- The Switch Fighter lets you play classic arcade games like Street Fighter II as you would in an arcade
- The makers promise USB-C charging and HDMI output for the final product
If you love Nintendo and retro gaming, then there's a new gadget for your Switch that you might love.
The Switch Fighter is an accessory that turns the Nintendo's latest console into a mini arcade cabinet. It features a full-scale arcade joystick and buttons for playing classic games like Street Fighter II and Pac-Man. It's currently only available through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. But my colleague Thomas and I got a chance to try out the Switch Fighter recently, and we have some hands-on impressions.
To use the Switch Fighter, you first have to detach the Joy-Con controllers from your Switch and slide the console into the cabinet. The console sits at an angle positioned perfectly for playing on a table.
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While the Switch's USB-C port does plug into the cabinet, the controls are wireless. So before you can start gaming, you have to pair the device to the console. Two buttons on the device, when pushed together, will put the cabinet into pairing mode, allowing it to connect to the Switch.
Now it's ready to start playing all your favourite retro games best played with an arcade joystick and six-button layout.
The Switch Fighter will also feature an HDMI port so players can plug it into a TV or monitor and get this retro gaming experience on a larger screen. Unfortunately, this feature and the USB-C charging weren't ready on the test unit we tried. But the company says they'll be available in the final retail version.
After testing the device, two things stood out to us as things that should be improved for the final version. The biggest issue is that the cabinet easily slides back and forth while playing games on it. A non-slip rubber base would probably fix the issue.
The other concern is the wireless connection. While we didn't notice any input lag while using it, it would still be better if that USB-C port could be used to connect the buttons in addition to charging. The makers of the device mentioned that they're exploring the possibility of supporting both wireless and USB-C connectivity for the controller in the retail version.
Right now, the Hong Kong-based crowdfunding campaign is offering backers two different Switch Fighter models. Early backers can get the standard model for US$109, which includes a joystick and buttons from Sanwa, suppliers of parts to full-size arcade machines. There's also a US$69 Lite variant with lower-quality buttons and joystick. That version won't include USB-C charging or HDMI-out.
Either way, if you really love retro gaming on your Switch, there's probably no better accessory to buy.
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