Belkin Gaming Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2 Review

A fewer weeks ago, I was packing for a travel erstwhile I realized I inactive hadn’t bought a question lawsuit for my Nintendo Switch 2, truthful I hopped online and grabbed the lone 1 I could find connected Amazon with same-day shipping. When it arrived, I instantly regretted my acquisition – it was cheap, and felt inexpensive – but I didn’t person clip to spell to a brick-and-mortar store, truthful I was stuck with it.

Since then, I’ve gotten a accidental to effort retired the oh-so-compellingly-named Belkin Gaming Travel Case for Nintendo Switch 2 and Belkin Gaming Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2. This is simply a reappraisal of the latter, but I’ll archer you upfront that some are bully cases with a soft, velvety interior lining that provides a snug acceptable for the Switch 2 without it feeling crammed successful there.

The Belkin Gaming Charging Case for Nintendo Switch features a flap with elastic sleeves for 12 crippled cartridges, and a netted accessory pocket, wrong of which is simply a tiny pouch for an AirTag oregon akin Bluetooth tracker. The apical information of the lawsuit isn’t peculiarly deep, truthful you won’t privation to worldly much than possibly a spare charging cablegram and a brace of wired earbuds successful the netted pocket. It’s serviceable, but efficaciously this is simply a question lawsuit meant to beryllium arsenic compact arsenic possible; it’s conscionable that it happens to person a cavity beneath the Switch 2, designed to clasp an included 10,000mAh battery.

On either broadside of that artillery cavity are 2 different compartments – 1 is intelligibly determination to springiness the cablegram abstraction to crook through, but the other, beneath the close Joy-Con, is simply a boxy slump that’s large capable for, say, a acceptable of Bluetooth gaming earbuds successful their charging lawsuit (my AirPods Pro 3 acceptable nicely) or, I don’t know, a fewer Werthers Originals. Love my buttery hard candies, y’all. I benignant of privation Belkin had covered this with a tiny trap doorway truthful I tin enactment harder items determination without worrying whether they’ll scratch the backmost of my console oregon gaffe escaped and autumn retired erstwhile I unfastened the case. But hey, it’s bully to person a spot of other storage, nevertheless it’s used.

The extracurricular of the lawsuit is wrapped successful a textured, somewhat rigid fabric, with a sturdy nylon grip attached astatine the hinge for carrying. It’s closed up with 2 zippers that usage a loop of heavy drawstring attached to a integrative portion alternatively of a metallic zipper pull. The precocious zipper way is embedded successful a spot of floppy cloth that hangs disconnected the apical lid; I’m acrophobic astir however agelong that volition clasp up implicit time, but it feels coagulated for now.

The Belkin Gaming Charging Case comes successful black, green, and beige colorways, and its cloth covering volition perfectly prime up stains. Keep that successful caput erstwhile choosing your lawsuit – I reviewed the beige one, and the archetypal clip I played with it connected my porch, it picked up a acheronian grey smudge from laying connected the array retired there.

Belkin designed the Gaming Charging Case truthful that you tin play with the Switch 2 successful tabletop mode – a small hollow spot astatine the beforehand lets you plug the charging cablegram into the Switch 2, portion the console’s kickstand rests connected a ledge adjacent the backmost hinged portion of the case. This felt pleasantly unchangeable erstwhile I tried it, some connected a array and successful my lap. It’s besides made to fto you complaint the Switch 2 portion it’s successful the case, but beryllium definite your Switch 2 is dormant if you bash this. I didn’t the archetypal time, and had forgotten that I had acceptable the console not to slumber unless I explicitly told it to, truthful erstwhile I came backmost to it later, my Switch 2 was a steamy boy. Thankfully, it wasn’t cooking successful its ain juices long, and my console seems nary worse for the wear.

As for the artillery itself, it’s a elemental removable powerfulness slope (it’s held into the lawsuit by a hook-and-loop strap) that’s a spot bigger than a battalion of playing cards. It’s got 2 20W USB-C charging ports – output that I confirmed utilizing a tiny passthrough USB-C powerfulness metre – and a fastener connected the broadside to activate a tiny LCD show that shows the artillery pack’s existent charge. On 1 corner, there’s a tiny loop that I accidental you could usage to bent the artillery connected something. The lawsuit includes a abbreviated USB-C cablegram with a modular plug connected 1 extremity and a right-angle 1 connected the different for plugging into your Switch 2.

Belkin says its artillery tin nett you an other 1.5 charges, and that whitethorn beryllium a spot conservative. It charged my fully-drained Switch 2 to 100 percent (in astir 2 hours) and determination was capable complaint near afterward to get it backmost up to 90 percent again earlier the powerfulness slope gave out. And erstwhile I plugged my Switch 2 successful for an extended play league – this clip with the Joy-Cons detached and the Switch resting connected the lawsuit successful tabletop mode – Belkin’s artillery kept the console humming on astatine 100 percent for astir 3 hours and 39 minutes.

All told, that means I could play my Switch 2 for betwixt five-and-a-half and six hours utilizing Belkin’s powerfulness bank, alternatively of the 2 hours I would usually get retired of the console’s artillery alone, astatine slightest portion playing much demanding games similar Mario Kart World and Star Wars Outlaws with the surface astatine afloat brightness.

However, the included USB-C cablegram is stiff; there’s a carveout to remainder it successful truthful it’s not pinched betwixt the Switch 2 and your case, but it doesn’t truly want to spell there. That adds a spot of fiddliness that adds different longevity concern, arsenic it feels similar I’m adding other strain to the USB-C ports it’s plugged into, oregon astatine slightest the points wherever the cablegram connects to the plug ends. To Belkin’s credit, the cablegram feels well-made, truthful possibly that’s conscionable paranoia, informed by the way of dormant cables I’ve near behind. Belkin besides didn’t see immoderate mode to strap the Switch 2 down wrong the case. The crippled cartridge flap keeps it from flopping astir erstwhile the lawsuit is closed, truthful that’s not a concern, but if you opened the Gaming Charging Case carelessly enough, your console could travel tumbling out. And, aft all, what’s the constituent of a lawsuit if it tin pb to you breaking your console?

Wes is simply a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they telephone him) who has covered technology, gaming, and amusement steadily since 2020 astatine Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and astir recently, The Verge. Inside of him determination are 2 wolves: 1 that thinks it wouldn't beryllium truthful atrocious to commencement collecting crippled consoles again, and the different who besides thinks this, but much strongly.