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SD Card and USB C Cord Suggestions for Switch
- Thread starter casey_contra
- Start date
Naked Snake
Member
Shouldn't the press that have already received their Switch for reviews be able to test power banks and answer this for us?
I think we are missing a step in the functionality of charging here. The switch has a battery of 4310 mah, which is about 16W/h of energy. A 2.4A charger would give 12W, which means that the Switch should charge in 80 minutes. Additionally, even when running, the system takes at most 6.4W of power (16(W/h)/2.5h), so the power bank mentioned should be more than suited (even when considering a slight decrease in efficiency). It would seem that the charging power of the Switch AC adapter takes into account a charging time of 3 hours when playing as well, otherwise I can't understand why it would take 3 hours at 13W of charging power. As a result, the power bank should be able to charge the switch when playing at just a slightly slower rate than the AC adapter, but at the very least it will charge it in this setup.
Yes, I doubt that is disallowed under the embargo, so I expect some outlets to inform us on this.
Naked Snake
Member
Are you taking into account that the Switch AC adapter needs to power the Switch in docked mode (which runs at a higher frequency than portable) AND power any USB devices connected to the dock? So power requirement should be quite different in portable mode vs docked.
No, but that only strengthens my argument I think.
Okay so I may sound super dumb but here it goes anyway
This is the Switch's AC adapter
It appears to have two modes. It would make sense to assume that the 5V - 1.5A is for charging in portable mode and the 15V - 2.6 A would be for the dock, right?
This is my powerbank
If we asume the official AC adapter charges the console at 5V - 1.5 A, shouldn't this powerbank be enough to charge while playing in portable mode because it's 5V - 2.4A? With a good USB A-C cable.
Only output 2 has Quickcharge btw so even if that's dangerous I just have to use output 1
I probably don't have any idea what I'm talking about
This is the Switch's AC adapter
It appears to have two modes. It would make sense to assume that the 5V - 1.5A is for charging in portable mode and the 15V - 2.6 A would be for the dock, right?
This is my powerbank
If we asume the official AC adapter charges the console at 5V - 1.5 A, shouldn't this powerbank be enough to charge while playing in portable mode because it's 5V - 2.4A? With a good USB A-C cable.
Only output 2 has Quickcharge btw so even if that's dangerous I just have to use output 1
I probably don't have any idea what I'm talking about
Naked Snake
Member
The two different outputs I think one is for fast charging (which takes place while charging the battery from 0% to 50% or something like that) and then it switches to the normal charging mode for the remaining time.
I read that Quickcharge is not compatible with USB-C standard for fast charging.
Regarding quickcharge, I edited the post. Only output2 has quickcharge on that powerbank. So I just have to use output 1 and I'm good on that front.
And... If you are right,then what is the mode for docked? Because I doubt the amps are the same for docked and undocked. Wouldn't it have 3 modes then?
Shrike Alvaron
Member
The 5V/1.5A output is very likely for charging it yeah, and I'd hazard a guess and say it charges at that rate even when in the dock if the system's off. it makes sense as it's about what people calculated to be the minimum charging current needed for portable mode and would explain why the officially rated charging time is on the long side. Hopefully Nintendo doesn't limit the current it can take and 2.4A and 3A charging will charge it faster, but even if they did there's no harm in using chargers rated at a higher current.
The Broken Ska Record
Member
I just bought a 10 ft USB C to A cable, but would I be able to use any USB wall adapter? Or do I need to buy a certain one? I'll probably be using it while I play in bed or the couch.
I have a little 6000mah powerbank from a few years ago that has dual USB outputs, including a 2A one for iPad charging. I might just try that with a USB C cable and see it it'll charge faster than it drains when playing. If not I'll keep an eye out for recommendations of chargers that people actually have and tested with a switch.
I think I'll also want a simple AC adapter like I did with my WiiU to play tethered at home. Might keep it simple and get the official Nintendo one.
I think I'll also want a simple AC adapter like I did with my WiiU to play tethered at home. Might keep it simple and get the official Nintendo one.
JediMasterMatt
Member
Hopefully, we can get confirmation on what is needed to do the following:
- Play in handheld mode and charge at the same time without carrying around the AC adapter. I assume some a good USB-C cable and a USB wall wart power adapter will be sufficient; but, which one?
I've seen so many discussions about what battery will work best, when what many of us need is the solution to what do we need to plug in the Switch directly to AC and charge and play at the same time. The what if scenario of after the internal battery and your external battery have both died.
Are we sure that a regular Anker 2 port USB adapter will work for charge and play?
If 15v at 2.6a is needed for docked mode, are we sure that 5v and the reduced amps is all we need for charge AND play when we know that it's all we need for just charge?
- Play in handheld mode and charge at the same time without carrying around the AC adapter. I assume some a good USB-C cable and a USB wall wart power adapter will be sufficient; but, which one?
I've seen so many discussions about what battery will work best, when what many of us need is the solution to what do we need to plug in the Switch directly to AC and charge and play at the same time. The what if scenario of after the internal battery and your external battery have both died.
Are we sure that a regular Anker 2 port USB adapter will work for charge and play?
If 15v at 2.6a is needed for docked mode, are we sure that 5v and the reduced amps is all we need for charge AND play when we know that it's all we need for just charge?
PapaEmeritus
Member
any idea peeps how this would be for the switch?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0J5N37/ref=sxts1?tag=slickdeals&ascsubtag=f489939cfa0511e6a6d876ec1d0e2af00INT&ie=UTF8&qid=1475807334&sr=1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0J5N37/ref=sxts1?tag=slickdeals&ascsubtag=f489939cfa0511e6a6d876ec1d0e2af00INT&ie=UTF8&qid=1475807334&sr=1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65
Yeah if a basic 5v/2A USB charger is enough to at least keep the battery from draining while playing then I could avoid buying another AC adapter as I have a few normal USB chargers around the house (would just need a USB A-C cable)
Right, when using USB C its 3A, regular USB is 2.4. There is my confusion
I saw a review mentioning it drained/died while using Jackery Titan, which has ports labeled as 3.4A...but I think that's combined max output, cause it also says 2A fast recharging. So 2A sounds like it won't be enough.
The question now is 2.4A since that seems like the common maximum on USB-A chargers nowadays, along with the third party Switch chargers.
MiddeSummer
Banned
Hey OP, the Sandisk 200GB SD card has gone up in price from the $60 to $90, because why not.
JediMasterMatt
Member
That's what I was afraid of... the bottle neck in the whole play/charge thing is going to be the legacy USB support. The wall warts designed around it simply aren't going to put out enough volts/amps through a single port. All the specs built around how many ports and watts/amps the entire throughput is aren't going to help when the thirsty Switch is calling for more.
I think a true USB-C power adapter is the only path we know will work. I'm sure that there will be some quick charge types of legacy USB items that may end up working; but, for now- I'm betting that it's going to need more juice than what those devices are guaranteed to put out.
Something like this should do the trick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CJ90J6O/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Granted, it's almost as big as the stupid AC adapter that comes with the switch; but, it has a dedicated plug so it won't congest your outlet and it has 4 more USB ports that can charge the rest.
I'm not really worried about the external battery solution as it looks like as long as you don't completely drain your internal battery you can use external to charge as fast as the amps will allow.
Shrike Alvaron
Member
I looked that up, it was actually the Jackery Titan S apparently which looks like it does have a USB-C port. It's unclear what port the person was using to charge, but it's a bit worrying... There's absolutely no reason the Switch should require the 15V USB-PD input to charge, especially given the stated charge time of 3 hours. I suppose it's possible Nintendo built protection into the firmware so only authorized chargers will work, but that'd be awfully shitty of them if they did so. Hopefully there's something else to that story.
Edit: Here's the Ars Technica article that mentions the Jackery Titan S, however I also found this post on Reddit that mentions a French website said that their battery tests with chargers >2A worked fine. Of course, doesn't mention what voltage, but USB-PD battery packs with greater than 5V are pretty rare. So... It's all up in the air now.
I would like to warn you guys not to use neither Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P chargers with the switch, as these are not spec compliant and are very dangerous when used with anything that isn't the included phone. I was really thinking about opening a PSA thread but I don't really know if it deserves one...? I may create the thread closer to release. In any case, don't do it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/4w1xf5/please_check_your_chargers_some_nexus_5x6p/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMPrM0eWPbY
The C-C cable itself is fine if you want to combine it with a powerbank or something like that, it's the power brick itself that's dangerous.
Also I can confirm that the it's not just the USA models, my european Nexus 5X charger also gives power in reverse to a USB hub if connected with a A to C cable (with the USB A end on the hub). Which should NEVER EVER happen.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/4w1xf5/please_check_your_chargers_some_nexus_5x6p/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMPrM0eWPbY
The C-C cable itself is fine if you want to combine it with a powerbank or something like that, it's the power brick itself that's dangerous.
Also I can confirm that the it's not just the USA models, my european Nexus 5X charger also gives power in reverse to a USB hub if connected with a A to C cable (with the USB A end on the hub). Which should NEVER EVER happen.
mr teaspoon
Member
Okay, I'm an idiot when it comes to USB-C.
I'm positive I don't own any devices that use USB-C. I typically just use my PS4 as a USB hub to charge all my devices.
I'm picking up a pro controller, which comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable. Does that mean I can use that cable to safely charge all my USB-C Switch devices on any regular USB-A device, like a PS4?
I'm positive I don't own any devices that use USB-C. I typically just use my PS4 as a USB hub to charge all my devices.
I'm picking up a pro controller, which comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable. Does that mean I can use that cable to safely charge all my USB-C Switch devices on any regular USB-A device, like a PS4?
For the controller that comes with it comes in yes because it's the cable that comes in
For any other device wait for people to check if it's spec compliant (it probably is)
People are probably buying them up in preparation for the Switch.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/SanDisk-200GB-Ultra-microSDXC-UHS-I-Memory-Card/46030874
Try Wal-Mart the card is $72 then in checkout use the code "Triple15" and the price should be knocked down to $65 with free 2 day shipping.
(If the code still works.)
Also the 128gb card is still on sale at Amazon for $40 which is a pretty good price as well.
Admiral Woofington
Member
lmao those sneaky bastards increasing the price when it got popular. Good thing I bought it when it was 70.
People honest to god need to use C to C chargers (that aren't the Nexus chargers). No QuickCharge, no A to C horseshit. C to C. People gobbling up all these power bricks without native C ports are in for some unfortunate surprises.
Mizzou Gaming
Member
Sorry to be such a pathetic, old noob but what exactly is this USB-C deal u guys are talking about and why might I need one for my Switch?
Admiral Woofington
Member
I asked the same thing not realizing that essentially the micro USB we've had to charge many devices is going out and being replaced by this more rounded design for many future devices.
In the switch's case, it is just the specific type of port that the switch accepts. Its like a variant of the micro usb or mini usb. But this one is able to be plugged in either way and has improved charging in some instances.
Shrike Alvaron
Member
USB-C is a new format for a USB connector, to succeed both USB-A (the boxy rectangular connector on your PC or laptop, basically the standard USB connector) and USB-B (most commonly known in it's microUSB form, the original B form is rarely used now). The advantages of USB-C are that the connector is reversible meaning it can be plugged in either way, and it has more pins allowing for both faster data transfer speeds and greater power delivery. Apple's also gotten in on the USB-C train by using it as the connector for their Thunderbolt 3 protocol.
It'll be a while before USB-C sees total adaptation, but in the end the goal is for it to fully replace all current USB connectors. While traditionally USB connections have gone A to B, with USB-C it's designed to allow for C to C connections thus simplifying the USB standard to only need that one single connector. Of course, until A and B are considered legacy connectors it's only going to complicate things...
I'd hold off on buying anything for a bit longer. At the moment with previews out there's some conflicting reports on whether the Switch works well with battery packs or not... I've only seen one person saying they had issues though compared to around three who have said they work fine, so we just need someone to do more testing.
Mizzou Gaming
Member
Once again GAF fills me with knowledge. Thanks to all of you that explained that to me, its greatly appreciated.
While I am at it and I think this sorta fits into the topic, but does anyone know how large The Legend of Zelda file is? I went complete digital on all my Xbone purchases and 90% of my PS4 library is digital so now I'm trying to decide what route ill go with my Switch.
What is the word on external HDD support? Looking at the costs and size of these storage cards, my decision on digital or not will depend all on if the Switch will support Ext HDD or not. Thanks again btw.
While I am at it and I think this sorta fits into the topic, but does anyone know how large The Legend of Zelda file is? I went complete digital on all my Xbone purchases and 90% of my PS4 library is digital so now I'm trying to decide what route ill go with my Switch.
What is the word on external HDD support? Looking at the costs and size of these storage cards, my decision on digital or not will depend all on if the Switch will support Ext HDD or not. Thanks again btw.
WonkyPanda
Member
13.4gb for BotW.
These are some others:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: 7 GB
Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together: 1.6 GB
Disgaea: 5: 5.92 GB
Puyo Puyo Tetris: 1.09 GB
I Am Setsuna: 1.4 GB
Nobunaga's Ambition: 5 GB
No support of external HDD has been announced yet. It might come but who knows when. Probably months if not more. Don't count on it and think about micro SD instead.
Blackquill
Member
What's the difference between all these usb-C charger ? Can it make the Switch charge faster ?
Sorry if it's been answered already, but does anybody know what Amps my battery pack needs to output to charge this thing. Also providing it meets requirements, would I be able to use any high quality USB C cable that meets the proper standard?
I have read through the last couple pages and seen people mentioning 2.6A. I think my battery pack only does 2.4 per port
I have read through the last couple pages and seen people mentioning 2.6A. I think my battery pack only does 2.4 per port
I'm thinking about this one, but some Amazon reviews say it's super slow at some tasks. Are we sure it's fine for the Switch?
Mizzou Gaming
Member
I have gone back and read through this thread and now I have another question I hope you all don't mind answering.
Does buying all physical copies save me precious HDD space or does the Switch install everything to the hard drive just like my Xbox One?
Does buying all physical copies save me precious HDD space or does the Switch install everything to the hard drive just like my Xbox One?
No installs with physical games.
The games do not install; they play from the cart. If you go all physical, you'll only have game saves, dlc and patches on the 32GB it comes with.
Minsc
Gold Member
While caution can be good, I don't think there's any risk getting or recommending a USB-C 5V / 3A power bank, because that's the highest any power bank you buy will put out (short of a 5 lb laptop battery one with power outlets). The iPhone 7+ has a 2900 mah battery, and that charges successfully while in heavy use on a 5V / 1A power bank fine, so 3A should be more than enough for the switch. Plus absolute worst case is you could simply return it within the month.
There's a thread here on power banks for the Switch, along with a video showing them charge the device while it is running / on the go.
jts
...hate me...
Re: external HDD support.
How cool would it be if we could have an external HDD plugged to the dock that would store all of our games and we could sincronize as many as they fit in our micro SD/internal memory as we see fit or automatically i.e. recentelly downloaded, most played, recentelly played, etc.
Basically the HDD would be the main storage so that we wouldn't need to redownload stuff that we deleted to make room for other games.
How cool would it be if we could have an external HDD plugged to the dock that would store all of our games and we could sincronize as many as they fit in our micro SD/internal memory as we see fit or automatically i.e. recentelly downloaded, most played, recentelly played, etc.
Basically the HDD would be the main storage so that we wouldn't need to redownload stuff that we deleted to make room for other games.
Using A to C charging is fine as long as the A-C cable is good. When I bought my A-C cable I bought the Google one despite being stupidly expensive and I feel 100% comfortable using it. It's up to spec, so it won't damage my devices.
Of course I use C-C charging whenever possible but it has saved me a few times from not being able to charge my phone.
Considering the Pro Controller, and JoyCon Charging grip both come with A - C cables, designed to be plugged into the dock (USB A ports), I don't think we'll have any problems using them with a Power Bank.
Is this for real? If so, I'd jump all over it. Seems to be a sale, though I'm not sure for how long.
Link here.
To be honest, I'm not sure what's more amazing...getting that much capacity for just $60, or the fact that it got marked down from $419.99. WTH!! Were the prices really that outrageous?
Link here.
To be honest, I'm not sure what's more amazing...getting that much capacity for just $60, or the fact that it got marked down from $419.99. WTH!! Were the prices really that outrageous?
I'm seeing two major problems with this "deal":
1. This card doesn't seem to have a listing for what company and where it was manufactured.
2. The cards they sell appear to be fake.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
Shrike Alvaron
Member
To add on to what the other said, 518GB microSD cards don't really commonly exist yet. There might be a few rare and ludicrously expensive ones, but nothing approaching mainstream consumer availability.