The Nintendo Switch is a great gaming console. With the ability to play docked or on the go, it offers great flexibility to play its amazing library of games.
However, you might want more. You might be searching for ways to enrich your experience playing with you Switch.
Luckily, Nintendo´s hybrid console has a great wealth of accessories to improve itself. Driving wheels, docks, charging stations, grips, skins, adapters, a car headstand, and many more. They are so numerous, that we have a page listing them all here.
However, most of them tend to be on the expensive side. Are there some great accessories that you can get for less than fifteen dollars?
Yes, there are. We present to you the seven best accessories for the Nintendo Switch under fifteen dollars. They are a great way to make the best out of your Switch, or they can also make for a good gift for any Nintendo fans that you know.
Hori Compact Playstand for the Nintendo Switch
The Switch has two main ways to play, docked mode, where you play on the TV, and the handheld mode, where you hold your Switch in your hands as if it was a DS or a tablet.
Tabletop mode, where you play with the Switch propped up on a table, is often forgotten.
This is mostly because you prop up the Switch up with a little kickstand that it has on it´s back. This gives you kind of an awkward angle to play. Not to mention that the plastic leg is so flimsy that a little shake can make the console fall on its screen.
This is where the Hori Compact Playstand comes in. With this gadget, you can prop up the Switch into a much more comfortable viewing position.
You can adjust the angle to whatever you prefer, and, due to actually having a base, you can be certain that it will not topple over at the slightest bump on the table.
This stand also lets you charge your Switch while playing, something that wasn´t possible with the regular kickstand. All you need to do is plug the AC adapter directly to the bottom of the Switch while it´s on the stand.
It is a simple solution, but an effective one. This is the ideal accessory if you want to play with the Switch on tabletop mode along with friends. It is small enough to be carried along with the console without much issue, so you can bring it everywhere.
Charging Cable for Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite
The dock isn´t the most convenient way to charge your Nintendo Switch. If you have a Lite, it isn´t a way, period. It is bulky and inescapably tethered to a power outlet and maybe even a TV.
The Switch is all about flexibility, so it´s a bit weird that the default way to charge it doesn´t give you much freedom. Is there an easier way?
There is! You can charge the Switch with a USB C to A cable.
With this cable, you can charge the Switch like you would a Smartphone. You connect it to a PC or a USB wall plug, and the batteries will fill to the brim automatically. USB wall plugs are easy enough to get, every Apple phone comes with one, or you can buy this one for almost as much as the cable itself.
If the cable is plugged into the console, then you should be able to play continuously without draining the battery. It is an ideal accessory for people who carry their Switch out of heir home a lot, be it for their commute or travels.
PowerA Joy-Con Comfort Grips
The Joy-Con aren't the best controllers to use if you want a classic gamepad experience. You have to hold them on each hand independently, like the old Wiimote and Nunchuck.
To be able to play "normally", conventional wisdom dictates that you need to buy a Pro Controller. However, there is a cheaper way. You can use the Joy-Con Grip.
The Grip is an accessory that joins a pair of Joy-Cons into something resembling a gamepad. The Switch comes with a grip included. The official one is a bit basic though, so you might buy a more comfortable alternative, like PowerA´s Comfort Grip
This model comes with rubber grips and added width, letting you play with slightly more comfort. This is especially true if you have big hands, although if that´s your problem, there are better ways to make gaming less painful.
Tempered Glass Screen Protector
For a lot of people, touching a naked screen with your greasy hands is tantamount to sacrilege.
Fingerprints, scratches and dead pixels can haunt your screen forever. Even if you never touch it, the Switch itself is exposed to all sorts of ambient dust and trash.
To prevent any damage, however unlikely, to appear on your screen, you can buy a screen protector and forget about those worries. The material is thick enough to prevent any damage but thin enough so that you can still keep using the touchscreen like before.
Installing it is easy. Just stick it atop your screen like a sticker, and voila, it´s done. Now you can touch the screen of your Switch as much as you want without risking any permanent damage. As we have attested, they work quite well despite the cheap asking price.
Protective Cover Case for the Nintendo Switch and Joy-Con
Keeping in with the theme of protecting your Switch, why stop with only a screen protector, when you can cover the whole console?
This protective Cover Case will completely encase your Switch in a thin layer of plastic. This shield will protect your console from falls, tumbles and will prevent scratches of any kind.
The case isn´t cumbersome at all, and in fact, it will not obstruct your Switch from entering the dock and recharging.
If you are paranoid about your wrecking the Switch, or if you live in a household with many pets and kids, this case is a worthwhile investment to protect your console.
That said, this protective case only fits the original Switch. If you own a Lite, try this one instead.
Nintendo Switch Skin
Why put stickers only to protect your screen, when you can dress up the entire Switch instead?
A skin is a series of stickers that you stick on your Switch, Joy-Con, and sometimes even the dock. They are made to make your Switch look a lot more colorful and stylish.
There are hundreds of skins available on the market, with a wide variety of artworks and different prices. To help you choose, we have an article listing the top ten skins on our site.
But, since we are going for ones that cost less than fifteen dollars, we´ll use Controller Gear´s gallery of skin.
Controller Gear has a whole gamut of skins from practically every Nintendo franchise on the console. They will surely have one that is to your liking.
HORI Nintendo Switch Analog Caps
If you still want to customize your Switch but prefer something more subtle than changing its whole skin, you should consider getting one of these analog caps.
Not only do they look better than the default thumbstick, but they also help with the grip of your thumbs over the stick. This is due to its material, and the fact that you now have more surface area to hold onto.
You don´t need experience or tools to install these caps. Just push them into place. It´s not hard, but be careful as you install them. They can be bent out of shape in this part of the process.
These caps will also help prevent the plastic from peeling off in your original control stick, which is kind of fragile.
Conclusion
From cosmetic skins to play stands, there are plenty of great, and economical, accessories to deck up your Switch. Each of them will improve your gaming experience one way or the other, so give them a shot!
An honorable mention goes to micro SD cards. While you can certainly find one under 15 dollars, it will usually not have enough space to be a worthwhile investment. If you want to know more about the prices of these cards, go to our article here!
Or, if you want to go deeper, consider our article on how to make a custom controller! With it, you will learn to mod your Pro Controller to your absolute comfort.
If you want to take a look at more Switch accessories, we have the whole list on our page here. We also made the same list but for cheap Playstation 4 and Xbox One accessories. And don´t forget to join our mailing list so that we can tell you when these accessories go on sale.