Review: The Bionik TV Lynx cable

Here’s a look at a great product for Switch users on the go who want to connect to a television without using a dock.

The Nintendo Switch is an amazing console with the ability to play on go the go and at home on your TV. But when you’ve reached your destination and want to play on a TV, you usually need you Switch dock to connect to it.

So if you don’t have a dock with you when you travel and there isn’t one at your destination, you’re out of luck.  Nintendo Soup was contacted by Bionik gaming about their TV Lynx cable which offers an alternative to this situation and we were happy to try it out.

Bionik Gaming is a company that creates Innovative accessories for PS4, XboxONE, NintendoSwitch, and more. The TV Lynx cable is a cable system that allows you to connect your Nintendo Switch to your TV or any TV with an HDMI port.

The Product:

The braided cable folds easily into your hand or into a travel case with the rest of your Switch. I found that the power adapter was still on the bulky side and hard to fit in my travel case but would easily fit in my pocket or in a backpack that I carry my pouch in. The metal prongs of the power adapter are also able to fold inward so it’s easy to store and hold in your hand.

To set up the TV Lynx cable, you use the three cable ends to connect with your television, the power adapter, and of course your Switch. The Power Adapter and Switch cable ends are both labelled so its easy to connect each of them properly.

One of the nice perks of the TV Lynx cable is that I can leave the case on my Switch which usually has to come off if I want to use my dock to play at home. It also allows the Switch to lay flat on the table instead of sitting vertically in the dock where it can get in the way of the television for example.

This cable and power adapter combo is a great alternative to the dock in general because of the ability to plug it in quickly without having to slide it into a dock. Its braided cables also feel sturdier than the cables used to connect the dock to the TV and are also thinner.

The one feature that it is missing compared to the dock is the USB port in case you want to connect a wired controller. I personally use the Joy-Cons or another wireless controller so it’s not much of an issue for me.

Not having a dock also means not having to worry about putting the Switch on a flat surface all the time. This is great if you have limited space around your TV and because of the HDMI cord you don’t worry as much about the Switch slipping out of the dock when you’re moving the dock with the Switch inside.

Just opening the flap of the Lynx box gave me a pleasant experience. The transparent cover gave me a glance at the full product to know exactly what to expect once I opened the box. Being able to to disconnect the power adapter from the cable is also an overlooked advantage over the dock since its harder to accidentally have the Switch disconnect when it doesn’t have to slide in to work.

Final Thoughts:

It was very intuitive to set up and the format of the cables made it easy to avoid tangling. I even seemed to have better luck connecting to the Wi-Fi while connected through the Lynx instead of the dock which might have been related to the angle of the Switch more than anything else.

I enjoyed being able to carry the TV Lynx around without having to worry about if there is a dock to use with my Switch at my destination. I often like meeting with friends in a common room in my school’s dormitories but it is annoying to carry my dock down with me along with my Switch. This is totally alleviated by just using my TV Lynx cable instead.

As for changes I would make is a way to make the cables easier to stick together or to a wall surface, so they aren’t just hanging in the air which is minor issue for me. The image of the power adapter on the front box makes it seem like it will be much bigger than it is since the Switch is also in the cover and looks like it is about the same size. So don’t be mislead by that.

If you’re looking for a more convenient way to connect your Switch to a television without your dock at home or want a way to connect to a television wherever you’re going, the Bionik Gaming TV Lynx is a great option with a few advantages to the usual Switch dock. Below are features of the Lynx including specs.

Features:
• Compact alternative to carrying original Nintendo Switch™ dock when on-the-go.
• Comes with USV Type-C™ AC adapter and HDMI® connections.
• Includes dynamic USB Type-C™ adapter that can be used with other USB Type-C™ devices.
• Captive cable management system.
• High quality, 6 foot durable braided cable.
• Supports 1080p resolution.

The Bionik TV Lynx can be purchased directly from https://www.bionikgaming.com/products/tv-lynx for $59.99.

Nintendo Soup were gifted a cable for the purpose of this review.