Switch 2 PSA: You don’t need the official Nintendo camera

The Nintendo Switch 2 is out now in most of the world, and it launched alongside a host of accessories, including controllers, cases, screen protectors, and more. One of the most intriguing Switch 2 accessories, though, was the Nintendo Switch 2 camera, which lets you video chat via the newly added GameChat, and in some games add your live camera feed to the game. 

The official Nintendo Switch 2 Camera comes at an MSRP of $54.99, and sports a 1080p video feed, a nice stand, and a USB-C cable, intended to be plugged into the Switch 2’s top USB port — but you probably shouldn’t bother with it, all things considered. 

The Nintendo Switch 2 supports most USB webcams via the USB-A ports on the Switch 2’s dock. We’ve tested half a dozen USB webcams of various kinds, from expensive $200 webcams to $15 bargain bin no-name webcams, and all of them worked completely flawlessly. 

Not only that, but the difference in picture quality between them is marginal at best. Some cameras looked better simply because of their lens arrangements, low light capabilities, and field of view, but the actual image quality of the camera feed seems to be quite low on the Switch 2 in general, so as long as a webcam supports 1080p, or probably even 720p, it will almost certainly get the job done. 

We’d recommend buying a cheaper webcam because of this — the official camera is certainly a nice piece of kit, but at $54.99 it’s pricey for something that is going to have its quality crushed quite significantly. For what it’s worth, the issue isn’t with the camera itself, plugging it into a PC reveals that the camera has quite a nice sensor, with a more than serviceable 1080p30 that, while not winning any awards, is better than some webcams we’ve used. It just won’t get to use that on the Switch, it seems, so save yourself the money.