Nintendo Switch 2 and webcams - how to know if yours will work with the new console

an image of the nintendo switch 2 console, dock, and webcam against an orange patterned background

(Image credit: Nintendo)

published 26 June 2025

There has been a lot of Nintendo Switch 2 hype recently, with the second iteration of the console dropping last month, causing gamers across the country to pull a sick day.

We have always known that the Switch 2 supports an official Nintendo webcam — after all the camera is used a lot across the platform for games and GameChat calls. However, it came as a bit of a surprise to find that lots of third-party kit works too — though support for other brand's accessory is a bit, well, mixed at the moment, and Nintendo hadn't been all that clear on what the supported specifications were.

Until now that is. Nintendo has shed light on exactly what a camera needs to feature in order to work with the Switch 2, and companies are now prepping updates to suit.

The official list of supported cameras is a lot shorter than the ones that don’t work, with just over 50 individual models listed as compatible. Previously, users didn't exactly know why some cameras worked and some didn't, though it's now revealed cameras need to tick three required boxes the console looks for when you plug it in.

The three factors are:

It must not use the HID protocol
It has to be configured for isochronous transfer mode
It must not include unsupported low frame rate settings

Mario in a kart driving away from the Nintendo Switch 2

If a camera checks only two of those boxes, it won’t work on the Nintendo Switch 2.

In terms of how the console actually transmits this data, the USB descriptors send data to the Switch 2 when you plug in the camera. You can use tools such as USBView to check these specifications, however, these specs will give you a lot more information than just these three factors, so no one’s blaming you if you get confused.

Some companies, such as Elgato, have upgraded their cameras to align with these requirements, however tech companies can only do so much as some USB descriptors are not actually upgradable. Most of the power is in Nintendo’s hands, as they can choose to update the Switch 2 console and dock to be more lenient with reading USB descriptors which would allow for more camera support.

Your best bet to work out what’s going on is to head directly to the maker of your camera and see if they have released any information about upgrades and support vis a vis Switch 2. If not, then keep your fingers crossed and eyes peeled for any Nintendo announcements.

Why is no-one buying non-Nintendo Switch 2 games?

Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.