![]() ![]() In place of the official Nintendo HAC-CDH-MAIN-01 PCB and its accompanying components, the knock-off dock opts for a generic third-party USB-C / DisplayPort 1.2 to HDMI converter. Left: Fake Switch Dock || Right: Genuine Switch Dock Despite the inner mouldings also being extremely close, there’s no mistaking that bright green PCB board isn’t a genuine Nintendo product. While the bootleg dock may look the part outside, cracking it open soon reveals its dirty little electronics secret. What’s inside a fake Nintendo Switch Dock? If you want to get a closer look at the result, then click the image above. This is something which the counterfeit dock plainly was not able to replicate. Luckily, the NYCE marking uses three arrows with an extremely thin line running through each of them. To indicate conformity with product safety standards in Mexico, the Nintendo Switch features both an NOM and NYCE mark debossed into the plastic. While the fake dock may have gotten all the details right on the underside, the manufacturer wasn’t able to match the fine detail used in Nintendo’s moulding process. However, if one of these does wind up on your doorstep then unlike a controller, it has the potential to do some serious damage to your Switch.ĩ9% certainly isn’t 100% though and upon close inspection, I was finally able to spot a tell-tale sign that the housing had been cloned. If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d have assumed that it had been taken straight from a Nintendo Switch console bundle. To make matters worse, the fake dock was priced the same as a genuine Nintendo Switch Dock and also came in the same soft material bag as the official one. Flipping open the back hinge also reveals that input/output labels are all present and correct along with the ports and air vents. The case bears the same Nintendo logos, is made from the same material, features the same protective rubber on the inside slot, and even has the correct wording and voltage debossed on the underside. In fact, they’re so closely matched that I initially thought that the manufacturer had simply used a genuine shell to help shift their product. The external housing of counterfeit docks is 99% identical to that of an official product. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for fake Nintendo Switch Docks. Though if a fake controller does wind up on your doorstep and ends up being faulty, then besides wasting a bit of cash, there’s no real harm done. Most savvy consumers can spot them a mile off, either through their too-good-to-be-true pricing or the obvious lack of an official logo. The Nintendo Switch is no stranger to counterfeit products, we’ve already seen the likes of fake Pro Controllers hit the market and quickly flood numerous websites. The Knock-off Dock-off is a little too close for comfort However, all good things must come to an end and that includes being able to easily identify an official Nintendo product. Then, large accessory manufacturers like Nyko started producing “safe” third-party docks that looked more professional but were still easily distinguishable from the official offering. The cheap ones often take the form of a small dongle-like device with a questionable USB-C cable protruding out of one end. Until now, third-party docks were pretty easy to spot. Unfortunately, that’s where our story begins. It’s understandable then, that consumers who don’t fancy playing Russian roulette with a $300 device would take to eBay or import websites in search of something a tad more official. Third-party docks have gained quite the notoriety for destroying Switch consoles, frying their IC chips and leaving users with a hefty repair bill to boot. The lack of stock at any reputable retailer combined with the influx of third-party options has created a complete minefield of a market. Now, in the UK at least, purchasing an extra or replacement Nintendo Switch dock has become quite a challenging task. Everyone got a dock with their console and additional “Dock Sets” were readily available from most retailers. Buying a Nintendo Switch Dock used to be a simple process. ![]()
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