Nintendo is finally giving us the Switch accessory we’ve been waiting for

Nintendo is finally giving us the Switch accessory we’ve been crying out for since the console’s launch way back in 2017.

Nintendo’s UK X (formerly Twitter) account has just advertised a very interesting new Switch accessory. From October 17, you’ll be able to pick up the Joy-Con Charging Stand, which will let you charge your Joy-Con controllers without having to hook them up to the Switch console itself.

It sounds like such a simple thing – and it is – yet it’s taken Nintendo seven years and almost the entire console generation to release an official solution. The mind boggles.

As you can see from the images, the Joy-Con Charging Stand essentially resembles the central part of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Controller Charging Grip that ships with console, but rather than being flanked by controller grips it’s mounted on a plastic stand.

That central component exists separately from the stand, so can be removed and laid flat. And presumably wielded as a more compact controller.

The Joy-Con Charging Stand then plugs into your Switch dock’s USB-A port (or any other such port or plug) via a bundled in USB-C to USB-A lead. It’s simple but effective, and it can also mount special-shaped controllers like the Japan-exclusive Family Computer Controller for Nintendo Switch.

It should prove ideal for those of us who want to charge a set of Joy-Con controllers while playing the Switch in handheld mode with a secondary controller.

Over in Japan, the Switch Joy-Con Charging Stand is being sold for 3,300 Yen, which works out to around £16 or $21.

So why now? We can’t say for sure, but it’s possible Nintendo wants to open the way to the Joy-Cons remaining chargeable, and thus usable, on a future Switch sequel with a different controller mounting system.

Nintendo has confirmed that it will launch its next console in early 2025.