JSAUX OmniCentro Charger Dock GBAtemp review

The Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2, and by extension, the ROG Ally and the Steam Deck, are incredible gaming devices. As hybrid handhelds, they cross the line of portable consoles as well as TV-based entertainment centres/performant computers in such a way that all you need are a couple of cables and a dock to facilitate this simple metamorphosis. But what if instead of a dock and a charging plug it was all-in-one and there was no physical dock?


A Handy Travel-Sized One-For-All Device

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The JSAUX OmniCentro Charger Dock (OCCD) might unassumingly look like a standard mains adapter, but it's so much more. Boxed with a USB-C 3.2 power+data cable that spans just one meter in length, this 6 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm device can act as a charger for USB-A and USB-C devices with a maximum power of 65W, which is ideal for smaller devices such as tablets, wearables and phones, as well as working amply as a dock for devices such as the Nintendo Switch 1/2 (including OLED), ROG Ally, Steam Deck, Mac Books, iPads, and any Android Tablets or phones that support USB-C video output modes with USB power delivery.

Connecting my Switch 2 to my TV currently involves a plug underneath my TV at floor-level, my dock sits at around waist height and an HDMI cable reaches up to my TV a little above that. With the OmniCentro, I can banish the need for the mains power cable that came with the Switch 2, instead plugging the OCCD into the power socket, connecting the HDMI from the power socket to the TV, and finally connecting the Switch 2 to the power socket via the included cable.

I noticed that the UK plug version I was sent does not have a removable front plate or foldable pins to make it even more compact. The USA and European versions do come with this feature, which would have been nicer and less likely to catch the pins on something like the inside of your pocket, or the lining of a bag when slung in for travel. The jutting out pins also lend themselves to snapping off more easily, though this product does feel incredibly durable. Hopefully this will not be an issue for most people.

Nine times out of ten, when you plug this in it boots up and works perfectly. On the odd occasion, the handshake fails or it freezes, all you need to do is unplug it from the power, give it a second, and plug it back in. It's no hassle really, but can be aggravating if it happens a few times in a row. It's worth noting that JSAUX have mentioned that should any devices, such as the Nintendo Switch 2, fail to work with the OCCD in future updates, they can push firmware fixes that should mitigate any issues. I know a lot of people have expressed concern about bricking their Switch 2, or Nintendo blacklisting third-party docks, so this is encouraging and gives you far more confidence when looking to purchase this type of product.


Portable Paradise, Cabled Conundrums

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For ease of use, this device is great, because I no longer need to house separate docks for multiple devices. Setting up my iPad, Switch 2 and the Steam Deck; I now only need one USB-C cable that is upwardly accessible to plug into this swath of devices. I can see this also as something that is far more functional and serviceable by people who travel too. Taking this to a hotel or even using it on a train with power sockets; the convenience of the OCCD is truly astronomical.

On the downside, where the length of an original NS2 dock's power cable was 1.5 meters, plus the length of the HDMI cable at another 1.5 meters, I had a lot of additional wiggle room when using the standard Nintendo Switch 2 cables on my set up. With the OCCD, I only have a one meter USB-C cable coming from the power socket to connect to my devices, which is more limiting. Even worse, the NS2 HDMI cable at 1.5 meters now has to stretch from the ground-level of the plug socket all the way up to my TV directly, which I would say is around 1.6 - 1.7 meters in cabled distance.

In short, your cable management will need to be slightly rethought if you wish to use this as your daily driver, because in my situation, there is simply no way I can use the stock HDMI cable from power outlet-to-TV without needing to nudge my TV off centre to my TV space, which is hugely impractical, buying a 2.0 or longer HDMI 2.0/2.1/2.2 cable for full 4K and future proofing, or deploying an additional multi-plug socket power strip to make up the difference (yes, it's safe to use this on a power strip). People with TV's on walls or that have built-in conduits for cables will also need to rethink whether to extend the cables up to the TV or plug in nearer the TV and extend cables back to a point where you can connect your device without it hanging down off the cable like a bungee rope.

As a solution for people who travel a lot, and for people with screens sitting right next to power outlets, the OCCD is more than ideal. For the more common home TV experience, this might be a little too jarring for most, because you'll probably need to fork out for some longer cables or move your current entertainment space around to make this work. The latter is a little ironic because it's something that should make connectivity so simple, yet it made it much harder in reality.