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Nintendo's Switch is a console of two halves: tablet and dock, a unique combination designed to service the platform holder's hybrid gaming dream. The unit itself is well-designed with high levels of workmanship, but the dock? It's a bit of a clunker - it does the job, but it's big, bulky and constructed from mediocre materials. It's also dogged by controversy, with reports of scratched screens and warped Switch casing owing to poor heat dissipation. The question is, can third parties produce something better?We're about to find out as it seems that the digital handshake between console and dock has been cloned, opening the doors to a range of replacement hardware. Noted third party peripherals manufacturer Nyko has its own mini-dock solution on the way, but first out of the gate is SFANS with its own diminutive interface: way smaller, more portable and styled more in keeping with the console itself - and cheaper too.
The SFANS adapter is available as a pre-order for $60 on Indiegogo, and we decided to take a look at it - principally because it's the first fully working dock replacement solution we've come across. It replicates the core functions of Nintendo's device to a tee, but without the bulk and with zero chance of console warping or a scratched screen. Of course, it uses the same cables as the official dock too, with the AC adapter again giving the Switch juice to run at its higher GPU and memory clocks. In terms of function and performance, it really is a perfect match for the standard dock - it's just a whole lot smaller.
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