If you’ve just unboxed your shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 and your Joy-Cons keep randomly disconnecting, you’re not alone-and surprisingly, the culprit might be your HDMI cable.
Numerous early users and tech reviewers have reported issues where Joy-Cons drop connection frequently when the console is docked. Our own testing confirmed it: the problem disappears when using the official ultra high speed HDMI cable bundled with the Switch 2.
Why would a display cable affect Bluetooth-connected controllers? It’s not that the HDMI itself talks to the Joy-Cons, but rather that signal interference, grounding issues, or power delivery quirks via the dock may get aggravated by lower-grade cables. And while it’s not technically required to use the official Nintendo cable, you do need a certified HDMI 2.1 (Ultra High Speed) cable. Anything less, especially older HDMI 1.4 or 2.0 cables, can cause unexpected issues when the system is docked.
Many users simply reused the HDMI cable from their original Switch, assuming it would be fine. But that old cable likely doesn’t meet the new performance standards. The Switch 2 relies on higher bandwidth to support 4K upscaling, higher refresh rates, and more robust dock communication-all of which can indirectly affect wireless performance due to noise or signal grounding.
Nintendo’s own support site confirms this, advising players to use only Ultra High Speed HDMI cables to avoid performance issues while docked. Our advice: if you’ve replaced your Switch but not your HDMI cable, double-check its specs. If it’s not HDMI 2.1 compliant, it’s time for an upgrade.
To be clear, the Joy-Con disconnection issue appears limited to docked play, and doesn’t affect all users. Some users with proper third-party HDMI 2.1 cables report no issues at all. Also, Pro Controllers don’t seem to experience this problem, perhaps due to better antennas or firmware tuning.
In short, don’t panic-just ditch the old HDMI cable, plug in the new one (or any certified 2.1 cable), and enjoy uninterrupted gaming. It’s a weird quirk, but one that’s fixable without a Joy-Con replacement or system update.
And yes, this could have been an opportunity for Nintendo-or even the gaming media-to better educate users about the often-overlooked importance of cable standards in modern hardware. Hopefully, this serves as that PSA.