Nintendo has released an update for the Switch 2. Many users are complaining that the purchased docking stations no longer work. Nintendo has now responded and stated: It was all not intentional.
What is this update about? In mid-November 2025, Nintendo released version 21.0.0 for the Switch 2. Shortly after the update, some users reported on Reddit and other forums that third-party docking stations no longer work with the update.
However, the problem does not seem to affect all people who purchased such a docking station. One affected user reported: “It worked well, but I haven’t used it for a few months, and now, this week, it doesn’t work anymore.”
Nintendo explains: It was not intentional to hinder third-party docks
Nintendo responds: Nintendo has now addressed the issues and explained that it was not their intention to make the docking systems unusable. This is reported by the English magazine Gamespot.com. The statement reads as follows:
The Nintendo Switch 2 outputs audiovisual content as soon as it detects that it is connected to a Nintendo Switch 2 docking station. The Nintendo Switch behaves the same way and outputs audiovisual content as soon as it detects that it is connected to a Nintendo Switch docking station.
Nintendo also added that they have “no intention of hindering or overriding the compatibility of legal third-party docks”. Nintendo does not further explain which models are legal or not. Many third-party models, for example, are not officially licensed by Nintendo and it is unclear whether they are meant.
It is not known how many models are really affected. But if even Nintendo speaks up, the number of those reporting problems is likely not small.
What’s next? Some manufacturers, including Hagibis and Jemdo, have already released firmware updates for their docking stations. With these updates, the devices should work again.
Nintendo wants to focus on the Switch 2. In the long term, this also means that the old Switch will have no future. However, Nintendo still wants to sell both the old and the new hardware. And they also do not want to commit to an end date for the Switch 1. But it is clear: for the old Switch, it is coming to an end: With a single sentence, Nintendo has just made it clear that they will not support the Switch forever
