With a new console comes new accessories, and the Switch 2 is no exception to this rule. The company Antank (they have an excellent website, by the way) sent me the Switch 2 Dock S3 Max, which I have been using for the last month.
First impressions matter, and although not related to the performance of the product, the packaging for the dock is excellent. It gives the impression of a premium product within. It’s details like this that I like.
The stand itself is 19cm long, 3.5 cm high and 6 cm deep. When facing the stand with the Switch 2 in place, there are red and blue trims to match the Switch 2’s on the left and right of the dock.
The dock has ports at the back for an HDMI, power and 2 USB connections. There is also a button to press to change the view from your tv/monitor to the screen of the Switch 2. Weighing just 99 grams, it doesn’t feel overly substantial, but the three rubber strips on the base give excellent and solid purchase to any tabletop. Combine that grip with the weight of the console when in the dock, this meant I didn’t worry about the console slipping anywhere fast.
The console is a snug fit into the dock, but that is a good thing. One gripe about the original Switch 2 dock is how the console can still waggle a little while in it. Not so here. The dock grips the console with authority, and it all feels solid.
The Switch when docked is at a perfect angle for using the large Switch 2 screen while in this position. This means it’s excellent for desktop gaming, especially if you are using the Switch 2 controllers as a mouse.
It was also very easy to find and locate the button on the back to switch from tv to docked mode. For most people, this will be in low light rooms, so that fact you can find this switch without having to turn lights on and move the stand around is a big bonus.
When there is power through the dock, a small, blue, non-invasive LED light shines from the front to let you know the dock has power to it.
The thing that has bugged me about this dock is not the dock itself; it’s the Switch 2 cooling systems. You don’t have to search very far on the internet to see that there are times the Switch 2 console gets very hot. The original Switch 2 dock that comes with the system also has an internal cooling fan.
I’ve had to do my research to try and find out why the Nintendo Switch 2 dock has a fan, whereas this dock from Antank doesn’t. Will using the Antank dock make my console overheat?
The short answer is no, it hasn’t done so for me, but I’m still nervous about the situation. The research I’ve done claims that the Nintendo dock needs a fan, not to cool the console itself when docked, but to keep the components of the dock itself cool. If the Nintendo dock needs a cooling fan to do this, should the Antank dock also have one to do the same?
I hammered my Switch 2 with the most demanding games I owned. There have been times when my console got a lot hotter than I thought it should (it was in the Nintendo dock at the time), but since a recent console update, I’ve not been able to replicate that heat.
I’ve honestly not had any moments with the Switch 2 feeling overheated in the Antank dock either. That has been a relief, but knowing that the fan in the Nintendo dock was there for the safety of its dock components, does this mean the dock components in the Antank stand are suffering as it doesn’t have a fan that I’m aware of? It’s reassuring to know my console is not going to suffer, but it would be reassuring to know that the Antank dock isn’t as well.
The Antank dock does look and feel beautifully engineered. That gives me confidence that this dock will be fine with the demands of the Switch 2 console, but the reality is, only time will tell. I’m not going to mark the score of the dock down because of my concern about the heating of the Antank components, but it is, for now, something on my mind that I am having to regularly monitor.
(Note I will ask my editor to see if we can get any feedback from the manufacturers about this, and if we get any replies, we will update this review accordingly.)
The dock is an excellent piece of kit, and I trust the manufacturer knows what they are making and the strain that will be put on its internal components. The more I use this dock, the more comfortable I become with it. The snugness of the fit and the angle in which it holds the Switch 2 console is great, and with identical colour trims, it just looks awesome on any desk. It’s like the console is proudly on display and smacks of engineering excellence.
