Nintendo has filed a new patent for what appears to be an attachment of some sort for the Nintendo Switch dock.
According to the patent description, this new Nintendo Switch dock attachment appears to be a a rotating I/O panel that will allow users to improve its cable management. As per the patent, if a connector for connection to a TV receiver or other video display device is fixed to a specific position of the outer circumference of the device holder, there is a possibility that the operation for laying the cables to be connected to this connector will be troublesome.
The patent further elaborates with an example, in which the space for placement of the device holder is at the right side of the video display device. If the connector is placed at the right side surface of the device holder, the cables connected to the right side surface of the device holder will be connected to the video display device disposed at the left side of the device holder, therefore the operation for laying the cables will be troublesome.
As such, this dock attachment aims to solve the issue by being a device holder for holding a portable electronic device provided with a display at its front surface. It comprises of a main body configured to hold the portable electronic device in a state with the latter placed with one side surface downward, and a swivel block attached to the main body to be able to swivel.
The swivel block is provided at one side surface, with an external connector for video output for outputting video data based on data input through the main body connector to an external video display device, and is able to swivel between a first swivel position, where the side surface, with which the external connector for video output is provided, faces a first side surface side of the main body, and a second swivel position, where the side surface, with which the external connector for video output is provided, faces a second side surface side at an opposite side to the first side surface of the main body.
As for whether this Nintendo Switch dock attachment will see the light of day is anyone’s guess. It certainly seems like it would prove useful to those with specific display setups.
