Update 16/07/2025 - The Kickstarter for the BattleDock is now live and has already surpassed its goal of $10,000, with a current backing total of over $24,000 and 19 days still to go! The BattleDock is set to ship in January 2026, so get backing now and treat yourself to a great gift to start the New Year!
When the Nintendo Switch 2 came out, I thought the dock might have a few hidden tricks up its sleeve. And to be fair, it's an incredibly powerful unit compared to the previous iteration for the original Switch. I tell you one thing it can't do, however - allow me to plug in four GameCube controllers to play GameCube games in local couch co-op mode with my friends!
I literally wrote a whole piece about how the Switch 2 is promoting couch multiplayer gaming the other day, and then Retro Fighters contacted me and announced that their Kickstarter campaign for their new BattleDock with the slogan 'smash like it's 2001' is going live today! It's almost like they read my article and made all of our dreams come true!
Meet the BattleDock, the only dock I'll ever need for my Nintendo Switch 2 (until Retro Fighters release an N64-inspired one, then I'll get that too! It's simple to install; simply place your existing dock in the back of this dock, hook it up, and pop on your chosen faceplate colour - job done.
The best part here is that you can either plug in your original GameCube controllers or use the BattlerGC Pro, a controller that you may well have seen in my recent review. The BattleDock promotes low-latency connections and can work with 4 controllers for multiplayer action. I can't wait to try this out with Mario Smash Football!
You don't need to use this just for GameCube games on NSO too - the dock will also work with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Mario Sunshine on Super Mario 3D All-Stars, so if you don't have the expansion pack for GameCube games through Nintendo Switch Online, then you can still grab your GC controller for some nostalgic action.
There are four faceplates available with each BattleDock, so you can spice up your gameplay. Choose from Spice Orange, Indigo, Jet Black, and Platinum Silver. It would have to be indigo for me every time in honour of my original GameCube, though Retro Fighters have stated that they will bring out Smoke Black, White, and Comet Red faceplates if they surpass their goal.
To say how ingenious this dock is and how easy it is to hook up, you would think that it would have a mammoth price tag to boot, right? In reality, it has an RRP of $39 with a special price of $36 on Kickstarter. That's an absolute steal, and I'm sure Brandon and I will be rocking these on our new Switch consoles ASAP!
Will you be adding one of these to your set-up, and are you excited about a whole new era of couch multiplayer gaming? Let us know in the comments section!
