Some of my favorite products to review are unusual items that you might not even know exist. Sometimes they fulfill a need, other times solve a very specific problem, and in cases like the Unitek Multi-Port Switch Game Card Reader I didn’t even know it existed. The idea that a docking station exists that can swap between various Nintendo Switch games and play them perfectly sounds amazing. However, given so many products fail in practice, is this a must have accessory, or underwhelming scam?
Unitek Multi-Port Switch Game Card Reader comes in surprisingly generic packaging. The front side mentions what it is, another details the features with a small guide, with the remaining two sides containing a barcode, and package contents. What surprises me the most is the lack of official Unitek branding. I suspect this is due to it being a white-label product. Inside is equally simple. There is a slot for the USB-C to USB-A cable, and the product itself.
Build quality is not particularly impressive, though in this case it’s actually a positive. Since it’s meant to pair with the Nintendo Switch dock, it looks and feels exactly the same. This gives the illusion of it being part of the dock itself, over a third-party accessory. The cable and other parts feel nice, so I’d say it’s a good compromise for the price.
Looks Clean
One thing that I love about this dock is how well it looks connected to the Nintendo Switch dock. It fits almost perfectly on top, adds very little size to the dock, and is hard to move once slid into place. It’s also extremely easy to set up. Slide it in place, find the right position, give it power, and then plug it into the Nintendo Switch.
Game One Through Four in Order
Similar things apply to operation. After your games are inserted, simply push the button on top to swap between any of the four slots. There is a color associated with each slot, though you’ll also see the game change on the system itself. It’s so simply it shouldn’t take more than a minute to figure it out.
Another welcome surprise is how much power a Nintendo Switch dock actually has. Years ago I got a mClassic to review, which has remained hooked up to my Nintendo Switch. I had concerns about both of these items connecting at the same time. Since the Nintendo Switch dock has three USB-A ports, there is nothing stopping you from connecting both besides one of the wires being visible. Even with both connected I didn’t have any issue powering both, so there is no need to pick and choose which accessory you want.
It Gets the Job Done
I also like that the incredibly short cable is able to connect to any of the three ports without a problem. It makes wire management a lot easier, especially since cables this short are rarely included with products. In the event you need more length, just replace it with any cable and you should be good.
In terms of performance I didn’t notice any problems. It takes about three seconds to fully swap games, with every game I tried working as intended. I included some gameplay from Splatoon 2 that will give you an idea of how well it performs. Be warned, I’m very rusty, but the only questionable thing in the video are my skills.
All this being said there are a couple annoying aspects. The first is the “storage” area has games stick out a bit more. It would be nice to see all eight slots go completely flush, or at least have the two rows to in the same amount. In addition to that, it’s surprisingly hard to remove a game. Openings are a little larger than the minimum needed, giving it some slight play. How annoying this is will vary based off how many games you have connected.
Unitek Multi-Port Switch Game Card Reader Review
There honestly isn’t much to say about Unitek’s Unitek Multi-Port Switch Game Card Reader. It works as expected, in a variety of unexpected situations, with the added benefit of looking really nice on the dock. Given the biggest issue with the dock is removing games, it’s pretty much a slam dunk for anyone with a physical collection. Especially since Nintendo games rarely go on sale and many will opt for one of the various physical options to save a buck. Add in an attractive price and honestly I’d be hard-pressed to find an issue besides a minor annoyance, or concerns of a Switch successor eliminating the value of this product.
[Editor’s Note: Unitek Multi-Port Switch Game Card Reader was provided to us for review purposes. Unitek also gave us with a special coupon code Unitek10off.]
