Venom Nintendo Switch Charge & Store (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
First impressions
Packaged together in the box is the unit itself, along with a small adaptor attachment for your Pro-Controller. The stand is powered by a decent length USB cable that you can plug into your dock, or any other USB port. Rather than using a standard MicroUSB or USB-C to connect, it uses a wire built directly into the base, which makes it feel a lot more sturdy than the MicroUSB standard I'm used to with many products. Plugging it in allows you to charge a pair of Joy-Con controllers, a Pro Controller and one Pokéball Plus.
Use
I don't own a Pokéball Plus, but the charging on the Joy-Cons and the Pro-Controller works just fine. Joy-Cons slide into the side of the unit, and whilst they don't click in, they still feel safe in the charger. The Pro-Controller requires you to plug in an attachment to the USB-C port, so that it can sit in the stand and make contact with three metal pins. It's not too much of a hindrance, but it unfortunately covers the sync button, making both re-syncing and turning the controller off fairly tedious. This isn't really a problem for your battery life, since you can just place it back onto the stand, but since I swap between using my controller on my Switch and on my PC, it gets tedious.
Placing each controller into the stand lights up a different LED light on the front. The Joy-Cons light up two small LEDs, while the Pro-Controller lights up the central Venom logo. When charging, the lights are red, but when they're fully charged, they'll turn green, which is a useful touch. Unfortunately, light from the Joy-Con LEDs bleeds into the central logo, making it look tacky. I'm also displeased with the Venom branding on the front. I praised the subtle branding of Venom's own Switch carrying case, so this is a disappointing step back. Surely just the Venom logo as an LED would have sufficed?
The final feature that the stand offers is storage for your Switch game cases. I find this a complete waste of space, myself. Placing your cases in the slots makes the product a lot taller, which could easily be a problem if you have it in front of a TV. The cases also look messy in the stand, despite looking nice and tidy in the promotional images. It would have been ideal if this useless feature was detachable.
Final Thoughts
The Venom Switch Charge & Store is a waste of time and money. I can just as easily charge my Joy-Con controllers in the Switch dock, and the Pro-Controller's battery lasts long enough that plugging it in just isn't an issue. For £15, I don't think it's worth it. There are so many Switch accessories available, but I'd give this one a miss.
Verdict
- Charges a ton of controllers at the same time
- Plugs directly into the dock with a decent length cable
- Requires you to plug a small adaptor into the Pro Controller
- Not much easier than just a cable
- The cases look wonky