Genki Covert Dock will make your Switch more portable than ever. It’s small, easy to use, and does everything its official big brother does.
Did you ever have to go away for the weekend, and just decided to settle for using your Nintendo Switch in handheld mode the whole time, so that you wouldn’t have to carry its bulky dock setup?
Meet the Genki Covert Dock, the small (ten times smaller than the original) and portable dock that will solve your problem.
What’s a Genki Covert Dock?
We first came across the Genki Covert Dock at Gamescom 2019, where the developers told us everything about their new product. They mentioned all sorts of problems other developers encountered, such as nasty short circuits and power surges, and how they worked to solve them.
It should be noted that Genki had already developed a great Switch product – the Genki Audio which allows the user to connect up to two Bluetooth headsets to Nintendo’s console. That, coupled with my desire to be as portable as possible, convinced me to support their Kickstarter campaign.
The Covert Dock is just that – covert. It fits easily in your pocket, and you can carry it around anywhere. It was designed along the same lines as the Switch Pro Controller, and you can see some similarities in materials, like the see-through casing, with the company’s logo etched into it.
The Genki dock comes with a few components: the dock itself, three universal adapters, a USB-C 3.1 1.8 meters cable, a small case, an instructions manual, and a cute sticker. It features three different ports: USB-A, USB-C, and an HDMI connection. The USB-C is used for charging and streaming data to a TV screen (alongside the HDMI, of course). The USB-A lets you connect anything you would to the original dock: controllers, network adapters, wireless headsets, etc.
You can also use the Genki Covert Dock as a fast charger for laptops and smartphones using the USB-C connection, and even connect a capture card.
The Genki Covert Dock is a high-quality product. The plastic is solid, the power plug locks into place firmly, and the case is pretty comfortable to use. The case opens and closes with ease and has a rubber strip running along its side, which allows you to hang it on your belt. However, the case can’t house the dock while it’s connected to an adapter, which is an inconvenience if you’re traveling abroad.
The dock comes with various adapters, all of which are sturdy and stay firmly connected at all times. They can also be changed very easily, though you have to know how to do it. Since there are no instructions on how to change the dock’s adapters, here’s how I did it: Grab the dock in one hand and the adapter in the other. Then, start jiggling the adapter left and right while slowly pulling it off the power plug.
Works Hard, Plays Hard
But what about the most important part – how the Genki Covert Dock functions as a Switch dock? Fortunately, I’m here to answer that. I had no issues when connecting the dock to my TV (LG 49UJ630Y). The display was smooth without any lag or flickering, even when playing Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition for a long period of time.
After using the Genki dock for a few days, I can safely say it is just as good as the original Switch dock – the games looked just as amazing the entire time, with no faults, lags, or disconnects of any kind. Also, the charging speed is excellent. I didn’t lose a single percentage of battery during long hours of play. On top of that, it never got any hotter than your standard smartphone charger, though I still wouldn’t leave it plugged in if you’re not using it, just to be safe.
I used my wireless headset while playing to test out the USB-A connection, and it went as smoothly as you’d expect. Pairing the headset with the switch through the dock was quick and painless, and the sound was crisp throughout my session.
Other than the issue with the case being too small for an adapter, I couldn’t find any faults with the Covert Dock. I’m sure it will serve me faithfully wherever I go. You can buy the Genki Covert Dock from the official company website for $74.99. It’s cheaper than the official Nintendo dock, and portable to boot.
The Genki Covert Dock was purchased by the reviewer.
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