Snakebyte Quad Charge S2 REVIEW

Joy-Con charging station for extended gameplay

One of the most innovative and exciting features of the Nintendo Switch, and now the Switch 2, has to be the ability to play in docked and handheld modes.  Furthermore, the ability to remove the Joy-Con controllers created an exciting console-on-the-go experience. The device enabled a longitudinal gaming experience, allowing me to continue the same game at home and away, a dream since my youth.  Unfortunately, the defining Switch/Switch 2 Joy-Con separation feature also leads to one of the system’s most frustrating aspects.  Namely, it is disappointing to try to start a gaming session only to find that the Joy-Cons are depleted.  Luckily, companies like Snakebyte have fairly priced products to keep you in the game. 

Packaging: 

The Snakebyte Quad Charge S2 arrived in a classy 5 1/2-inch-wide by 6-inch-tall by 3 9/16-inch-thick hanging-style retail package.  The cover panel listed the company name at the top left, two product icons along the top right, the product name along the bottom left, and the For Nintendo Switch 2 Logo at the bottom right.  The main focal point was the large image of the quad charger along the middle of the cover’s panel.  I liked the surrounding vibrant, red-gradient, burst-pattern design.  The quad charging station’s image showed four charging points, a matte-black body, and LED illumination.  The left-side panel listed the company name at the top, the “For Nintendo Switch 2” logo at the bottom, and a side view of the charger and pulse joy-cons.  The image was a zoomed-in view of the charger’s side.  The right-side panel listed the company name at the top and then provided four product icons with multilingual labels: charge four joy-cons together, dynamic RGB lighting with 13 effects, individual charge status LEDs, and a 1-meter USB cable.

The rear panel was much busier than the top, side, or front panels.  The company name/logo, Quad Charge S2, and Switch 2 logos were listed at the top of the panel.  The mid segment provided the same four product features/labels but added a new set of three images with vibrant red backgrounds.  The first image showed a side view of the charger with dual joycon’s.  The second and third images demonstrated the LED pattern, a front view of the charger, a resting joycon and the installation process. The lower section listed the product contents, address/contact information, and some legal information.  The bottom panel provided product manufacturing label and a UPC barcode.  Lastly, the top panel listed the company name and social media icons.  I enjoyed the standard Snakebyte theme, red burst pattern design, contrasting vibrant white font, and packaging layout.  Despite the attractive outer shell, I would have preferred larger images on the back panel without the duplicate icon/labels. 

Unboxing/Testing: 

I opened the top panel, removed the tan inner cardboard sleeve, the Quad Charger S2 Quick start guide, the product information/warranty guide, the 41 1/2-inch-long USB-A to USB-C cable, and the 5.1-ounce quad charger.  The included cable had a 1 1/8-inch-long USB-A prong, a 7/8-inch-long USB-C prong, 1/4-inch-diameter neck segments, and a 1/8-inch-diameter cable. I was pleased with the robust metallic prongs, durable collar and neck segments, and cable design.  I manipulated the cables, inserted/removed them from their respective posts, and found the cable length to be more than fair.  I placed the upside-down Y charger (5-inch-long base by 3 1/8-inch-wide by 5 3/8-inches-tall) on my Xbox Series X next to my Switch 2.  The base had two rubberized feet measuring 2 3/8-inches-long by 3/8-inches-wide, and product information/product manufacturing labels were listed between the feet.

I previously reviewed the Snakebyte Charger S2 and loved its shape, design, and charging speed.  My only critiques would be that the charger could recharge a single pair of Joy-Cons at a time and that the design’s base had a large footprint.  The Quad Charge S2 provided a nearly identical apostrophe versus Nike-esque shape of the Charger S2, but rotated them into a more upright position.  It was rather interesting to compare the two devices, as the Quad Charge S2 seemed to combine dual Charger S2 devices into a house-of-cards ” /\ ” shape and added a weighted triangular base.  The orientation differences between the two chargers resulted in different locations for the power cable port.  The rear panel on the Charger S2 became the base on the Quad Charge S2, while the Side panel of the S2 became the rear panel of the Quad Charge S2.  Furthermore, instead of using a “+” “-+ to denote the Joy-Con orientation, the Quad Charge S2 used a red/blue color scheme to inform the user of the correct installation methods.  Ultimately, the Quad Charge S2 device combined the benefits of the Charger S2 with twice as many charging ports, while maintaining the same base shelf footprint.  

I inserted four Switch 2 Joy-Cons into the appropriate ports and made sure they aligned properly.  I was impressed with its magnetic attachment, which ensured that the Joy-Cons aligned.  I plugged the USB-A cable’s prong into the side of the Switch 2 dock and then the USB-C prong into the Quad Charge S2.  I pressed the RGB lighting button on the rear panel and rotated through the various lighting modes (13 listed).  I preferred the multicolor RBG effect to the individual single color LEDs, the fade-in/fade-out color features, and RGB-off mode.  I liked the placement of the charging status indicators, and the easy-to-understand green-charged and red-charging colors.  It is important to note that the charging base accommodates a single Joy-Con or up to four Joy-Cons and conveniently provides individualized charging indicators for each port.  I was able to charge my Joy-Cons in about 3 hours, which was on par with the listed charging time for Switch 2 Joy-Cons.  I found similar charging rates for the Snakebyte Charger S2 and the Quad Charge S2.   I loved the user-friendly, space-saving design and the Quad Charger S2’s vertical orientation compared to the Charger S2.  

Conclusion: 

The weighted base served as a sturdy foundation for the tall quad joycon charger.  I was pleased with the height, the width, and the length of the Quad Charge S2 and that the device doubled the capacity of the Charger S2, without using any more valuable shelf space.  The charging indicators provided an easy-to-view charging status signal, while the various RGB color modes added a bit of customization.  The Quad Charge S2 provided a refreshing defense against the dreaded dead joycon.  Lastly, at ~$31.00, it provided an amazing upgrade without breaking the bank. 

Learn more about the Quad Charge S2 and follow Snakebyte on Facebook and X (Twitter).