Gmeaou Switch Dock

Hardware Type: Dock

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Review:

(Note: This product was received at no cost for review via the Amazon Vine program.)

(Note: This product appears to also be available under the brand name Jemdo.)

When it comes to any third-party Nintendo Switch docks, the main question to get out of the way is simple: “Does it work?”. Yes, the Gmeaou Switch Dock works. And no, it didn’t “brick my Switch” as many early Nintendo Switch docks have been accused of doing, though of course I cannot vouch for its use in the long-term. However, there are a few more points of interest I should address in this review.

First and foremost is size. The Gmeaou Switch Dock, released in 2024, is small enough to compete with the likes of the Genki Covert Dock and Genki Covert Dock Mini for the title of smallest Nintendo Switch Dock ever, though this comes with a caveat I’ll address in a bit. Size may not matter to Nintendo Switch players who primarily play on one screen or who primarily play in handheld mode, but for those who want to connect to multiple screens, or those who travel with their Switch and want to easily hook it up to their hotel room TV while traveling light, this can be a huge factor.

Another important factor is price – At $12.50, the Gmeaou Switch Dock is probably the most inexpensive Switch dock I’ve ever encountered, and far more affordable than Nintendo’s own $70 dock, and even the two Genki docks I mentioned earlier. Although, again, this comes with a huge caveat.

The caveat I mentioned in both above paragraphs is that this dock does not come with, but requires, a Nintendo Switch AC adapter. This will cost you an extra $10-$15 if you go with a third-party adapter, or up to $32 to get Nintendo’s own power adapter. And to be clear, while the Amazon listing for this device only claims this is needed for a Nintendo Switch OLED model, I use a launch model Nintendo Switch (not OLED), and an AC adapter was necessary for this to work for me. (The Amazon page makes sure to remind buyers that as with all Nintendo Switch docks, this will not work at all with the Nintendo Switch Lite).

Now, players can simply use the AC adapter that came with their own Nintendo Switch’s dock, and even if they have to buy a new one this is still a pretty small and inexpensive dock, but perhaps not quite as much as the $12.50 price tag and tiny profile of a single cord makes it seem.

Speaking of the cord, it is 6’4″ and connects to an HDMI port on your TV and the USB-C port on your Nintendo Switch. To power the adapter, you must plug the adapter into an additional USB-C port on the HDMI plug, meaning that your TV’s HDMI port must be within range of a power outlet and within 6′ or so of where you want your Nintendo Switch to be sitting as you play. This is slightly different from the Genki Covert Dock and Covert Dock mini, which both have you connect your Switch to the dock at the power outlet. I don’t think either way is necessarily better or worse, it’s just a matter of preference.

There is also another feature of the Gmeaou Switch Dock, and this is the ability to attach other devices to the dock other than a Nintendo Switch. The other devices advertised as compatible include the Steam Deck, MacBook 12″, MacBook/MacBook Pro 2016-2022, MacBook Air 2018/2019, iPad Pro 2018-2021, iPad mini6, iPadAir4/5 10.9-inch, Huawei P30/P30 Pro/Mate 10/Mate 10 Pro/Mate 20/Mate 20 Pro/Mate 30/Mate 30 Pro/Mate 40/Mate 40 Pro/Matebook, Samsung Galaxy S20/S20 Plus/S20 Ultra/S10/S10+/S10e/S9/S9 Plus/S8/S8Plus/Note 10/Note 9/Note 8, Chromebook, HP Spectre Pavilion/Specter x360/Envy 13, Dell XPS Series, Mi Air, Legion Go, MSI Claw, ROG Alloy, and any phones or tablets with DP function.

That’s… a lot of devices, and I didn’t initially think I had any of these other devices, but as it turned out I do – my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra must have the DP function, because it works with the Gmeaou Switch Dock, allowing the use of the TV as an alternate screen that can be navigated by having the user move a cursor using the phone’s touchscreen. I should note that some other Switch docks like the Genki Covert Dock Mini can also do this, but it’s nice to have this option in a cord that costs under $13.

When it comes to flaws, this shares many of the flaws of the Genki Covert Dock mini – there’s no additional USB port to attach and/or charge additional accessories like a game controller. Furthermore, there’s no way to hook up a wired network cable to your Nintendo Switch using this dock, so expect to depend on Wi-Fi for online play. I suppose you could theoretically jerry-rig a USB hub and a USB network adapter to accomplish this, but I don’t know if that would work and even if it did, honestly at that point you’re making such a mess of cables and adapters that it defeats the purpose of getting a smaller, low-cost alternative to Nintendo’s dock.

Overall, I think the Gmeaou Switch Dock is a great deal, albeit not as good a deal as it may seem, and it is indeed a very small and portable Switch dock, though not as small and portable as it may seem, and it even has some nice extra features, though perhaps not all the features you may want. Still, as long as you’re aware of its limitations and have an extra AC adapter handy, I think the Gmeaou Switch Dock is worth a purchase.

tl;dr – Gmeaou Switch Dock is a small, portable, and highly inexpensive alternative to Nintendo’s own Switch Dock, though it’s deceptively not as small or as inexpensive as it seems, due to its need to use an AC adapter that is not included with the dock. If you can find a workaround, this makes a good alternative to Nintendo’s own dock for those looking to save space and money.

Grade: B+

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