Image: Alex Walker / Kotaku
The Switch might fit in just about any bag, but that doesn’t mean you should be putting a $469 console in just about anything.
There’s all sorts of cases available on the market. My previous go-to has been a little suede pouch I got from Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, partially because it cost less than $20. But a console like the Switch deserves something much nicer, and so I’ve been looking around for something appropriate.
One such option is the Switch cases from Waterfield, which we’ve written a little bit about in the past. The San Francisco-based bag company has branched out into console accessories for a while, making excellent cases for the Vita and 3DS. Their Switch offering has been great so far: Kirk loved the CitySlicker before, and Kotaku Australia resident dev and board game aficionado Haoran has one of their cases as well.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/03/a-nintendo-switch-case-for-the-sophisticated-user/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/vflsxgay0tswehyyjrrx.png” title=”A Nintendo Switch Case For The Sophisticated User” excerpt=”Say you recently dropped a chunk of cash on a new Nintendo Switch. You might leave it in the dock most of the time, but at some point you’re gonna want to pick it up and take it with you. Before you do that, you should probably get a case.”]
To mark the Switch’s first anniversary, Waterfield have a newer, slightly larger case: the SwitchPack. It’s the same length and width as the CitySlicker, but much deeper, giving you a lot more room for your stuff.
Image: Alex Walker / Kotaku
The model photographed here is a brown wax canvas model, although there’s a black ballistic version. All three will set you back $US129 either way, and you can pay an extra $US19 if you want an additional card holder.
The SwitchPack has multiple compartments inside, and another two on the front and back. The inside has enough room for the Switch while the JoyCons are attached (very useful if you don’t want to worry too much about having to recharge the JoyCons).
The front of the SwitchPack, like previous Waterfield cases, has a pair of magnetic locks. Unlike previous cases, however, the magnets are located under the canvas. That gets around the problem the magnetic clips had on the CitySlicker, where the magnets would fasten shut but the clips weren’t actually seated correctly. You can wedge a pair of headphones, cable or battery pack in the flap at the back, and there’s also plenty of room for a game card holder.
Image: Alex Walker / Kotaku
As for the inside of the case, it’s basically divided into two sections. One side has a suede liner that can hold the Switch with the JoyCons, while the other side has two smaller liners that can hold a power adapter, JoyCon grip, Pro Controller or separate JoyCon grips.
Image: Alex Walker / Kotaku
I ended up wedging the Pro Controller, adapter, HDMI cable, charging cable and the Switch all in the centre, and there’s plenty of room for more JoyCons if I wanted. The only thing that wouldn’t fit was the dock itself, because it would take up the space I needed for the Pro Controller. But if you just had the JoyCons and the JoyCon grip, you could fit all of that in. The front flap is also designed for a Hori stand, if you’ve got one of those.
But there are plenty of cases that can fit plenty of stuff. What’s nice about the Waterfield line is that they’re high quality throughout. Take the inside: all of the liners can also act as impromptu screen cleaners. The canvas is nice to hold and great to touch, and there’s a handle for the top, with a couple of loops to attach a shoulder strap if you want to carry it around that way.
I’ve mostly been carrying it inside my existing bag, which works pretty well. It means all the cables and gear for the Switch is together, and I don’t have to worry about pulling my laptop charger out and accidentally marking the Switch or bumping the Pro Controller on the way out. The shoulder strap doesn’t have any padding and it’s quite straightforward, although the connecting hooks are pretty sturdy.
Even the zipper on the back has a neat touch. It’s partially magnetic, so when you press it flat, it stays there, meaning you don’t have to worry about that pocket accidentally opening when it rubs against your shirt or something else.
Of course, it’s impossible to get around the fact that the SwitchPack really is a luxury accessory. But if you’ve doubled down on the Switch, it’s a damn fine way to carry it around. I can see this being a great bag to take to, say, Switch Smash tournaments or even for an impromptu game night at a friend’s place.
It’d make an ultimate gift for a Switch fan, too. The only real kicker is that you can’t really take a Pro Controller, JoyCons, power adapter, HDMI cable and the Switch in one pack, but there’s honestly few situations where people actually want to do that. Most people are just happy to have a stand, controller of their choice and a power pack with the Switch, and the SwitchPack handles that with room to spare.
More importantly, it’s classy as all hell. Sure, it’s $US129 before shipping. But the craftmanship is outstanding, it’s relatively small for how much it fits, and the SwitchPack is probably the nicest looking Switch case that doesn’t scream “gamer”.
To find out more, head to the Waterfield website.
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