Gaming

This ridiculously tiny Nintendo Switch dock is the size of a phone charger

22x

How much smaller the Genki Covert Dock Mini is versus the official Switch dock.

Genki

Sure you can already bring your Nintendo Switch with you wherever you want. But, what if you could also bring a dock that’s just as portable so you can hook it up to a TV without all the plastic bulk. Human Things is updating its portable dock solution with the Genki Covert Dock Mini that’s nearly 22 times smaller than Nintendo’s official Switch dock.

Look at how much smaller the Genkin Covert Mini Dock is compared to Nintendo’s official Switch (OLED model) dock.Human Things / Kickstarter

The form factor of the mini dock looks very similar to a smartphone wall charger and it even has foldable prongs so you can chuck it into your bag worry-free. You don’t even need space or a shelf to dock up your Switch, since the Covert Dock Mini can just hang out on a wall outlet.

Some Switch users may already know the Human Things brand since their first version of a portable dock won many of them over. Or maybe you know them for the Genki Shadowcast that lets you play Switch games on your laptop or its Bluetooth audio adapter for the Switch (though that’s kinda pointless now that the Switch officially works with Bluetooth headphones).

Slimmed down — Like its first portable dock, the Genki Covert Dock Mini plugs into any outlet, and then you just have to connect your Switch via USB-C and your TV via HDMI. In practical terms, it does the same thing as the first-generation Covert Dock.

There’s three different versions for specific regions.Human Things / Kickstarter

But, Human Things added a few touches to make the new Dock Mini more worth it. There’s an LED indicator at the top to let you know if it’s charging your Switch or in dock mode. The Dock Mini also supports 4K30 fps output now, making it somewhat future-proofed for whenever you get your Steam Deck or if there’s a potential second-generation Switch in the works.

The smaller nature of the Dock Mini meant some features had to be cut. It doesn’t have a USB-A port like its predecessor and it’s a little less powerful now, pumping out an output of 20W instead of the previous 30W. Even at 20W, you can still use the dock as a fast charger for most modern phones or regular charge a tablet, but it probably won’t be powerful enough to charge up a laptop.

Crowdfunded — The Genkin Covert Mini Dock is only available in a black and white colorway and comes with a six-foot USB-C cable. The company did catch some heat for not making the mini docks work natively with European or Southeast Asian outlets at first, so they’ve since decided to make additional compatible versions.

Of course, this is a crowdfunded project, so be aware of the potential issues that may come with that. On top of that, Human Things decided to wrap the Genki Covert Dock Mini campaign along with its Genki Waveform wireless earbuds. But, you can choose to pledge $50 for just the Genki Covert Dock Mini. Human Things lists August 2022 as the estimated delivery date for the dock on its Kickstarter page, but the Indiegogo page says October.