Review cover Brook Power Bay Ethernet Switch Dock (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review

The Brook Power Bay Ethernet Switch Dock tries to add a few wanted features to the standard Switch dock to eliminate excessive use of extra add-ons. Is it able to do that while still nailing the basics of what the official dock does?

attachFull244598

As much as I love my Switch, the barebones nature of the dock makes it a necessity to accessorize sometimes. I use it a lot for local multiplayer, and since GameCube controllers are the best and cheapest option, I need a GameCube controller adapter. I like to play online and want a stable connection, so I need a USB Ethernet adapter to make up for the Switch’s lack of a built-in port. What should be a simple, elegant machine ends up looking like some kind of dismembered octopus living under my TV, with various wires and boxes sprawling out of it in every direction. The Brook Power Bay Ethernet Dock looks to consolidate a lot of these accessories into the dock itself to reduce on clutter.

attachFull244597

The Brook Power Bay has been around for a few years, but the big addition to the 2021 model is the Ethernet port on the back. The Switch, for some reason, doesn’t seem to get very high download speeds through a hardwired connection; this is something I’ve noticed both in my own experience and from common complaints online. The Ethernet port here delivers speeds commensurate with what I was getting with my USB Ethernet adapter, but don’t expect lightning-fast down speeds. A wired connection does provide a more stable connection, however, so if you’re playing online and want to make sure nothing will interrupt, this may be worth the investment.

The most notable inclusion is the two GameCube controller ports installed on the front. It's a little disappointing that it's only two instead of four, but it's still very handy for one-on-one fights in Smash, or it can be easily rounded out to four with some Joy-con or a Pro Controller. Having played a lot of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Brook Power Bay, I can confidently say there's no noticeable latency or lag. It works as conveniently and smoothly as the official GameCube controller adapter, but with less mess.

There is one issue with using GameCube controllers on the Switch in general, however: the lack of a home button. It's not a huge deal, but it is annoying to have to yank the Switch out of its dock to hit the home button and then slide it back in. The Brook Power Bay addresses this in two ways, one convoluted and one very simple. The convoluted way is to press a button on the dock that resets the controller and makes the Switch detect it as a Pro Controller, with the start button acting as the home button. It's a pretty neat trick, but then it leaves you without a start button, which introduces even more issues. There's a little chart in the user manual that tells you what each button on the GameCube controller corresponds to when it's being detected as a Pro Controller, but at that point the solution is far more of a pain than the problem ever was. The simple solution is that, since the Brook Power Bay leaves your Switch totally exposed, you can just hit the home button on a Joy-con attached to the system.

attachFull244593

Review imageReview imageReview image

That exposure might be a sticking point for some, however. Your Switch is certainly more prone to damage than it would be in a regular dock, and it doesn’t come in and out as easily. There’s a very deliberate process to line up the USB-C plug with the port on the Switch, and it sometimes feels a little tight when you’re removing it. That tightness might give some people pause for thought, as it can feel a little like it’ll damage the port, but I can say I haven’t had any damage to mine so far. If your Switch ever does end up damaged in any way by the Brook Power Bay, Brook advertises on its website a replacement program for damaged Switches. Since some third-party docks have caused Switches to brick in the past, Brook is confident enough in the safety of their product that they have pledged to repair any broken Switches, or repay the cost if the damage cannot be fixed. It's worth pointing out that the Brook Power Bay doesn't come with an A/C adapter so that people are more likely to use the official Nintendo one, and redirect some culpability away from Brook. (It's also worth mentioning that they won't honour this policy if you're running any kind of custom firmware.) Unfortunately, my Switch never broke during my time with the Brook Power Bay, so I can’t personally vouch for their repair program, but if you'd like to read about it, you can find the information at the bottom of this page.

Other than these added features, the Power Bay functions basically like a regular Switch dock. The HDMI out was stable and never caused any issues. There’s still two USB ports if you have other accessories you need to plug in. It’s advertised as a fast-charging dock, but I found it took roughly three and a half hours for it to get my completely dead Switch back to 100%—pretty much the same as an official dock. That’s all fine though. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here; the Switch dock is great on its own and the additional features here make this a worthy purchase. If you're interested, you can grab one via pre-order on the official site.

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Reduces clutter by building in features the official Switch dock lacks
  • Small form factor
  • Insured repair program
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Turning GC controller into a Pro controller works in theory but causes problems in practice
  • Leaves Switch exposed
8.5
out of 10

Overall

The Brook Power Bay is a simple Switch dock that builds a few desirable features in, reducing the reliance on other accessories, and does it all while doing mostly everything the original Switch dock does as well.
This would have been an instant buy for me if it had 4 controller ports

the extra space/size needed could have just been used to protect the switch while docked a bit more
 
  • Like
Reactions: Julie_Pilgrim
I love it, but $80 is quite pricey. I'd primarily use it for the Gamecube controller ports, but I already have the official Gamecube adapter. No possibility of connecting my Switch through Ethernet unfortunately, but using the 5GHz band has been just fine.
 
I love the GameCube design.

For the Ethernet port, it is almost worth its asking price. The GameCube ports are mostly for them Smashers, which I am not. For 50$, I'd get it and set it up in my living room, as the Switch resides in my daughter's room.

With a MagicNS, an XBOX 360 game pad and a GameCube controller, I'd have all I need in the living room.

But 80$ is out of my league.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Julie_Pilgrim
You must really love smash to get this one. I'd prefer a dock that was more portable, has at least 3 usb ports and works with phones/laptops. It's usually 2 USB ports on the more portable ones. Although at home, I just use a normal dock with a usb hub fitted for the dock and I use a USB-C extension to prevent the switch from getting too hot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Julie_Pilgrim
The purpose of a third party dock should be to be less expensive than the horribly overpriced 90$ switch docks.
If one buys a cheap Chinese dock with a LAN and gamecube adapter it is probably half the price of this thing.
I nearly bricked my switch by using one of the first cheap docks and am not planning to risk it again, especially if I also waste a lot of money until it maybe eventually bricks.
 
I really hate when people complain about "turning a GameCube styled controller into a pro controller". Yes, an original GameCube controller lacks some buttons but the newer style GC style controllers work well. At the end of the day and minus a few stubborn games with no button mapping, you either love or hate the button layout. I use nothing but GC style controllers for Switch and PC gaming and I rarely have any issues.
 
I mean the case f the gc controller home button issue is a thing on all gc to switch adapters the smart way would program a key combo to do it
or just use a joycon to press home

also the switch treating it as a pro controller is how the console itself acts with all gc adapters
you only get it recognised as a full GC controller in certain games like smash and sunshine (analog triggers yo)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Julie_Pilgrim
It's a great idea, but the price is too high imo. I understand the concept, but they should reduce the price to $45.00-$60.00. Otherwise it's more expensive than an official Switch Pro Controller (around $69.99), which isn't fair. :mellow:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Julie_Pilgrim
A
iirc the reason the ethernet doesnt go fast is because the adapter is usb 2.0, and this is probably using an internal adapter instead of actually wiring the ethernet directly, also, DisplayPort would be a nice addition, same as an nvme slot
 
Review cover

Reviews

  1. Xiaomi has just launched its latest smartphone line, the Xiaomi 14 series. In this series, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the top-of-the-line model, with a focus on photography and a dedicated Photography Kit to complement this focus. Let’s take a closer look!

  2. Obsidian’s Pentiment is part of a new wave of Xbox games coming to other platforms. Should you try to solve the 16th century murder mystery it presents?

  3. The second iteration of Supernote's compact e-ink notebook, we check out the A6X2 Nomad!

  4. Acting like an NPC has never been more intense

  5. The Aurvana Ace by Creative might look like your regular pair of wireless earbuds but it's the first to pack xMEMS’ solid-state silicon drivers. These are supposed to deliver richer, lifelike...

Site & Scene News

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2: Sorry for accidentally bending over