Hands-on review: Skull & Co’s Jumpgate for Nintendo Switch

One of the things that make the Nintendo Switch special is its ability to seamlessly switch from a hand-held device to a dedicated home console using the dock.

The official Nintendo Switch dock is great. It does the job it needs to do; however, it has a few major flaws. It is too big and very fragile for travel, it covers most of the Switch's body, and it doesn't work with protective cases. Skull - Co's Jumpgate for Nintendo Switch solves all of these problems.

When the Switch first came out, there was a lot of negative news surrounding third party docks. The Skull - Co Jumpstart for the Nintendo Switch is one of the safest docks out there. Skull - Co spent months testing the product and making sure it is safe to use. I have been using it as my main dock for a little while now and I have never experienced an issue.

The Jumpgate for the Nintendo Switch is made of two parts, the Jumpgate dock shell and the removable Core Drive.

The Jumpgate is basically a Switch-ready shell that houses the Core Drive. But if you are travelling, the Core Drive is all you would need to have a fully functioning setup. Both the dock and Core are significantly small compared to the original dock. This makes them perfect for anyone who travels a lot.

The Core Drive has all the necessary ports for not only a Nintendo Switch set up, via a USB-C powered setup. When inside the Jumpgate dock, users can take advantage of one HDMI port, one USB Type-C 3.1 (up to 100W full speed power delivery pass-through charging), and two USB 3.0 ports. This allows players to charge their Switch, project it to the TV, and even connect or charge two controllers or other devices.

Once taken out of the Jumpgate Dock, Users will be able to access one SD and one microSD port. These additional ports make the Core perfect for MacBook users, iPad users and cell phone users with USB Type-C ports.

The other great thing that I loved about the Jumpgate dock is that it doesn't cover the Switch's screen. This solves the main three issues that the original dock has - it will not scratch the Switch's screen, it will not overheat the switch, and it will act as a tabletop charging stand for tabletop mode.

The Dock also has a feature that allows the player to extend the USB Type-C plug. This essentially means that the dock will fit almost any case that players have on their Switch. This, in turn, means that your Nintendo Switch will be protected at all times.

It was hard to find something I didn't like about the Jumpgate. The only thing that's not perfect is the fact that it will take two hands to correctly dock the Switch on it, compared to the easy and guided experience of the official dock. But this is something I was happy to sacrifice as I was gaining much more.

The portability, safety, and versatility of the Jumpgate dock make it the best portable Nintendo Switch dock on the market. I personally can't imagine travelling or playing my Switch in tabletop mode without it.