“Nintendo’s greed could change the tech industry”: Major YouTuber sharply criticizes one aspect of the Switch 2

Linus Tech Tips is one of the biggest tech YouTubers worldwide. In a recent video, the channel has now clearly criticized Nintendo.

Criticism of Nintendo’s Switch 2 regarding its USB connection was already voiced at the beginning of July. The reason for this is that some devices do not work with the connection, even though there is no technical reason why they shouldn’t.

This mainly affects accessories such as docking stations, which usually work perfectly with the Switch 1, but not with the Switch 2.

The criticism, which was sparked in part by analyses on The Verge website, has now also been taken up by the major YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips, with clear words in the title of the following video: “Nintendo’s greed could change the tech industry.”

Analysis tool shows anomalies

• To get to the bottom of the problem with non-functioning accessories, Linus Tech Tips, like The Verge before it, uses intermediary hardware that logs communication between the console and USB-connected devices.
• In addition to the usual steps, such as querying the specifications and starting the power supply, some entries stand out. This applies in particular to those labeled Vendor Device. Translated, Vendor means manufacturer and Device means device.
• The suspicion is that a check is being carried out here to determine whether the respective accessory comes from Nintendo or not. If this is not the case, the desired functionality may not be available.

What exactly happens in the communication is not entirely clear, even with the analysis tool.

However, it suggests that the problem lies in the software or communication control rather than the hardware.

Whether these problems are deliberately caused by Nintendo also remains unclear.

What concerns Linus Tech Tips has

The possible change in the tech industry mentioned in the video’s headline refers to the concern that other manufacturers could follow Nintendo’s supposed example.

The fear is that excluding products from other manufacturers could become a common practice, with USB-C, as a widely used connector, providing an unintended basis for this.

The possible interest behind this seems clear to Linus Tech Tips: to make more money by preventing customers from switching to third-party products when choosing accessories.

So far, however, this is only a suspicion.