Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con Issues? It Might Just Be Your HDMI Cable

As the Switch 2 continues to sell in the millions for Nintendo, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there’d be some issues with the console. It appears, however, that one problem Switch 2 owners are facing is actually just a matter of using the wrong cable.
Reddit users have posted about their Joy-Cons disconnecting when they’re playing on their Switch 2 while it’s docked, an issue spotted earlier by IGN. It does appear that, luckily, the issue can be resolved by using the included HDMI cable for the Switch 2 rather than an older, slower one — including the cable that came with the original Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo laid out the solution on its support page for when the Joy-Con 2 starts disconnecting from the console:
- Confirm that you’re using an “Ultra High Speed” HDMI cable to connect the dock to the TV. If it’s not Ultra High Speed, your console won’t perform as expected when docked.
- If you’re using a different cable than the one that came with the console, it should have printed on the cable that it’s “Ultra High Speed.”
- The HDMI cable that came with the Nintendo Switch is not “Ultra High Speed” and should not be used with the Nintendo Switch 2 dock.
Nintendo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the source of this issue.
Since the Switch 2 launch, many gamers have come to realize that Nintendo’s new console is very picky about what cables are connected to it. This goes for the HDMI cable as well as the power cable.
While the new and old Switch share the same name, they don’t share the same components. The Switch 2 is a huge upgrade in graphics power over the 2017 console, which means it needs the appropriate power supply. Not providing the Switch 2 with sufficient power could likely cause some issues, especially if the system has to do a lot of work to run a game.
Watch this: Nintendo Switch 2 Two Weeks In: All I’ve Loved, and The Things I Haven’t