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[Dreamwriter]

My problem is, that thing looks too big to fit in the Switch carrying case that comes with Zelda Special Edition in the US. But as a portable device I'll want a charging cable with me. Also imagine plugging that thing in on an airplane...

 

[Vidiot]

So here's a question. I know they have switch car chargers ready to go at launch but my car has a usb charging port so could I buy any old usbc wire to play in play car without worrying of depleted batteries? I work a swing shift and have around two free hours everyday.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Every tablet device uses a wall wart. What's your point?

 

[Okami Haundo]

So here's a question. I know they have switch car chargers ready to go at launch but my car has a usb charging port so could I buy any old usbc wire to play in play car without worrying of depleted batteries? I work a swing shift and have around two free hours everyday.

You'd have to find out how much power your car can supply via that port. I think the officially licensed car charger supplies 18W of power so anything lower than that might not charge while you're playing. Heck, even that wattage might not give more than a trickle of power while you're actively playing a game.

 

[boiled goose]

Every tablet device uses a wall wart. What's your point?

From a tech standpoint, what are the reasons for wall warts? any advantages? cost? why do they exist?

 

[Windle Poons]

Proprietary connection or what?

 

[Metroid]

I'm interested in voltage and current. Does anyone have information about that?

 

[rekameohs]

From a tech standpoint, what are the reasons for wall warts? any advantages? cost? why do they exist?

You need a lot of juice to power something that beefy. Some manufacturers are fine with the brick being separate / two cables, but some prefer the brick being on the wall for cable management at the expense of outlet real estate.

And they're used as external power supplies for safety reasons.

 

[OnPoint]

But it's Nintendo, they'll get away with it. Their fans support everything they do.

Except for the Wii U

 

[bananafactory]

You need a lot of juice to power something that beefy. Some manufacturers are fine with the brick being separate / two cables, but some prefer the brick being on the wall for cable management at the expense of outlet real estate.

And they're used as external power supplies for safety reasons.

Who plugs their devices directly into wall sockets? Almost everyone should have their tvs/game systems in a power bar and these stupid things block half the outlets on it.

These are actually far worse for cable management

 

[captmcblack]

We really out here complaining about AC adapter aesthetics? That's what's hot in the streets these days?

 

[TwistedFreeze]

Man, I envy some of you guys. I wish my life was so perfect that a beefy power plug was what bothered me the most

 

[lenovox1]

Who plugs their devices directly into wall sockets? Almost everyone should have their tvs/game systems in a power bar and these stupid things block half the outlets on it.

These are actually far worse for cable management

*Sigh*

This AC adapter, like AC bricks for all tablets, has to be designed to be portable.

 

[Muzicfreq]

Not really. It needs to bring enough juice.

I dunno they made a chunky 3ds charger for 1amp.... I just use the USB cable and plug it into whatever other 1amp charging thing I have.

 

[Peltz]

To be fair, you can use an extension cable to make it inline and solve the power outlet space issue.
That buying both will cost you 80 bucks is its own issue, though.

Literally any one of these issues can be fixed with a generic extension cable.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

These were less than $2 shipped last month but have gone up since then.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GUP41U/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Ah, Monoprice.

https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p...lFqGC_NWjOERurcwK2xvdVKqCq6WHmyK1QaAs0r8P8HAQ

They have them directly for super cheap. $1.88 for 3', 1.50 for 2' and 1.18 for 1'. Longer options available too.

I'll look at my wire mess tonight/tomorrow and see how many and what length will be best for me to help tame that brick mess and make room for Switch on the 3rd.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

With the Switch using a bog-standard USB-C connection this isn't an issue whatsoever.

 

[rekameohs]

*Sigh*

This AC adapter, like AC bricks for all tablets, has to be designed to be portable.

Exactly! I have never in my life heard anyone complain in person about the iPad wall charger, and that's the exact same "problem" as in there. And the iPad is infinitely more popular than the Switch. But GAF has to find something to complain about at every moment.

I would myself prefer a USB type charger like tablets generally have, but I ain't gonna go and make some GAF thread about that.

 

[Blueblur1]

Ah, Monoprice.

https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p...lFqGC_NWjOERurcwK2xvdVKqCq6WHmyK1QaAs0r8P8HAQ

They have them directly for super cheap. $1.88 for 3', 1.50 for 2' and 1.18 for 1'. Longer options available too.

I'll look at my wire mess tonight/tomorrow and see how many and what length will be best for me to help tame that brick mess and make room for Switch on the 3rd.

I've purchased these before for my wall-mounted TV and soundbar. They're solid. I'll just order another one.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Exactly! I have never in my life heard anyone complain in person about the iPad wall charger, and that's the exact same "problem" as in there. And the iPad is infinitely more popular than the Switch. But GAF has to find something to complain about at every moment.

I have no issue with it, but to play Devil's advocate...

Most people aren't doing intensive gaming on their iPads, and from the first model on they tend to get right around 10 hours of battery life for all other uses. So the brick is a bit moot as people rarely have a need to charge it other than at home at night (or hotel room when traveling).

That said, again, nonissue. Buy an extension cord to fit it in your powerstrip if needed (which is what I'm doing as above), a good battery pack is a better option for charging on the go, with the brick left at home or in the suitcase/hotel room when traveling.

The only real valid concern is how much power you need to charge while playing--that could limit which battery packs provide enough, which car chargers, whether you can keep a charge using airplane USB ports etc.

 

[tkscz]

AVGN criticized this kind of power brick design as far back as 2007.

It is THE CURRENT YEAR and this shit still continues. It is not acceptable.

Then don't get it. Did we all just suddenly forget the Switch uses USB-C to charge the system AND power the dock?

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

It's a big charger, but it's not the end of the world. I'll just put it in the end plug on the power bar and call it a day. No big deal.

Actually it is the end of the world so this is a big deal

 

[BlastProcessing]

Let. It. Go.

There was a design flaw in some recalled cables last year. It's over. We can move on now. Buy a good brand cable and you're fine.

Nope.

USB-C is better in almost every way, but there are things about the basic design of the standard that mean that bad implementations are simply more dangerous than they where with old USB.

This isn't something that will just go away overnight. There will always be bad implementations to watch out for.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Exactly! I have never in my life heard anyone complain in person about the iPad wall charger, and that's the exact same "problem" as in there. And the iPad is infinitely more popular than the Switch. But GAF has to find something to complain about at every moment.

I would myself prefer a USB type charger like tablets generally have, but I ain't gonna go and make some GAF thread about that.

Do you know why nobody complains about iPad chargers? Look how wide they are. They don't obstruct other ports on a power strip.

 

[faceless007]

Exactly! I have never in my life heard anyone complain in person about the iPad wall charger, and that's the exact same "problem" as in there. And the iPad is infinitely more popular than the Switch. But GAF has to find something to complain about at every moment.

I would myself prefer a USB type charger like tablets generally have, but I ain't gonna go and make some GAF thread about that.

Ignoring for the moment that thread-whining and meta-commentary about GAF as a whole is not great posting style -- there's a key difference in that iPad chargers are just as narrow as a power plug itself, which means they take up no more space on a horizontally-spaced power strip than any other plug. Wall warts like the Switch one take up more, which means you either have to give up 1-2 more outlets, get an extension cable, or get a new power strip, all of which are inconveniences that the Apple style and most other manufacturers at least in my experience don't force onto customers.

I'm not saying it's the end of the world or no one should buy a Switch because of it, but looking at my available power outlets, I don't have one that will accommodate the wall wart, so I'm a bit annoyed that I will have to buy yet another piece of equipment just to get it running without sacrificing any other devices. There's nothing invalid about people expressing annoyance at something video-game-related on a video game message board. And let's be real, the only true reason for the decision is that Nintendo is in severe penny-pinching mode and they want to save on the cost of the extra cord that an inline adapter would require.

 

[thebisonxrc]

Actually it is the end of the world so this is a big deal

Haha whoops, my mistake!

 

[Stinkles]

The power adapter is obviously "one piece" to allow better adapter portability compared to laptops .

No. The reason almost every laptop has a flattened inline brick is that literally hundreds of billions of uses have shown that flat with wires is preferable to chunky with one - mostly, but not entirely for packing reasons. Further, for kids stuff, chunky tends to be a trip hazard and makes at-TV/wall socket swapping scenarios clunkier.

This is however typically a bit cheaper. And looking at the UK one, they've found a way to have the same brick for every region, with the prongs changing. Chunky immediately rules out a slim carry case, for one thing.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

From a tech standpoint, what are the reasons for wall warts? any advantages? cost? why do they exist?

Because you need ample power to charge your device.

 

[Okami Haundo]

My problem is, that thing looks too big to fit in the Switch carrying case that comes with Zelda Special Edition in the US. But as a portable device I'll want a charging cable with me. Also imagine plugging that thing in on an airplane...

That's my issue as well! My wife has the "new" Macbook which came with a 29W USB-C charger. I'm gonna try that out first as it definitely has a much smaller profile and she doesn't use the charger too often. If that doesn't work there are 39W wall chargers on Amazon that seem like they'll do the job for about $20. You would then have the added benefit of being able to charge multiple devices as well.

 

[mlclmtckr]

I think I'm going to need two adaptors, one for the dock and one for my nightstand. Hopefully there are some trustworthy cheap third party ones.

 

[ika]

It looks like it's just a little bit bigger than the iPad AC Adapter. Also, the Switch needs more power than the Gamepad so obviously the AC will be bigger.

Don't see the problem here. This is just your "Switch is DOA, Nintendo doomed" GAF thread of the day, IMO...

 

[Vidiot]

Would it be safe to use something like an anker power bank with a usbc cable to charge the Switch? They seem to work great for my phone.

 

[a916]

Man, I envy some of you guys. I wish my life was so perfect that a beefy power plug was what bothered me the most

Well you're on a thread about the power plug... so people are going to discuss the power plug.

 

[Ouroboros]

Throwback. Nintendo going back to their roots all the way with the Switch.

 

[Pagusas]

I think we need a "USB Type C - Understanding what it is and why you cant just power everything with it" thread. Too many posters in this thread posting USB bricks thinking they'll do the job and not understanding USB C's wide power allowances and inability to be compatible with everything.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

I think we need a "USB Type C - Understanding what it is and why you cant just power everything with it" thread. Too many posters in this thread posting USB bricks thinking they'll do the job and not understanding USB C's wide power allowances and inability to be compatible with everything.

I'd love that as I'm totally new to all this.

Really, I'll just wait until it's out and someone posts a thread with recommended cables and charger bricks and battery packs before buying anything. I know I'm probably going to want a battery pack for a long flight to Europe in May--unless I can confirm the plane has USB and that will be enough to keep playing (even if not enough to charge while playing).

And probably another charger brick for when traveling or the rare time I need to plug in while playing in portable mode at home while watching sports or something in the background on the TV.

 

[zelas]

And? Does anyone truly give a shit, especially since you can use whatever USB-C adapter you want?

They're asking me to pay for it. Yes, I give a shit. Why are all the answers to the shortcomings of the Switch just "pay more money." One time is tolerable, but not for multiple features. This shit is adding up. This thing is a joke for mass transit and carrying around.

Tell me how its out of line to ask for a quality user experience when you're being asked to pay $300.

 

[DarkConfidant]

Worst part of using my Super Famicom is having to unplug 3 other things. This looks similar.
Must be a throwback AC adapter.

Secret gpu inside.

I wish.

...

Spoiler

Wait, really?

 

[random25]

I think we need a "USB Type C - Understanding what it is and why you cant just power everything with it" thread. Too many posters in this thread posting USB bricks thinking they'll do the job and not understanding USB C's wide power allowances and inability to be compatible with everything.

Yeah. And for people's safety sake too.

At the end of the day, just make sure that the USB-C power adapter people are buying actually passes the standard, from power ratings to cable specifications.

 

[Owari]

I'm guessing it's about the same size as a DS/3DS adaptor.

uh. That's not the 3DS one.

Thinner and possibly wider than the Switch charger

 

[gundalf]

It is the 3DS but just the European version.

 

[Owari]

It is the 3DS but just the European version.

Ah. Didn't notice the different plugs.

 

[Shmuppers]

this seems like a silly thing to be upset about

 

[Screamapillar]

I really hope the Switch ac adapter isn't as big as it looks on the box. I don't like the ones that take up 3 outlets on a power strip.

Um... Just flip it upside down?

Lol

 

[m4st4]

Croatia uses "German" sockets instead of "French" ones, but virtually all new plugs are compatible between them both. It should work.

As long as it works, I'm cool. Thanks!

 

[SweetDonuts]

Don't really see a problem with this at all

 

[SomedayTheFire]

this seems like a silly thing to be upset about

These posts seem to come up in every complaint thread and they're always not worth even reading.

Is this thread really outraging about an AC adapter?

I don't think it's a "defense force" to simply think the outrage is silly.

There's no outrage.

 

[Stinkles]

this seems like a silly thing to be upset about

Wait till you try airplane food.

 

[Marty Chinn]

If you use a well designed strip then you aren't limited.

I use these.

Duronic ST10B 2 m 10 Way Surge Tower Extension Lead Socket https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000OV0CEY/

Plugs don't obstruct each other.

I have power strips that account for the "wall warts" by allocating more space to some of the plugs on the strip and even then I'm restricted cuz a lot of those are now already in use from other "wall warts".

Having the strips you use to stand vertically seems way less than ideal and if you lay it flat, you lose half the ports. Laying it flat would mean I would need 4 or 5 of those instead of the two power strips I'm using currently. That would make my cable management probably worse, not better.

 

[Enduin]

Do we know the length of the charging cable? If it's over 4' that would be great as I could hold off fairly long before needing to get another cable, which we'll hopefully see cheaper and more reliable alternatives as USB-C becomes more commonplace.