The Hyperkin HyperPodium looks unassuming, like a little plastic H with two holes on each side. But slide it into your
Nintendo Switch dock, and you’ll add the ability to connect four GameCube controller ports to your docked Switch. And while it’s not the most attractive way to play Switch games with a GameCube controller, it’s perfectly functional – and at only $30 bucks, one of the cheapest options. Especially if you already have the GameCube controllers laying around.
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Hyperkin HyperPodium – Design and Features
In terms of design, there’s not much to tell. The little H fits smoothly into the original Nintendo Switch dock. That form-fit means it won’t work with most third-party docks, but also means you won’t have to stress as much about frying your Switch, as it utilizes a simple passthrough.
The Nintendo Switch is already tall, but the Hyperkin HyperPodium adds another two or three inches to that height, making it taller than both the PS5 and Xbox Series X (sideways oriented, at least). In fact, with the HyperPodium connected, it’s the only console too tall for my TV stand. That elevated height can also cause the Switch to feel a little wobbly, especially when connecting or disconnecting the controllers.
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The Hyperkin is designed to be less cluttered than wired options like the wired GameCube controller adapter, but it’s not as clean as it could be. That’s because the HyperPodium requires power. It comes with a tiny USB-A to USB-C cord that’s perfect for the job, but you’ll still have a noticeable wire looping around the dock. On the other hand, separating the ports with more physical distance did cause fewer cord tangles than the wired adapter or the Brooks Gaming Power Bay, another dock option with GameCube controller ports.
Like the Brooks Gaming Power Bay, there’s no physical Home button on the HyperPodium hardware. (And, of course, there’s no home button on the GameCube controller.) That means the hardware manufacturers have to assign one of two important buttons – the home button or the start button – to the GameCube’s single center button, which traditionally would be mapped to Start. Brooks remapped that Start button to Home, while controllers used with the HyperPodium retain their Start button, meaning there’s no way to get to the Home screen.
If you want to get to the homescreen, you need to lift your Switch from the dock, press the Switch’s home button, then place it back in the dock, or press the home button of a nearby Joy-Con. Neither solution is perfect, but I vastly prefer Hyperkin’s solution, as I use the Start button far more often than the Home button. Still, I wish the Hyperkin had instituted some sort of four-button combo to go Home or created a physical hardware button on the HyperPodium.
Hyperkin HyperPodium – Performance and Gaming
Once installed and plugged in, the HyperPodium does exactly what it’s supposed to – that is, provide a four-port expansion that’s useful when you want to assemble a crew for Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournaments. Every port worked flawlessly and I never noticed any latency, lag, visual flicker, or anything else out of the ordinary. That said, the ports are awfully tight. You’ll sooner drag your console off your TV stand than unplug one of the GameCube controllers one-handed.
It’s fairly easy to slop your Nintendo Switch into the HyperPodium, but there remains an alarming amount of wiggle once it’s installed. The Switch can depress on both the left and right sides and – more alarmingly – wobble forward and back. While the Switch should remain stationary when docked, the HyperPodium’s added height and bit of wobble did give me pause. After all, the only thing standing between me and a potentially bricked Nintendo Switch is a tiny USB-C prong that’s wiggling with the Switch.
There’s also a question of necessity, as the HyperPodium functions similarly to Nintendo’s official GameCube controller adapter. That said, at $29.99 it’s ten bucks cheaper, and is slightly more elegant than having a dangling adapter hanging off the side of your Switch. It’s also quick and easy to disassemble if you don’t want to leave your Switch atop the HyperPodium’s precarious throne when GameCube controllers aren’t necessary.
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