’S AN N64 MUM JUST LET ME OPEN IT JEEZ.
Still, it’s been a year of unfortunate price hiking around the industry for plenty of annoying reasons that I won’t get into here, but where it’s certainly costly to pile up the presents for is Nintendo’s shiny new Switch 2. With the ‘definitely-a-thing’ Nintendo tax continuing to work its magic even in 2025, I thought it right to explore the alternatives from the official and check out some utterly worthy third party accessories which you simply must check out before you go paying over the odds for whatever Nintendo is charging for their stuffs nowadays.
So below is a list of my favourite Switch 2 and Switch things I’ve been fortunate enough to play with the past few months, that I think will enhance the gaming life of your Switch 2 owning friend/lover/child/animal. Enjoy!
8BitDo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller
It’s not secret in the industry that 8BitDo are utterly killing it right now. From arcade-esque flat units to reimaginings of classic Nintendo controllers, they’re leading the way in gorgeous looking, efficient and exciting third party options with aplomb,
The Nintendo connection continues then with the Ultimate 2 controller, originally created for Switch but fully compatible with Switch 2 (after a firmware update), this controller has come my go to of choice when playing games on my system that are a little bit more complicated than Mario Party. It feels remarkably solid in the hand, fully wireless (over Bluetooth) and also comes packaged with its own charging dock, adding to the desktop elegance, along with hall effect analogue sticks (eliminating stick drift concerns), it’s been my ‘Pro’ controller of choice for the Switch 2 for long as I’ve owned it, and will be thoroughly enjoying Metroid Prime 4 with this beast over the weekend.
As an alternative to the Switch 2 Pro Controller, you can’t really go wrong. Just a fantastic controller all round.
Pick it up here.
Snakebye Gamepad S2
Note: If you’re purchasing these controllers they will need to be updated via a PC to the latest firmware before being used with the Switch 2. Head here to download the updates.
If you’re looking for controllers with a little more colour though, you’re going to want to go the Snakebyte route. These legendary third-party accessory creators have been hard at work making a ton of Switch 2 accessories – I even reviewed a bunch way back at Switch 2’s launch – and they’ve shown no signs of slowing down releasing the Gamepad S2, a Pro controller alternative that’s absolutely showered in RGB lighitng to add to your neon rainbow gaming room.
The two controllers above are identical in practice, but the transparent edition is where it gets exciting. I’m from the era where it was insanely cool to own transparent controllers and consoles, and I’m delighted to see that trend returning to the modern age. It looks glorious and with the insides lighting up like a Christmas tree thanks to the customisable RGB lights that surround the controller, there isn’t many on the market to match it for its unique stylings.
From a technical standpoint everything works as it should. With an included dongle to place into the Switch 2 to connect along with hall effect sensors, customisable back buttons, meaty triggers and the all important ‘C’ button, it’s another solid option if you don’t feel like shelling out for the official Pro controller.
The black controller is terribly nice also, but you can’t see through it. You can try, but I promise you it isn’t going to work.
You can grab both controllers right here.
iMP Gaming Arcade Pro
Here’s something you may not have been considering.
The iMP Arcade Gaming Pro is a tabletop unit you can slip your Switch 2 (or Switch) into and turn it into a classic arcade machine. The included arcade stick and buttons recreate that classic arcade feeling, and is a most glorious way to relive the retro era on your new console.
You can read my full review of the unit here, but I wanted to make sure this very cool device didn’t go unmentioned in the gift guide. It’s full of charm, works surprisingly well and also features all of the buttons you would expect on a Switch Pro controller, albeit without the second analogue stick.
Take a trip down memory lane right here.
Snakebyte Joy-Con Quad Charge S2
The first thing I noticed about the Quad Charge S2? It’s BIG. This thing measures to almost the height of the Switch 2 when docked, so bear that in mind before jumping to buy this thing.
If you do though, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Featuring four charging ports for your Joy Can 2’s along with a glorious RGB light tearing through the middle – which you can adjust to your liking – the Quad Charge er, charges your controllers with little effort and looks great doing it, working as a great compliment to the above Snakebyte S2 controllers.
And the magnet connection never gets old. Oh, it’s satisfying.
You can pick one of these up right here.
Snakebyte ERGO GRIP S2
The ERGO Grip pretty does what it says on the tin. It’s a grip for your Joy-Con 2’s similar to what is packaged in with your console.
I wanted to mention this one though because I actually prefer it to the standard one. It’s ever-so slightly bigger, which feels better in the hand and doesn’t feel like it’s gonna slip out of your hands at any moment. It also featuers a USB-C port to charge your controllers and generally just feels good.
Not as good as a Pro controller, but still good. Buy it here.
JSAUX ModCase for Nintendo Switch 2
It’s difficult to look past the JASUX ModCase for absolute safety of your shiny new Switch 2. The case is bulky, heavy, strong and offers complete protection of the system, giving the device a far more premium feel that it perhaps had before.
It’s not hiding anything either, allowing full access to your system’s buttons, connections and game card reader whenever you want them, along with providing you with its own kickstand, as it covers up the one on the Switch 2 with its beefy beefness.
There’s also slots included for your games and a full front cover included for when you’re not using it. Wonderful stuff.
It’s by far the most complete Switch 2 case I’ve tried out so far (I’m on my 5th one this year…). I genuinely don’t worry about knocking it over or damaging my Switch 2 in any way when its inside this thing. Just an excellent product all round.
Pick it up here.
Antank S3 Max Nintendo Switch 2 Dock
Finally, it wouldn’t be a Nintendo article without me complaining to the high heavens that the Dock that came packaged with the Switch 2 DIED ON ME only three months into owning the damn thing. A replacement was – get ready – NINETY TWO ENGLISH POUNDS, and hilariously it’s currently sold out on the Nintendo Store, the only place you can buy them individually. Brilliant. Nice one Nintendo.
SO! I had to go searching for a new dock and the Antank came highly recommended. I was fortunate enough to receive one to review and you can read that here, Safe to say, I’m a very big fan of this thing. It’s smaller then the original dock, which makes it very simple to throw in a big should I be taking the entirety of my Switch 2 somewhere, and offers all of the same options as the included dock plus, a handy button that allows you to switch off the connection to the TV and just play it in docked mode. Super cool.
The best thing about it though is how it looks, and it looks great. Doing away with the huge covering of the original dock, the Antank Dock sets your Switch 2 free and allows it to look terribly pretty sitting next to your TV. I genuinely think it’s a better version of the dock included and Nintendo should have gone down this kind of route for the Switch 2, instead of making a dock that so closely resembles the original.
Ah well, what matters is this thing exists, it’s brilliant and you can pick it up right here.
So these are my choices for alternative non-Nintendo produced options for your Switch 2. There’s tons more options out there so if you do find anything you think is superior than the devices we’ve listed here let me know! I’d love to check it out.
Are you getting a Switch 2 for Christmas? Did you pick one up in the Black Friday sale? Let us know. If you’re curious about more Snakebyte products in particular, you can read my review of the their first Swtich 2 wave of accessories right here!
Happy hunting!
All of the above products are available now. Finger Guns is not affiliated in any way with the above companies or their products. We just think they’re cool and you should check them out.
In order to complete this feature, we were provided with promotional versions of each item from their respective distributors. For our full review policy, please go here.
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