GoKawiilHobbyist modifies $45 USB-C hub firmware to pass as Nintendo Switch 2 dock
A hobbyist known as mkopec reverse-engineered the handshake Nintendo's $125 Switch 2 dock uses to authenticate itself, then wrote custom firmware for a $44 Cable Matters USB-C hub to mimic it. After several firmware revisions and a fix for incorrect HDR color tagging, the hub successfully displayed video from the Switch 2, including enabling variable refresh rate support that Nintendo's own dock lacks.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The project shows how tightly Nintendo has locked down Switch 2 dock compatibility compared to the original Switch, requiring proprietary vendor messages before video output works at all. It suggests cheaper, more portable third-party hardware could serve as viable dock replacements if similar firmware patches become accessible to less technical users, though Nintendo has not commented on whether it would restrict such workarounds.
- mkopec patched a VIA Labs power-delivery chip with ~540 bytes of code to answer Nintendo's proprietary dock handshake.
- A separate 108-byte fix corrected HDR color space tagging on the hub's Realtek video chip.
- The patched $45 hub enabled variable refresh rate support that Nintendo's official $125 dock does not offer.
Cable Matters 7-in-1 USB-C Hub — This is the exact budget hub hobbyists are hacking into a makeshift Nintendo Switch 2 dock, making it a fun pick for tinkerers who want a compact travel alternative to Nintendo's bulky official dock. It also works great as a standard multiport hub for laptops needing HDMI, USB-A, and more on the go.
See Cable Matters 7-in-1 USB-C Hub on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: techspot.com — Zo Ahmed, 2026-11-13
Published there as: “Modder tricks Switch 2 into thinking a $45 laptop hub is an official Nintendo dock”
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