Fully Connected – How to Use a Laptop as a Monitor for a Nintendo Switch

Having a Nintendo Switch gaming console is great. It is portable, and very much fun to play with especially if you have friends to play it with. The best thing about a Nintendo Switch is it comes with controllers that can easily be used for multiplayer games. The downside with this is that because Nintendo Switch is geared towards portability, it comes with a rather small screen which makes it hard to look at especially with plenty of players. If you have a TV screen it would be easier for several people to see the game but if you don’t we’ll teach you how to use your laptop as a monitor for your Switch games.

There are two ways where you can utilize your laptop to have a better gaming experience with your Nintendo Switch. The first is using a capture card that enables you to use your laptop as a monitor only, and the second one is using the PC version of your Nintendo Switch games to cross play between devices. Either way, you will have the benefit of having a bigger screen to view while playing your game. If you have already chosen a 4K screen for your device, you’re onto a winner with their superior color range, smooth scrolling and high definition. If not, it may be worth considering changing up.

Connecting your Nintendo Switch to a Laptop Using a Capture Card

  1. Just like connecting Nintendo Switch to your TV, you will be using your console dock to hold your console and connect it to your laptop.
  2. You will need an HDMI capture card such as the Elgato HDMI capture card and connect your HDMI cable to it.
  3. Open your laptop and open the Game Capture HD.
  4. Turn on your Nintendo Switch console using your controller by pressing the home button.
  5. Connect the Elgato HDMI capture card to your laptop and wait for the Nintendo Switch to show up in the Game Capture HD.
  6. Click the fullscreen icon in Game Capture HD and wait for it to be on fullscreen mode.
  7. Now you can play as you would on your Nintendo Switch.

Choosing a Capture Card

There are several Capture Cards in the market that you can use with your laptop and Nintendo Switch. Just make sure that you use a capture card that has an HDMI port and a USB connection suited to your device. We recommend the Elgato since it is one of the more popular brands and affordable. It also comes with free software that can be used for your Nintendo Switch console.

Using PC game version of Nintendo Switch Games

Another alternative to using a capture card to use your laptop as a Nintendo Switch monitor is to play the PC game version of your Nintendo Switch games on your laptop. The great thing about this is you can even use your Nintendo Switch controllers with your laptop and popular games even have the option to cross-save between your laptop and your Nintendo Switch so you can play with both devices and continue your game progress.

Which is better?

Both methods are proven ways to utilize your laptop for your Nintendo Switch games but you should consider if you have the budget to buy a new capture card or if your game has a PC version, to begin with.

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