The Snakebyte ARROW:CHARGE S for Nintendo Switch is the company’s counter to Nintendo’s official Joy-Con and Pro controller charging dock, except there is no competition who the winner is. Nintendo’s official product supports the charging of a single pair of Joy-Cons and a single Pro controller. Snakebyte’s offering charges two pairs of Joy-Cons and a single Pro controller. Although looks are objective, I also strongly believe that the ARROW:CHARGE S is a much better looking product than Nintendo’s offering. I’d much rather have Snakebyte’s charging solution sitting on my shelf.
The Snakebyte ARROW:CHARGE S is not designed to replace your existing Nintendo dock. In fact, it’s meant to compliment it. This unit doesn’t actually charge the console, and perhaps this was purposefully intended since every Switch already comes with a dock for the console.
The setup for the entire unit is extremely straightforward, with only one USB-C cable connected to the station in order to charge all of the peripherals. The overall design of the station is fantastic. Two pairs of Joy-Cons can slide into the back, and a larger Pro controller will sit in the front, upside down.
Perhaps my favourite feature of the charging station is the glowing LED lights to let you know the charging status. Whilst many other charging stations have very small lights that you need to get close to, the ARROW:CHARGE S is pretty fantastic at letting you know from afar what the charging station is.
Whilst this may be the best looking controller-specific charging station I have used for the Nintendo Switch, I do have a couple of issues. If this is designed as a charging station for additional controllers, then I don’t think there is a need for space for two pairs of Joy-Cons, since one pair can be charged with the actual Switch console. Instead, I would have preferred this to be able to charge two Pro controllers. For any hardcore gamer who plays Switch competitively, the support for charging two Pro controllers will also be very useful.
Secondly, the actual charging cable uses a USB-A connector (the other side is USB-C, but that goes into the charging unit). My issue is that no adapter is provided, so if you want to plug the charging station into the wall but don’t have the right socket, you’ll need to buy a USB-A wall adapter separately.
As things stand, Amazon sells the ARROW:CHARGE S for £22.99. Considering this is cheaper and more functional than Nintendo’s similar offering, there is no doubt in my mind what the better choice would be. This charging station is a fantastic supplement to the original Nintendo Switch dock that comes with the console, and will certainly send a message that you’re amongst the elite group of hardcore Nintendo Switch gamers!