Human Things is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the Genki Covert Dock, which uses gallium nitride to create a much smaller, more power-efficient dock and charger for the Nintendo Switch and other USB-C-powered devices.
It can replace your bulky Switch dock for connecting the Nintendo hybrid gaming console to the TV, and it can replace the charger as well. It can also replace your larger MacBook chargers and display dongle and, charging multiple devices as once.
And it fits in your product, making it a lot easier to transport your Switch. The company aims to raise $50,000 in the next 30 days on Kickstarter. [Update: The company blew past its goal already and has $139,000 raised in a few hours]
The Genki Covert Dock follows in the footsteps of Human Things’ Genki Bluetooth Audio adapter for the Nintendo Switch, which has shipped 40,000 units to over 85 countries following crowdfunding campaigns, raising more than $1 million last year.
“The Nintendo Switch unquestionably changed the game when it launched, offering the benefits of both a handheld gaming system and a full-fledged at-home console in one convenient portable package,” said Eddie Tsai, the CEO of Human Things, in a statement. “Flash-forward to today, and the game is about to change again, as the world’s most portable platform is about to finally become fully functional on-the-go. The large, clunky Switch dock is officially a thing of the past—prepare to make every television your playground with the Genki Covert Dock.”
The Genki Covert Dock is small because it uses gallium nitride, a compound material that is an alternative to silicon because it is far more power efficient, delivering the same amount of charging power in a much smaller space.
So the dock has a built-in HDMI output adapter, a USB-C plug, and a USB 3.0 inside a power adapter that is about the size of a single-use charger.
The dock lets users to both charge and play their Nintendo Switch consoles on television screens—in full 1080p resolution—without the need to carry the native Nintendo-built docking device on-the-go.
The product is also fully compatible with other USB-C devices, providing the capability to fast-charge smartphones, tablets, laptops and more with its Power Delivery (PD) 3.0-compliant energy output, as well as broadcast media such as videos and slideshow presentations directly onto second screens via the first-ever built-in HDMI output inside a charger.
The device has an early bird Kickstarter price starting at $49, and an overall physical size that’s 22% smaller than the native Nintendo Switch charger and 90% smaller than the native dock, the Genki Covert Dock saves consumers both money and space like no other device currently on the market.