This seems like a massive design oversight. I don't want to hold it whenever I want to charge and play, for example I have a 14 hour flight coming up, I would like to just set it down and charge it the entire time while I play. But NOPE! It has this massive cord on the bottom.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N9RTMWS/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Problem solved.

The answer to this and every other head-scratching question you have about the Switch is always going to be answered by, "Because Nintendo."

Better question: Why does the dock scratch the screen when you put it in?

I've modified my dock by putting a lining of felt inside the dock. Sigh...luckily I got to read a PSA about this before mine fell victim.

if you have one, the Kid Icarus stand works a treat for the Switch.

thanks for the tip @wynnduffy

the whole switch just seems poorly designed. good idea, poor execution. its the nintendo way

bit of an exaggeration, it's like 80% of the way there. joycon design, size of the unit, screen are all well done in my opinion. charge cable position was not well thought out but there's ways around it. i know it sounds bad but the 2nd revision will be quite better. i don't mind being an early adopter.

i always laugh and groan at the dumb exaggerated demonstrations of tech problems infomercial style. THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY! *sigh*

This really does seem absurd, even for Nintendo.

Seems like bad design, i am wondering how this thing will be regarded after the zelda hype dies down, from the outside looking in nothing besides that one game looks great.

Two reasons:

• They put the Headphone jack at the top and so fit the charging cable below. They did the opposite with the 3DS and got a lot of complains because, unsurprisingly, lots of people wanted to play on headphones. There is a basic rule in electronic design that you put power and audio as far away as possible (to reduce static which creates a hum and possibly a discharge which can cause damage to ears if either port breaks). The left and right aren't possible due to the Joy-Cons so one must be below.
• Putting the power supply USB-C cable (also used for media transfer) below allows for simpler changing between handheld and TV play (which is their main USP)

Could they have done it differently and fixed this issue? Maybe, but I can see how they reached this comprimise. Still slightly annoying (but a lot less annoying than having a headphone jack on the bottom).

@dixavd: And also when its docked, the vents are at the top. If its the opposite, hot air will be going to your pants when playing. in handheld mode

Because it makes much more sense to have it at the bottom from a technical and use-case perspective. You're not going to please all scenario's and not being able to put it in the stand while plugged in is the least inconvenient and uncomfortable out of all the problems that arise if you put it at the top.

Does seem like a strange step back from the Wii U, which managed to charge from the bottom when docked, while having both power and headphones in the top when undocked - best of both.

The only way to make the docking process work is to have the charging port at the bottom, because that's where the USB-C connector is in the dock. The only way to make it charge from the top when not docked would be to have a second USB-C port on the system, or require that you physically plug in the system when you dock it. Having the headphone jack on top has the added benefit of it being usable when the Switch is docked, if you sit close enough to it to make that functional.

Isn't every piece of gaming electronic always powered from the bottom so the cable doesn't wear out after a few uses. Gameboy pocket color ds 3ds etc.