Nintendo Switch is a handheld console and a one-piece home console. But how easy is it to connect it to your TV? The hybrid console can be played in different ways. There is a portable mode where you play with the controllers attached to the side of the Switch screen.
There is also a tabletop mode where the Switch on the stand is flipped and controllers removed for solo or group play.
However, there is a coupled model. This allows you to stream video from your console to a television so you can enjoy your favorite Nintendo games on the screen you deserve.
The Nintendo Switch screen itself measures just 6.2 inches with an average resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. This makes it perfect for gaming on the go, whether you’re on vacation or traveling.
If you’re on the lookout though, replacing it with a 40-inch screen and 1920 x 1080 resolution makes a huge difference in every way. And that brings out even more loving details of the games you use your Switch for.
Of course, a big screen is much better for playing with friends. Playing Mario Kart in split-screen on a 6.2-inch screen is far from ideal.
The good news is that getting your Switch to work on your TV is easy, and we’ve covered each step in our guide below.
Contents
1. Prepare your Wires
When you buy a Nintendo Switch console, you get a grey and black base for this purpose. You must first open the back of the docking station and reveal two cable ports.
The top connector is for the power adapter, which plugs into a wall socket to provide power to the console. The bottom connector is for an HDMI 2.0 cable, with one end plugged in here and the other into your TV. The Switch can’t stream content wirelessly to another device, so you’ll need a cable to do the hard work.
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2. Get Ready with your Switch
Once you have plugged in and closed the entire back of the docking station, you will need to place your Switch console in the docking station. Slide the Switch from the top of the docking station with the screen facing you (where you can see the switch logo). There is a small connection point at the bottom of the docking station that connects to the console and can be easily removed.
3. Disconnect your controller
If you haven’t already, now is the time to remove the drivers from your Switch. The Joy-Con controllers protrude from the sides of the base and can still be reached. All you have to do is press the little release button on the back of each Joy-Con, slide it up, and release it from the console.
New Switch purchases also come with a Joy-Con handle that you can slide the controllers into, see the picture above, though you can also use a Pro controller or even a side-rotating Joy-Con.
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4. Turn on the TV now
Then turn on the TV and find the correct HDMI input. Many televisions have a “Source” button on the remote or a menu for inputs in the settings.
You can turn on some modern TVs by simply pressing the home button on your Switch controller, waking up the display, and going straight to the correct input. However, you can also disable this feature in the switch settings menu.
Please note that your TV or monitor must be at least 1080p to see a graphical difference. However, the switcher cannot output in 4K resolution even if the TV is capable of doing so.
5. Start playing!
That’s it! With nothing else to do, sit back and relax with your perfect gaming setup.
There aren’t many games that can’t get better with the television treatment, and you can check out our list of the best Nintendo Switch games to see the top competitors, or Nintendo Switch SD cards for even more games at Bring Your Console.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to connect my switch to the tv without a dock?
You need an adapter.
People will tell you to only use the standard docking station and charger. Traveling with a standard USB charger and a more compact docking station is worth the risk for me.
How to connect Nintendo Switch to TV without HDMI?
The short answer is No. You cannot connect Nintendo Switch to TV wirelessly without using an HDMI.
How to connect Nintendo Switch to a laptop?
- Connect the Nintendo Switch to the Nintendo dock. It’s pretty simple, all you have to do is connect the cable from the base to the Type-C port on the switch.
- When you have connected the docking station to your TV or monitor, disconnect the HDMI cable.
- Connect the Nintendo Dock to the capture card with an HDMI cable and connect it to the “HDMI-In” port on the card.
- Open the acquisition software on your laptop.
- Turn on the Nintendo Switch when it is connected.
- Take the USB cable and connect the game’s capture card to your laptop. In a matter of
- seconds, the Nintendo Switch home screen will be displayed directly on your laptop.
- Use Joy-Con to control the laptop switch.
- You can switch to full-screen mode for a stunning big-screen experience or for live streaming. Record your game too, use the re-record feature, or chat and comment live.
How to connect Nintendo Switch to laptop without a capture card?
The short answer is no. You cannot connect the HDMI cable from Nintendo Switch to your laptop as it only has one HDMI output. It’s possible to do this without a capture card via an HDMI input port, but it’s harder to find and more expensive than you might think.
The only reason a laptop has an HDMI input port is because it already has a built-in capture card. You must use the same application as a capture card. Since you wouldn’t use external capture, just remove the middleman.
