8 must-have Nintendo Switch accessories for better gaming

By Vikka Abat-Francisco

A simple search for accessories will most likely lead you to a plethora of results which can no doubt be overwhelming. From cases to chargers to controllers, both Nintendo and third-party brands are constantly churning out new peripherals for the Switch.

To help you out, we’ve crafted this list of what we think are the best Nintendo Switch accessories that will further enhance your gaming experience. Although, as much as we love them, this list will be leaving out products that are meant for aesthetic enhancement or protection, such as cases and skins. And for full disclosure, this is not a sponsored post, but simply personal recommendations from a fellow gamer.

Anker PowerCore 20100 Nintendo Switch Edition

Let’s start with the basics. You’ve got a new (or old) Switch and, being the genre-bending, portable console that it is, you take it everywhere and probably play any chance you get. You wouldn’t want to run out of juice just as you’re finishing a boss battle, that’s why we highly recommend the Anker PowerCore 20100 Switch Edition. This Nintendo-licensed power bank has been specifically optimized for the Nintendo Switch, as the name so obviously points out, so it works well.

Utilizing a USB-C output like its dock, it can charge up the Switch pretty fast. Fast enough that you can actually play while it’s charging. At 20100mAh, it can charge the Switch 2.5 times and takes about three hours to fully charge when drained. If you don’t need to charge, it also has PowerIQ with Intelligent Device-Detection that works perfectly well for phones and tablets.

Nintendo Joy-Con charging grip

One of the main weaknesses of the Nintendo Switch is the controllers’ ergonomics or lack thereof. The thin Joy-Cons are fine when mounted on the unit but when you’re zoned out during an at-home gaming session, you’d most likely end up with cramped fingers. The Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charging Grip will take your joy-cons and fit them into a more familiar design.

This grip is very similar to the one shipped with the switch but with one major difference: it has a charging port. This small addition makes it a worthwhile upgrade especially for those who are just starting out and not ready to commit to a more expensive controller.

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

If you’re ready to invest in something a bit more premium, your first choice will most probably be the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. This officially licensed controller may be a bit of an investment but thousands of users have already considered it a must-have addition.

Reminiscent of an Xbox controller, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller addresses the ergonomic problems of the original joy-cons and is perfect for extended gaming sessions. And since it’s an officially licensed product, you can be sure its performance will be up to par.

8BitDo Wireless Bluetooth Adapter

Now, it’s quite possible that you already own a Bluetooth controller and don’t really want to shell out for a brand new one. The 8Bitdo Wireless Bluetooth Adapter may just be the accessory for you.

Once plugged into the USB port on the Switch’s dock, you can pair and use a number of supported controllers such as PS4 or PS3 controllers, XBOX One controller, or even a Gamecube controller. Additionally, you can get headphone support from controllers like the DualShock 4 and Xbox controllers because of their onboard 3.5mm jacks.

Genki Bluetooth Audio Adapter

Another issue the Nintendo Switch has is the lack of support for wireless headphones. The Genki Bluetooth Audio Adapter aims to solve this problem by providing Bluetooth connectivity for your wireless audio.

This simple plug-and-play device that fits into your Switch’s USB-C slot allows connection for up to two wireless headphones simultaneously. And should you need to charge, this adapter comes with a passthrough charging port so you can still connect your headphones while charging at the same time.

Afterglow Deluxe + Audio Wired

Another cost-effective controller option would be going the wired route. The Afterglow Deluxe + Audio Wired offers a 10-foot long wired controller with a 3.5mm jack for wired headphones. This is the first Nintendo-licensed controller that offers a 3.5mm jack. It’s not only a lot more affordable than the Switch Pro Controller but also sports a really cool and impressive design.

PowerA Joy-Con and Pro Controller Charging Dock

Once you’ve got all your headphones and controllers, it only makes sense to get an upgraded charging stand as well. The PowerA Joy-Con and Pro Controller Charging Dock is an affordable, licensed product that’s able to charge two joy-cons and one Nintendo Switch Pro controller. It’s well-designed and allows the controllers to easily slip in and out of the dock for those quick gaming sessions.

Hori Nintendo Switch Multiport USB Playstand

The Nintendo Switch is intentionally made to be portable and, more often than not, it fulfills that intention. Unfortunately, the original Nintendo Switch dock just missed the mark in terms of portability. While it is quite small, it’s still not as travel-friendly as it could be. With the Hori Nintendo Switch Multiport USB Playstand, you get an extremely portable charging dock that’s also been upgraded with extra ports.

This officially licensed folding playstand has not one, not two, but four extra USB-A ports. This means that you can connect more peripherals than the original dock just as long as they’re compatible. You can even use this with the aforementioned 8BitDo adapter to add wireless controllers. It can also be easily adjusted into different positions so you can find the perfect viewing angle. And, of course, it similarly charges your Nintendo Switch through a pass-through USB-C port on the side.

So there you have it. Hopefully, these peripherals step up your gaming experience on-the-go. If you have any suggestions for more Switch accessories, be sure to drop by your comments below.

realme 12 lands in the Philippines, priced

Nissan Epoch, Epic, Era, and Evo NEV concept cars on display at Auto China 2024

Philips Ultinon Access lights are easy-install, halogen-like LEDs, now available in PH

A look inside the Ferrari showroom in the Philippines

Canon PIXMA G2010 review: Refillable and reliable

06/30/2021

Creating an effective work/study-from-home environment means you not only have to be comfortable but also have all the devices you may need within reach.

These days, we’re excited to fill our workspaces with all the latest and sophisticated tech but one of the staples of an effective home/study area would be the humble printer.

The Canon PIXMA G2010 is a high-volume, refillable tank printer that is looking to be a good choice for the everyday user and maybe even small business. Whether it’s for scanning reports from the office, copying worksheets for the kids, or even printing photos to keep, this device can handle plus its refillable ink tank can help you save money too.

Design

The Canon PIXMA G2010 is a pretty standard-looking printer. It’s an all-in-one device that also offers scanning and copying functions, weighs about 6 kilograms, and is mostly made of plastic.

The flatbed scanner is up on top with the paper feed just behind it. To the right of the scanner are the device’s buttons which include power, maintenance, number of copies, stop, color, and black and white buttons.

There’s also a small LCD screen that indicates the number of copies or pages to print.

Flipping the top half open reveals the printer’s ink tanks. Unlike traditional printers, the PIXMA G2010 uses a more cost-efficient integrated refillable ink tank system. Canon also offers spill-resistant containers for its ink so you’re sure to get every last drop into the printer.

On the right, you can see the ink tanks for color while on the left is the ink tank for black. Flipping the blue panels on either left or right side reveals the tanks’ openings for refilling. These are also transparent so it’s easy to see your ink levels are at a glance.

Performance

To get this printer working, I simply plugged it in. Using the supplied USB cable, my PC was able to instantly recognize and configure the PIXMA G2010. No added software download needed. Unfortunately, this printer isn’t supported on Apple computers.

Should you ever need drivers or apps, though, Canon supplies all of these on its website. And while the printer doesn’t need any additional program to run, I do suggest downloading the IJ Printer Assistant to have easier access to its maintenance tools.

I checked to see if the printer was recognized on different programs and everything seemed to be running smoothly. Canon claims the PIXMA G2010 can print 8 pages per minute for a standard black and white document and 5 pages per minute for colored.

Testing it out ourselves, we indeed were able to print 8 pages in just a minute. We found this to be true for word documents though as printing PDFs took much longer. Printing a full-page, borderless, color photo on A4 glossy photo paper took about 5 minutes.

The PIXMA G2010 accepts the standard paper sizes, envelopes, 5×5-inch prints, and business card sizes. It also offers custom sizes up to 215mm in width and 676mm in length and can handle up to pretty thick 250 GSM paper.

The printer offers up 4800 x 1200dpi for printing which basically means you should be able to achieve sharp and clean prints.

We were really pleased with how the photos we printed on photo paper came out. We used photos take with smartphones and SLRs and the prints came out quite faithful to the source. Colors were accurate and details remained sharp. We also didn’t notice any bleeding either whether from text or photos.

I had a lot of fun printing out photos from our trips because while it’s nice to look at them on the phone or computer, I still do really love having tangible prints to display.

One of our favorite things about the PIXMA G2010 are its integrated ink tanks. By forgoing the traditional cartridges, the printer offers a more cost-efficient option for ink because ink not only takes longer to finish but also doesn’t dry out.

With the tanks also visible, you’ll also easily be able to see whether you need to refill. Seeing the contents of the tank is a great visible reminder to map out when you need to buy refills. And that should be a while, too, because Canon says its ink bottles can last up to 7000 pages.

Scanning or copying were also straightforward tasks. Once you have your document on the flatbed, you can use the onboard buttons to start a color or monochrome copy and indicate how many you would like. Using the native Windows Scan app on my PC, we were also able to achieve clear document scans.

Scanning photos or highly colored documents though didn’t come out as neat but are still recognizable with a good amount of detail and color.

There’s no wireless or network option here, though, which means it will be tethered to a single computer. This makes the device most suitable and most effective for small offices with shared computers or single home users.

It also runs a bit loud especially when you’re cleaning the printer head so that may be an issue for some. We weren’t personally bothered by the noise even if we have a small workspace.

Overall, if we were to sum up the Canon PIXMA G2010 in one word, that word would be dependable. You’re getting a fast printer with good quality and are also saving money with its refillable ink tank system.

Creature Feature

In our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in a device that makes it worth having – something that gives it an edge over its competitors. And for the Canon PIXMA G2010, it would have to be its refillable ink tank system.

What makes the Canon PIXMA G2010 a really great home office printer is that it’s pretty low maintenance. With its large ink tanks, you can fill them up and not worry about running out of ink for a good while. Ink tanks also don’t dry up like some cartridges which means you’re getting the most out of your money with refills.

Final Thoughts

The Canon PIXMA G2010 is the printer you buy and forget about. But in a good way. If you’re like us, you won’t need to print all the time but when you do, you just want a no-fuss device that works. And that’s what this printer is. But you may also be asking who else is this printer for?

If you’re more worried about saving ink than having a network or wireless connection then this printer is the way to go. I can imagine this fitting very well in a home office or study where it’s easily accessible by many family members or co-workers.

And whether you’re a student or worker or just need a printer for the house, you’ll benefit from the fast speeds and quality color prints while keeping things light on the pocket with its money-saving ink tanks.

The Canon PIXMA G2010 is already available for PhP 7,595 a.

Get it here: Amazon US, Lazada PH, Shopee PH