How to Use an iPad as a Nintendo Switch 2 Display - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Use an iPad as a Nintendo Switch 2 Display

When you're away from home and want to play your Nintendo Switch 2 on a larger display, you can do so if you have a USB-C iPad. All you need is an app and a couple of accessories to get everything connected, as MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera demonstrates.


To use this setup, you need a USB-C ‌iPad‌ that's able to run the latest version of iOS, and a Nintendo Switch. We're demonstrating with Nintendo's new Switch 2, but it also works with the original Switch, plus other Playstation and Xbox consoles.

Along with the ‌iPad‌ and the Switch 2, you need to pick up an HDMI cable and a video capture card dongle, which is easy to get on Amazon for around $20. Along with the hardware, you need to get an app that captures the video feed from your Switch and sends it to your ‌iPad‌.

We tested Orion, which is free to use, but has a one-time $5 upgrade for extra features like 4K upscaling.

When you have all the components and the software, plug in the Switch 2 dock, then plug the HDMI cable into the dock. The other end of the HDMI cable connects to the video capture card, and the capture card's USB-C cable plugs into the ‌iPad‌. From there, put the Switch 2 in the dock and power everything on.

You should see your Switch 2's display come up on the ‌iPad‌, and you're ready to play. There is a little bit of input lag, but it's minimal. You may not want to play online shooters, but offline games should be fine.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Dark Cherry Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Reportedly Starts With 256GB of Storage

Thursday September 3, 2026 9:22 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro has double the base storage compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, there will apparently be no further increase this year. Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today again reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models will start with 256GB of storage, like the iPhone 17 Pro models. Minimum storage capacities by model:iPhone 16 Pro: 128GB iPhone 17 Pro: 256GB iPhone 18 Pro...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment. TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 17 Pro $1,099 iPhone 18 Pro $...
All Screen iPhone 2030 Feature Sans Text

iPhone 18 Pro: Nine Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 7, 2026 5:01 am PDT by
Apple is set to unveil new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models on Wednesday, September 9, and the devices are expected to feature a design that's largely similar to the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a peppering of enhancements inside. Major changes are not expected until next year, when Apple is expected to introduce a radically redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone. If you're thinking of...

Top Rated Comments

16 months ago
I would imagine playing through a capture card would introduce a ton of lag.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dontwalkhand Avatar
16 months ago
Isn't the entire point of a Nintendo Switch, is that you can undock it and it has a screen built in, so you shouldn't need an external screen like an iPad? :p
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arislan Avatar
16 months ago
Why? This needs the Switch 2 dock which completely defeats the purpose of it being easy to travel with. The screen on the Switch 2 is giant compared to the original so you really don't gain much going to an iPad screen. If the Switch 2 could output over USB-C without the dock and the iPad could digest it natively without a dongle, then this wouldn't be a bad idea. This is just a mess of cables that no one needs.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
If I'm on the road and I have a dock and hdmi cable with me... why wouldn't I just plug into an actual TV and / or portable / external laptop monitor?!?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
All capture stuff introduces horrible and unacceptable amounts of lag. None of them work for any games that aren't just interactive slideshows. The dream of using existing iPads/iMacs/iAnything as a gaming display is no. Nope. Noway.

Get an ASUS or ViewSonic or Lenovo or LG or whatever portable display (1080p or hard-to-find 1440p) or a desktop 1440p display with 120 Hz or faster refresh (120/240/360/480). Watch out for non-standard resolution displays because some of them (like the ASUS portable 2560x1600) will not properly handle 1440p and will instead stretch the content to fit the display and butcher the aspect ratio and provide no settings to deal with this. Make sure whatever it is has HDMI input, some portable displays are USB-C only.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SanderEvers Avatar
16 months ago
So a capture card for an iPad... That is going to add at least half a second of input lag, and well... the Switch 2 already has a screen. It's like connecint an iPhone to an iPad.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)