A clean and compact way to store and charge your Nintendo Switch controllers
[su_list icon=”icon: info-circle “]Manufacturer: Snakebyte
Model: ARROW:CHARGE S
Price: £17.99/$18.49
Supported controllers: Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and Pro Controller
Supplied by: Snakebyte [/su_list]
The Snakebyte ARROW:CHARGE S is a 5-in-1 charging dock for your Nintendo Switch controllers. It’s a small, tidy solution for storing all of your controllers in one place, whilst also keeping them charged. So, is the ARROW:CHARGE S worth the asking price?
In the box, Snakebyte has included a 1.2m USB-C charging cable, a Pro Controller charging adapter, the instruction manual, and the ARROW:CHARGE S dock, which features 5 LED charging indicators that let you know when your controllers are fully charged and ready to be used.
The dock has a very unique arrow shape to it that is easy on the eyes. While it is a very cool design, the ARROW:CHARGE S only comes in black, and it would have been nice to see different colour variations. I like the design a lot, though, and think Snakebyte has done well here.
When i was playing around with the ARROW:CHARGE S I noticed that it is very lightweight and feels a bit flimsy. Snakebyte has provided a five-year warranty with the ARROW:CHARGE S, so they are obviously confident that durability shouldn’t be a concern, but it doesn’t have that hefty premium feel you may have expected.
The bottom of the dock does have rubberised grips to stop the charging station from sliding around, however, the controllers don’t lock into place or seat securely on the dock. Placing the joy-cons into their charging slots is very easy, but it may be too easy. I was almost expecting them to click into place, but they just rest in place atop the dock, and it doesn’t feel very secure. It feels like one knock of my desk could cause the controllers to fall off the dock.
An external power supply isn’t needed for the ARROW:CHARGE S, as the USB-C connector goes straight into the back of the dock and can then be plugged into any USB-A port you have available (phone charger/console/PC). This is great because you won’t have to keep track of multiple charging cables, and the dock can stay plugged in ready for you to just pop your controllers on and start charging. This also means that if your Joy-Cons run low on battery mid-game you can put them on the charger, switch out to your Pro controller and know that when you next want to use the joycons they will be ready to go.
Sitting the Pro Controller onto the dock is very easy. The dock has a moulded recess in which your controller fits nicely, but it has to be placed on the dock upside down. I dont find this an issue, but I imagine for people that like to have a perfect aesthetic to their setup it may be slightly annoying. If you can overlook this then everything does fit in comfortably.
When you first plug in the ARROW:CHARGE S the LEDs in each corner of the arrow design light up green. When a low-battery controller is placed on the dock only the side that has the controller on lights up red. love this because not all controllers run out of battery at the same time, and it’s helpful to see which individual controllers may need more time to charge.
My daughter and my partner both enjoy gaming on the Switch, and this product is great to have handy. I also think with the bright LEDs that my little girl might actually start charging her controllers.
Summary
The ARROW:CHARGE S is neat, has a great design and does what you want it to do. It’s a convenient way to store and charge your controllers, and offers a compact solution that helps cut down the number of individual charging cables you need to keep around. £17.99 is a reasonable price for this product that I would be happy to pay.
