Nintendo Switch Will Come With Regular Joy-Con Grip, Not Chargeable Type

The Nintendo Switch made headlines over the weekend after its first official live reveal last Friday. The $299.99 hybrid gaming console’s Joy-Con controllers are innovative, but consumers will have to cough up more cash for their chargeable grip.

Shop listings have clarified that the Joy-Con grip included with the Nintendo Switch is just a regular grip for a traditional gamepad feel. The premium version of the grip, which also charges the Joy-Con controllers, is being sold separately for $29.99. This small detail wasn’t made clear by Nintendo during its presentation last Friday, according to Eurogamer.

The regular grip and the premium charging grip look very similar. The only major difference between the two in terms of aesthetics is that the charging grip is translucent, while the regular grip is opaque with a matte finish. The translucent look of the charging grip is also the same with the $69.99 Switch Pro Controller.

The Joy-Con charging grip comes with a USB Type-C connector. Users will be able to charge the grip itself by plugging it into the dock, which in turn will also charge the attached Joy-Con controllers. This allows users to play games on their TVs while charging both the grip and the Joy-Con controllers.

If users don’t have the premium charging grip, the only way to charge the batteries on the Joy-Con is by sliding it onto the Switch. This will force users to play in tablet mode if the batteries on the Joy-Con controllers run out while playing a game, as pointed out by Polygon.

Nintendo claims that the Joy-Con controllers have 20 hours of battery life, but that can lessen over time due to battery cell deterioration. The controllers come with non-removable 525 mAh lithium-ion batteries and can be fully charged in 3.5 hours.

The Nintendo Switch is scheduled to be released on March 3 and is now available to preorder. The console has already sold out from GameStop. “We’re working closely with Nintendo to get additional Nintendo Switch units, and will let our customers know when they become available,” GameStop’s SVP of merchandising Bob Puzon said in a press release published this past Sunday.