Nintendo has been weirdly accepting of third-party hardware with the Switch 2. We learned a little while ago that third-party mice work just fine on the console, which was a little surprising given how the company could lock people into using Nintendo-produced hardware. Now, it seems that the same hardware freedom has been granted to third-party webcams, too, to the point where you can set up an iPhone to act as your console's camera.

Someone found a way to use their iPhone as their Nintendo Switch 2 webcam

As spotted by Engadget, this cool feat was performed by the YouTuber "Will It Work?". As you might imagine from their channel name, they dedicated a video to see if they could get an iPhone's camera to work as a Nintendo Switch 2 webcam.

To achieve this, they grabbed an inexpensive USB-C to HDMI cable, plugged the USB-C end into the iPhone, plugged the HDMI side into a USB capture cable, then plugged the end of that cable into the Switch. They then grabbed an app that lets you see your camera without any UI cluttering the screen, as the Switch 2 will grab whatever it "sees" on your phone as the webcam feed.

Sure enough, once Will It Work booted up the app and got everything plugged in, the Nintendo Switch 2 recognised the iPhone as a webcam. Now, they can use all of the cool features that come with using a webcam with their Switch 2 for just the price of a few cables and a spare (or even current) phone. Granted, it doesn't look like a Piranha Plant, but it's still a great way to recycle old technology.

If you like the idea of giving your outdated, unused phones a second life as a camera, check out our resources on the topic:

• I turned my old smartphone into a webcam for my PC — here's how it went
• Here’s how to turn your Android phone into a wireless webcam for PC and laptop
• Here's how I turned my PC into a viewfinder for my phone's camera
• Camo app for Android turns your phone into a better webcam for your PC