The Switch 2 Piranha Plant camera has a terrible, awful secret

With GameChat being so prevalent for the Nintendo Switch 2, it’s no surprise that the company has opened its doors to allow any USB-C cameras to work with the console. While the Switch 2 camera, made by Nintendo, works fine, the Piranha Plant camera from Hori is easily a lot cuter; however, it’s also not worth spending on if you want to actually use it for its intended purpose.

It’s still one of the best Switch 2 cameras by sheer design alone. Taking the iconic Mario enemy as, essentially, a webcam is a clever idea, even more so when the mouth doubles as a privacy shutter. Unfortunately, even being part of the best Switch games franchise can’t save it from being all plant, and no bite.

That’s because the resolution of the camera is a mere 480p. Yes, not 1080p, 2K, or Bowser forbid, 4K. Nope, it’s 480p, which many will realize is not enough when it comes to modern hardware, and for any upcoming games that use the camera features, it’s a disappointing and utterly puzzling disappointment. Let’s hope a new Mario game will mean Nintendo brings its own version out in the future.

To make matters worse, it’s the same resolution as the 3DS camera. That puts a 14-year-old handheld console at better specs than a modern device, and worst of all, it’s at a retail price of $60 compared to the Switch 2’s camera at $54.99. $5 more for lower specs means it’s highly focused on the design, which I don’t think is worth the money alone (although it is cheaper in the UK). If you want a camera, I’d recommend grabbing the Switch 2 Camera from Walmart and Amazon UK.

I cannot stress how disappointed I am in this product being practically useless, and more expensive to boot. Admittedly, the ability to use a camera isn’t exactly a high need for our Nintendo Switch 2 review to be positive, but with such heavy marketing behind it, it’s a shambles that manufacturer Hori thinks the Piranha Plant is even close to good enough. To make it even more frustrating, its separate and basic webcam has the same resolution. It is truly bizarre.

Frustrating peripherals aside, I’m really enjoying Nintendo’s new handheld console, and if you are too, I’d suggest grabbing some of the best Switch 2 accessories. I promise you, there’s no Hori Piranha Plant Camera in there, even by exciting design alone.