I like to play Switch with headphones, so I can enjoy the game late at night while not disturbing my wife and kids' sleep. In handheld mode, I can use wired headphones to connect switch, but in TV mode, if I like to sit away from the TV, my wired headphones will not come in handy.
Nintendo Switch has Bluetooth, but it can only be used to connect controllers, and not wireless headsets. How can we use headphones while playing switch on TV mode?
I watched a lot of YOUTUBE videos and read some discussions in reddit, and finally concluded that the following four solutions are currently available.
- Use Nintendo Switch controller with headphone jack
- Use Bluetooth adapter for Nintendo switch
- Use 3.5mm male to female stereo extension cable
- Use HDMI cable
- NX-Btred Bluetooth Audio Driver
Let me explain to you the advantages and disadvantages of the 4 solutions.
Use Nintendo Switch Controller with Headphone Jack
Cost: 20-30 dollars
CIs there a Nintendo Switch Controller with headphone jack? Yes, there is.
The first officially licensed switch controller with a 3.5mm headphone jack is the PDP Gaming Faceoff Deluxe + audio Wired Controller, priced at $24.99. After that, many 3rd party controllers come with headphone jack.
PDP Gaming Faceoff Deluxe is a wired controller. But the most of 3rd party controllers with headphone jack are wireless. Often, we mistakenly think that we can connect a headset to a wireless controller, and play games wireless on docked mode. In fact, when you use a headphone to connect to a controller, the controller must be wired to the switch via a USB-C cable, otherwise the headphone jack won’t work.
So “wireless switch controller with headphone jack” sounds like a concept that is misleading consumers. Actually, it is a product combined "wired controller with headphone jack" + "wireless controller without headphone jack".
If you are going to buy a controller with headphone jack, you should know how long the controller USB cable is, and make sure the cable is long enough for you to sit away from TV.
Using Bluetooth Adapter for Nintendo Switch
Cost: 15-30 dollars
We can also use the Bluetooth adapter to connect our wireless headphones. There are two types of Bluetooth adapters that can be used on the Nintendo switch, one transmits digital audio from the USB-C port, and one from the 3.5mm audio port. The difference between them is shown in the table below.
| USB-C Port Bluetooth Adapter | 3.5mm Audio Port Bluetooth Adapter | |
| Port: | USB-C charging port | 3.5mm audio port |
| Power Supply: | Supply by Switch | Built-in battery |
| Handhold Mode Support: | Yes | Yes |
| Tabletop Mode Support: | Yes | Yes |
| TV Mode Support: | Yes | No |
If you are using the switch in handheld mode and desktop mode, I would suggest you buy a 3.5mm audio port Bluetooth adapter, and USB-C port can still be used to connect a controller or extension hub.
If you plan to use on TV mode, you should buy USB-C port Bluetooth adapter, while 3.5mm audio port Bluetooth adapter doesn't work on TV mode, which I talked and confirmed to UGREEN support.
People on Amazon product reviews are mentioning USB-C Bluetooth adapter can't be used because it's rather difficult to hook the adapter to the console while in docked mode. But after my double check, I am sure that USB-C adapter can be used while docked mode. If you can’t hook the adapter to switch dock, you can buy an auxiliary cord. With an aux extender cord, USB-C adapter works plugged into that.
Most of Bluetooth adapter supports two wireless headphones simultaneously. Some USB-C Bluetooth adapters have built-in microphone function, so you are able to free chat while in games like Fortnite, Smite, Paladins, Friday the 13th and more.
Using 3.5mm Male to Female Stereo Extension Cable
Cost: 5-12 dollars
The easiest method to use headphone while Nintendo Switch on TV mode, is to buy a 3.5mm male to female stereo extension cable. What you should know is, you must buy a 3 ring aux cord if you want to use the microphone on headphones. The stereo extension cable available on sale is divided into 2 rings and 3 rings. 2 rings stereo extension cable is only for headphone without microphone, while 3 rings cable has both headphone and microphone.
"1 ring = mono audio or earpiece
2 rings = stereo L & R circuits for headphones or aux audio cable
3 rings = stereo L&R circuits plus a microphone channel"
Source
Using HDMI Cable
Cost: $15-25
Another option is to use a long HDMI cable to connect the switch dock, so you can sit away from the TV. But a 12ft HDMI cable will cost at least $15, it is not worth at all.
In short, if you want to use wireless headphones while Switch on TV mode, you must buy a USB-C Bluetooth adapter. if you want to save money, you could choose to buy a 3 ring stereo extension cable. And wireless controller won’t be “real wireless” if you use its headphone jack. It’s not worth buying unless you need and want to buy a controller.
NX-Btred Bluetooth Audio Driver
Finally, I still want to introduce a method that allows any headset or speaker to connect directly to the Nintendo Switch's Bluetooth without going through any hardware.
It is, the nx-btred bluetooth audio driver.
Nx-btred is Bluetooth audio driver/redirector for Switch, which developed by a Github project Plutoooo. It uses the audrec:u service to record game audio, and then outputs it on the new audio Bluetooth driver introduced in firmware version 12.0.0. If you want to use this driver, you must make sure your Nintendo Switch has 12.0.0+ firmware.
And because it is not a driver offered by Nintendo official, it is not 100% work on every Switch console and also contain some unknow bug, you may try it at your risk.
In order to use this audio driver, you need to do follow the steps below:
- Install firmware 12.0.0+.
- Install latest Atmosphere.
- Install latest MissionControl.
- Download nx-btred and unzip to your SD card.
Once finished, you’ve done everything you need to downalod to the micro-SD card on the PC. You can go ahead and connect you SD card to Nintendo Switch, load up the custom firmware and launch the Bluetooth APP.
I follow the video below to set up and make my BEAT headset pairing successfully. The voice sound different in some games but I think it is still an amazing work.
If you are very hands-on, you can try using this method at your own risk. If you are not good at this, you are not suggested to take a try, because you won't find any tech support or nowhere to get some help.
All right, here are all the solutions to you. Do you find one of them be helpful to you? Let me know in the comment section down below.
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