Nintendo's Joy-Con charging stand is 7 years too late, and you're still going to buy it

Seven years after the Switch’s launch, Nintendo is finally releasing an official Joy-Con charging stand. This upcoming accessory will allow gamers to top up their controllers’ batteries without needing to attach them to the Nintendo Switch itself.

Nintendo has announced on Twitter that it’s launching a Joy-Con charging stand on October 17. The official accessory will support up to two Joy-Cons (or compatible Nintendo Entertainment System controllers) simultaneously, sparing gamers the need to recharge them using the Switch.

This stand may particularly appeal to gamers who leave their Switch docked and connected to a TV at all times, as the dock is often out of their reach. And thanks to the stand’s USB-C connector, gamers won’t have to worry about proprietary cables.

If you’d rather not wait until October, you can buy a third-party charging stand instead. Hori’s Joy-Con Charge Stand is a solid option licensed by Nintendo. The accessory can charge up to four compatible controllers at a time, making it ideal for those who often play Switch games with others in the same household.

It’s worth noting that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be announced within a few months, and it’s still unclear if it’ll support the original Joy-Cons. So, if you plan on upgrading to the upcoming model, you may want to hold back on buying Joy-Con accessories until backward compatibility is confirmed.