Must-have Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite accessories

While the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch OLED, and Switch Lite’s built-in controllers and screens let you enjoy games all on their own, accessories can make their experiences even better, enhancing and upgrading these all-in-one systems.

Polygon’s Nintendo Switch accessories buying guide explores some of our favorite add-ons for the portable consoles. Below, you’ll find our favorite games that come with their own accessories, plus some of the gear we personalize our Switch experiences with.

Table of Contents

Accessories for games

These Nintendo Switch games come with accessories for one-of-a-kind gameplay experiences, working in tandem with the Switch’s hardware and getting you moving.

Ring Fit Adventure

Ring Fit AdventurePart fitness adventure, part role playing game. You will need a Ring-Con controller, a leg strap, and a chest press, jump jacks, or other exercise accessories to play. How you move affects how far you get through the story.

Photo: Nintendo

Even for beginners, the workouts are legitimate and great. Regardless of your athletic prowess, you’ll grow along with the game’s story, which can take months to complete.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

While there are various Joy-Con steering wheel accessories for the Nintendo Switch — and even a full-sized steering wheel — Mario and his kart are some of the most interesting Switch accessories.

Mario Kart Live: Home CircuitCombining different items of equipment can transform your living area into a racetrack. To build a racing track, you will need several cardboard gates. Then, by using either the Mario or Luigi toy race cars, the vehicle’s built-in camera “sees” the track. The camera-enabled cars pair with your Switch, which lets you drive from the racer’s perspective as you zip around your home.

Nintendo Labo

Nintendo Labo makes clever use of cutouts from cardboard to create new accessories and controllers. The set contains a couple of sheets of cardboard and a cart with several activities.

Labo will help you fold your accessories and remove the cardboard sheets from their sheet. You can make your Nintendo Switch into anything you want.

Photo: James Bareham/Polygon

These kits may be more difficult to find than in 2021 but are well worth the wait. If an online seller or secondhand seller is able to offer you a kit, it’s worth looking for one in English.

Nintendo Switch controllers

The Switch and Switch Lite have their own controllers, which is one of their main selling points. These small controllers can be very useful and intuitive for the majority of people. However, you have other options to enhance your console experience.

It is possible for the Switch to have its original Joy-Cons removed and replaced by third-party gamespads. The Switch also has Bluetooth connectivity that allows it to connect with Bluetooth-enabled controllers. You should also keep in mind that Bluetooth controllers made by other companies may not be as capable of waking your Switch from sleep like first-party ones. Also, third-party companies may have controllers with rumble, and none seem to compare with the detailed HD rumble that Nintendo’s gamepads deliver.

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

If you’re looking to upgrade your controller experience on the Nintendo Switch, you might want to consider the first-party alternative: the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Photo: Jeff Ramos/Polygon

This standard-sized controller fits most hands more comfortably than the Switch’s other alternative control scheme: two Joy-Cons in the grip accessory that comes with the console. The Joy-Con grip is a decent alternative if you don’t want to waste money, but keep in mind that you have to remove your Joy-Cons and place them back on the Switch to charge them. If you want to charge your Joy-Cons in a grip, you’ll need to shell out an extra $30.

On the contrary, Pro Controller is smaller and lighter than other controllers. The controller feels more comfortable and familiar due to its added weight. You will find a D-pad on it, as well as larger buttons for your face and analog sticks. The shoulder buttons are also easier to reach. The Pro Controller is a whole package, unlike the Joy-Cons that are held in their hands, which feel like two separate controllers acting like one. You also get an HD rumble, an amiibo reader and a gyroscope.

Fixture S1

Fixture S1 will allow you to play your Switch in handheld mode with your Pro Controller.

Photo: Jeff Ramos/Polygon

This clip is attached to your Pro Controller. Once the body of the console is slotted into the S1’s holder, you can position the angle of the screen for more comfortable viewing. We love the S1 because we can play the Switch lying flat on our backs with the controller in front of us. You also get a case for the accessory that can protect your Pro Controller as well and the Switch console.

The current Fixture S1 model will not fit a Switch OLED. However, the creator is working on an updated model

Fixture 1

Price at publishing time.

Fixture S1 clips to your Pro Controller and allows you to play the Switch handheld by connecting the controller to the console.

Hori Split Pad Pro

Hori SplitPadPro is an attachable pair of controllers that can be used in place of standard Joy-Cons. The Switch’s bulk is significantly increased by these large gamepads, however, what they lack in portability and comfort, makes up for with the Switch’s greater ease of use.

Photo: Jeff Ramos/Polygon

Split Pad Pro is a great choice for many games. It was particularly helpful in more difficult games like Monster Hunter Rise Larger controllers allow for complex commands in fast-paced first-person shooters or handheld games. You can even assign additional buttons to the gamepads on the back, allowing you to personalize your gaming experience.

PowerA Wireless GameCube Style Control

The PowerA Wireless GameCube Style Control is a great option for Super Smash Bros. gamers who have honed their skills using a GameCube controller.

Photo: Jeff Ramos/Polygon

The wireless WaveBird gamepad is similar in feel to the wired GameCube controller.

This controller has wireless capabilities, which is great! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players don’t need to bring multiplayer controller dongles with them like in the old days. PowerA’s recreation of the controller also adds an extra shoulder button on the left side that’s missing from the GameCube original.

8Bitdo Pro 2

8BitDo Pro 2 blends the best features of traditional Nintendo hardware and modern technology to make a controller that offers the best of both.

Photo: Jeff Ramos/Polygon

It looks like the modernized version of the Super Nintendo Controller from the first look. It has a sleek and flat face with textured grips that feel better than the slicker handles on Nintendo’s Pro Controller. Not only that, but the controller’s handles feature additional triggers on the back that you can use 8Bitdo’s software to assign to different buttons. The software is worth installing because, in our testing, the initial strength of the controller’s standard rumble was a bit much for calmer games like Animal Crossing – New Horizons

Just like the PlayStation controller, the analog sticks are placed on the bottom part of the gamepad. This layout differs from the Joy-Cons and Nintendo’s Pro Controller (and Xbox controllers), so it may take some getting used to, especially if you play a lot of first-person shooters like FOrtnite or Doom Eternal

8Bitdo Pro 2

Price at publishing time.

8BitDo Arcade Stick

There are many classic games and puzzles that can be played on the Nintendo Switch, which will work with all of these controllers. However, you can give all those games a more retro spin by playing them with 8BitDo’s Arcade Stick.

Photo: Jeff Ramos/Polygon

The classic arcade stick can be plugged directly into the Switch using USB, or connected wirelessly via Bluetooth with an adapter. Either way, the clicky buttons and ball-shaped joystick feel reminiscent of what you’d find in an arcade cabinet. Games like “Arcade” are made easier by the responsive controls. Pac-Man 99 Puyo Puyo Tetris 2.Please see the following: LuminesIt’s great to feel good, particularly when the joystick is pushed left and right whenever you have to move quickly.

To better fit your thumbs and make them more comfortable, the buttons have been arranged ergonomically on a slope. This is in contrast to old-fashioned layouts which had buttons placed in straight rows. Fighting games are now easier thanks to this layout. Street Fighter III: A Third Strike Dragon Ball FighterZThey feel as smooth as if played on an arcade machine.

Nintendo Switch headphones

Now that the Switch supports Bluetooth headphones, any pair of wireless headphones or earbuds like Apple’s Airpods will work fine. You might need headphones that are specifically designed for your console.

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 gaming headphones are chunky, but surprisingly light and comfortable. Once you plug the headset’s wireless dongle into a USB port on the Switch dock, the console will automatically route audio straight to the device.

Turtle Beach

Stealth 700’s gel-infused headphones keep it cool and comfortable. The clamping force on the headset might seem tight at first, but the padding on the headphones does a great job of delivering a comfortable fit, even if you’re wearing glasses.

While the Stealth 700’s comfort is remarkable in its own right, its dual wireless functionality is one of its best features. The wireless dongle can be used to pair the headset with the Switch. You can use the Bluetooth pairing feature to allow you to stream two audio streams simultaneously. This feature was great for playing games such as Pokémon Unite Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. All the audio from the game is provided by the dongle, and Discord calls are streamed via our Bluetooth connection. The headphone’s included microphone allowed us to clearly hear our own voice, the game audio, and our calls perfectly. You can also control both the volume of the Stealth 700’s audio sources via two volume dials. We were able to dial in both the volume and voice chats of our games.

Bluetooth can be used to connect your headset with the Switch handheld so you have the same experience on the move.

Charging

Nintendo Switch consoles provide a long battery life, even when used in handheld mode. If you’re away from your dock and need to charge the system, you can simply plug the console into a USB-C port. However, if you’re not near an outlet, you can always use a charging brick to charge the console.

Although most charger bricks can do the job well, the official licensed Anker PowerCore Nintendo Switch Edition is a safer option. Anker claims that the device can provide 10 to 15 hours of additional playtime in its two sizes.

SD Cards

If you don’t need physical copies of your games, you can always download them from the eShop to a microSD card. Your card’s capacity will determine how many games you are able to store.

SanDisk sells a variety of microSD cards licensed by SanDisk, from this Animal Crossing-themed card with 512GB storage to smaller ones that include everything from The Legend of Zelda and a Super Mario Bros. character to The Legend of Zelda.