New details on the third-party Piranha Plant camera for Nintendo Switch 2 have emerged, including one major weakness.
The camera, which is created by peripheral manufacturer Hori with official licensing from Nintendo, acts as an alternative to the official Nintendo Switch 2 Camera.
It’s also significantly cheaper than the standard official Switch 2 Camera, and is currently available on the UK My Nintendo Store at a price of £33.99 (compared to £49.99 for the standard camera).
However, there’s a reason for this: while the official Switch 2 Camera has a capture resolution of 1080p, the Piranha Plant Camera can only capture at 480p.
Players who prefer favour design and flexibility may still prefer the Piranha Plant, given that it can be positioned in a wider variety of ways.
The Piranha Planet Camera can be placed inside a warp pipe, and sat on a desk. However, the warp pipe only acts as a base, with a cable extending to the Switch 2 dock. The Piranha Plant itself can be removed from the base, with a separate USB connector at the base of the stem.
This allows players to connect the Piranha Plant directly to the Switch 2, via the USB port on the top of the console, and play in handheld mode with the camera on top of it like a webcam.
Should players not have room on their desk for the Warp Pipe base to sit, the base also has a clip at the bottom which enables it to be mounted to the top of a television.
Players can also close the Piranha Plant’s mouth when not using the Camera, essentially covering it up to avoid accidentally switching it on at any point.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Camera can be used for the console’s GameChat feature, and can also be used for certain games, such as the upcoming Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Party Jamboree. Some of the Switch 2 Edition’s new mini-games have players standing up and using their whole bodies to play, similar to the PlayStation EyeToy.
As well as Camera support, GameChat also allows players to share their screen while playing, meaning other players in the chat can see what they’re doing and offer advice if needed. Chat can also be used across multiple games, meaning players can continue chatting and sharing their screen even if they’re playing a different title.
GameChat will be free to use until March 31, 2026, after which it will require a Switch Online subscription.
