2020 Christmas Buying Guide Gadget Review

Peter Donnell / 4 years ago

HyperX ChargePlay Clutch & Qi

Battery life, it’s one of the main concerns we all have with our mobile gadgets. Nintendo may have increased the battery life on the newer model Switch, but what if you’re on a much longer journey and don’t want to compromise on your marathon gaming session? You get the ChargePlay Clutch of course!

If comes with a two part grip and a dock. They’re all fully modular, and that’s what makes it so interesting.

This is the battery pack, which plugs into the bottom of the switch much like the main console dock. It contains a 6000mAh power bank, so you’ll get a good 4-6 hours extra life on the go, depending on what you’re playing.

It has a power button, level checker and charging port on the rear too.

Furthermore, it can be turned into a kickstand that’s much more durable and stable than the Switch’s built in one. If you’re on a flight, this is going to stay upright in turbulence.

You can add the grips on the end too, which does make the unit a bit larger, but it’s actually quite comfortable too. The weight is increased, but honestly, it’s not like the Switch was heavy to begin with. If I’m sat on a plane or train with this, it won’t bother me. We’re in lockdown though, so all I can honestly confirm is I can keep my ass on the couch for longer… no complaints there.

What’s neat is the controller grips can clip together to convert the Joy-Cons into a more fully-fledged controller. It’s really comfortable and again, you still get to leave the Switch in the battery dock.

Also, since I’m picking my phone up every couple of minutes, I never seem to have time to charge the damn thing. With this USB-C powered Qi charger, I can drop my phone on it, and it’ll charge wirelessly. Of course, you need a compatible phone, but most decent phones have Qi these days. Even handier on your desk if you have a Qi charging headset, mouse, controller, etc.