Other Switch 2 Accessories to Consider

iMP Tech DLEX+LED Multi-Function Charger Stand for £35: Perfect for streamers or desk-bound players, this will keep your gaming space tidy and your controllers fully juiced. It has charging slots for four Joy-Con 2s and four original Joy-Cons on the main base unit, all with charge indicators, while two pop-out USB-C cables at the rear allow you to connect more conventional joypads, like the Switch 2 Pro Controller. Power is provided through the charging adapter you already plug into your console’s dock, which is in turn locked in place on the DLX2 with a dual USB-A block that feeds the power through. It’s compatible with the Switch 2, original Switch, and the Switch OLED, and the two USB slots you lose on the dock itself are replaced with pass-through ports on the left of the base for other accessories. Organizationally, the stand gives you somewhere to hang your headset, while a spring-loaded tray on the right holds and hides up to nine Game Carts. It can be a little fiddly to set up, and overall charging can slow down if you try to connect the maximum 10 devices, but once done, it’s a great storage solution, elevated by subtle but striking RGB lighting. However, like iMP’s mouse adapters, stock seems limited to Amazon UK at the time of writing. —Matt Kamen

Spigen Rugged Armor for $18: This molded grip case has heavy bumpers and thick Joy-Con grips, but it was tough to remove, which you’ll have to do a lot, because it won’t fit in the dock with the case on, and you can’t separate the Joy-Cons either. This would be a good case if you’re buying the console for a younger kid whom you don’t trust to treat it gently.

Belkin TemperedGlass Screen Protector With Blue Light Filter for $30: While I liked the look of this screen protector, and the blue light filter is handy for late-night gaming sessions, the lackluster applicator frame isn’t quite as nice as the other options. It’s also a bit expensive, at $30 for just one.

Dbrand Prism 2.0 for $35: I liked the Prism 2.0 screen protectors and their application process as much as the Spigen above. But they’re slightly more expensive and only available directly from Dbrand, so if you buy them on their own, you’ll have to pay shipping. If you’re buying anything else, like a case or a skin, you’ll get a discount and likely qualify for free shipping, making these well worth it.

Jsaux Joy-Con Charging Grip for $15: If you often play with the Joy-Cons detached, this charging grip from Jsaux lets you continue playing while charging the controllers in the process via the USB-C slot at the top of the handle. It also puts them at a more ergonomic angle, but keeping them attached makes some motion controls unusable, and I would’ve liked to see an internal battery.

Keysight Technologies has announced it is collaborating on the Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN demonstrator, stating that Europe’s ability to control how future 5G networks are built, tested and operated will increasingly depend on non-terrestrial infrastructure and open, standards-based design.

Airbus and Keysight noted that the rapid evolution of 5G NTN faces significant technical challenges, including seamless integration between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, reliable mobility management and maintaining high-performance connectivity across dynamic satellite orbits. These hurdles are critical to enabling global coverage, low-latency communications, and future broadband and direct-to-handheld 5G services from space.

The Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN demonstrator initiative is aimed at exploring the capabilities of 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) using advanced software-defined satellite technology, both on the ground and in orbit.

The demonstrator will also look to tackle foundational challenges including mobility management, beam and gateway handover, and maintaining performance across dynamic satellite orbits, all prerequisites for scalable broadband and direct-to-device 5G mobile services from space.

Airbus and Keysight’s work is positioned around non-proprietary and standardised approaches to 5G NTN infrastructures, supporting European technological sovereignty and reducing dependence on closed satellite ecosystems.

It will explore both broadband and direct-to-handheld 5G NTN capabilities and conclude with the deployment of an advanced regenerative payload on an Airbus low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, featuring on-board signal processing and integrated gNodeB functionality to enable efficient and flexible network operations in space.

The Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN demonstrator will test the 5G connection on two different platforms. The first is a ground demonstration that will simulate a two-satellite constellation in LEO, testing key features like beam and satellite handovers, which are crucial for maintaining a smooth and continuous connection. The second is an in-orbit demonstration that will place a 5G non-terrestrial network payload on an Airbus LEO satellite, to act as a 5G base station in space. This phase is scheduled to launch in 2027, with in-orbit testing scheduled for 2028.

Keysight is providing what it calls advanced ground-based emulation to validate real-world 5G NTN use cases ahead of an in-orbit demonstration aboard an Airbus LEO satellite.

As part of a ground-based demonstration, Keysight is offering critical test and measurement services, including satellite channel emulation and user segment emulation, along with supporting software. These tools will help validate key 5G NTN use cases such as beam handover, gateway handover, and mobility management between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

Additionally, the collaboration is part of a broader effort to foster non-proprietary, sovereign and standardised connectivity services, enabling seamless integration between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Keysight joins a select group of companies working with Airbus to build an interoperable ecosystem that supports the future of global communications.

“Participating in the Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN demonstrator is a testament to our commitment to advancing the future of satellite-enabled 5G,” said Eric Taylor, vice-president of aerospace, defence and government solutions at Keysight.

“Our test and measurement solutions are designed to ensure the reliability and performance of next-generation networks, and we’re proud to support Airbus in this pioneering step towards standardised 5G NTN from LEO.”

Aerospace and satellite systems manufacturer Swissto12 has secured €73m in financial support from European Space Agency (ESA) member states to accelerate Swissto12’s development and industrialisation of the HummingSat space programme.

Explaining its core mission, Swissto12 says it is enabling a transformational shift in the global satellite communications industry, away from legacy large, purpose-built, expensive and slow-to-deploy services towards smaller, faster, cheaper assets that leverage software-defined, reconfigurable payload architectures and agile, multi-orbit capabilities.

The HummingSat platform is regarded as a new class of geostationary small satellites that are said to be “significantly” smaller and more cost-efficient than conventional geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) craft. HummingSat is seen as offering new economics for the geostationary satellite market, unlocking faster builds, lower costs and ride-share launches. It’s also said to offer a telecoms-grade service backbone that plugs directly into the 3GPP non-terrestrial networks standard, designed for mass-market adoption.

Swissto12 also believes its form factor can support cost-effective production and ride-share launch opportunities with its proprietary, space-qualified additive manufacturing technology and advanced radio frequency (RF) systems, further enhancing payload performance, streamlining production, and reducing both manufacturing time and cost.

The craft was developed in collaboration with the ESA through its public-private partnership programme. The company’s RF products are said to benefit from unique and patented 3D printing technologies and associated radio frequency product designs that deliver lightweight, compact, high-performing and “competitive” RF functionality.

The funding is part of the HummingSat Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (Artes) partnership project, and is designed to see Swissto12 scaling up its manufacturing capacity and accelerating new product innovations. These initiatives also aim to address increasing global demand for cost-effective, agile and sovereign communications in both government and commercial sectors.

Additionally, the investment is targeted at allowing Swissto12 to further develop its phased-array antenna technologies to be used onboard low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit and GEO satellite payloads, and ground products such as user terminals. This will strengthen its ability to serve a broad set of customer needs, for communications from and to geostationary and non-geostationary orbits. 

The additional ESA funding, through the Artes HummingSat Partnership Project, within ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications, has been backed by pledges from member states Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway, and associate member Canada.

“We are proud to continue our support of Swissto12, particularly in creating cost-effective solutions for satellite systems that answer to the satcom ecosystem’s ever-increasing demands,” said Laurent Jaffart, ESA director of connectivity and secure communications. “ESA is committed to elevating Europe’s future in space through our support of industry, and by accelerating next-generation satellite technologies.”

Swissto12 CEO and founder Emile de Rijk added: “The recent subscriptions of member states and cooperating states at the ESA Ministerial Council to the HummingSat Project and the latest round of funding from European private investors sends a strong message to the global market that Swissto12 is at the heart of satellite communications innovation.

“With our growing suite of agile, cost-effective and highly performant SatCom solutions, we provide a credible answer to some of the most pressing challenges facing the space economy, including the critical issue of enabling satellite sovereignty – something, until now, out of reach for most of the world’s nations.”