The answer to the question “What’s the situation with carrying cases for the Switch?” is the same as the answer to the question of “Is the Switch really portable?”:
It’s complicated folks. And it depends on a couple of factors.
This answer comes from the fact that there are two different sizes of case, at least when it comes to officially licensed ones. For the sake of simplicity let’s just call them “Small” and “Large”. Which one to use depends on what kind of experience you want to take with you.
The Small Case
The small case is, well, small. Not much bigger than the Switch itself:
It has just enough room for the console, along with two smaller (and provided) cases that can each hold four game carts:
It also has a little makeshift stand in case you have to/need to use tabletop mode.
Beyond that, however, there isn’t room inside for anything else. You aren’t throwing an extra controller in here, or even a Joycon holster. You can’t even fit in a charging cable, unless it is real small and you get real clever. This case wraps the Switch up like a mummy, and that’s that:
What it’s meant for - I think this case is perfectly fine for most people. It accommodates enough games to potentially last you for months. Since you are almost certainly going to put this case in some sort of bag, just toss a charging cable in there too, and you will have everything you need. It supports Handheld mode, Tablet mode, and even two-player play (for games that can map to a single Joycon per player). That should fit most people’s gaming needs while out of town.
What it costs - Nintendo makes a bunch of cases this size, some themed around certain games. Depending on where you buy it, the cost thirteen and twenty bucks, which is a pretty great price for a case.
The Large Case
I don’t have the large case, but this picture of the packaging tells the story:
It has enough room for a controller, cabling, and the Switch dock.
What it’s meant for - This is for anyone who wants to transport their full Switch setup, either because you just need to have all your stuff, or because you are going to a place where you can plug it into a TV.
The tradeoff, of course, is that it is huge. It is at least as wide as the Switch and as tall as the dock. A box that large is not going to fit into a purse or a day bag, and it won’t easily fit in certain sizes of backpack. I see this as the kind of case you fit into luggage or stick in your car trunk.
What it costs
The official version of this case can cost up to forty bucks. There are cheaper 3rd party solutions that essentially carry the same stuff (or more!), but I cannot speak to their quality.
Where’s the Middle Ground?
I do think there is room for some sort of middle ground between these two case sizes. Imagine the smaller sized case made a bit wider. That would leave enough room for the charging equipment, or maybe even the charging stand.
Or, imagine making it a bit thicker. You might then be able to fit the Switch on the bottom half, and a Joycon holster (or Pro Controller) in the top half.
My point here is that I think there is a way of designing a case that supports transporting just a few more accessories without becoming the size of an attache case, like the Big Case is. But I also understand that if manufacturers tried to make a case for every person’s specific needs, they would never be done. So while I do believe there is room for an in-between case, I also still think the Small Case works fine for most situations.