Clever Hacker Got His Nintendo Switch To Work On An ’80s Sony Watchman Without Any Wires

Clever Hacker Got His Nintendo Switch To Work On An ’80s Sony Watchman Without Any Wires

Video: Before the Nintendo Switch, iPhone and even the Game Boy, the 1986 Sony Watchman was my first gadget obsession. When the digital TV switchover happened a few years ago, my handheld TV was relegated to a drawer as there’s now nothing to watch on it. But that’s why I’m super excited to see that someone has figured out how to get their Switch running on its tiny, black-and-white screen.

Given how scarce the Sony Watchman has become, I especially like that this hack is collector-friendly. It doesn’t require you to open or make any modifications to the classic portable TV.

What YouTube’s My Mate VINCE instead did was connect his Nintendo Switch’s digital HDMI cable to an analogue converter, which was then piped into an old VCR which converted the signal to RF. Wiring the VCR to an antenna, with a signal booster in-between, essentially created a low-power pirate TV station the Watchman could be tuned into.

Is it a better solution than just using the Nintendo Switch’s own screen? Absolutely not. This is a hack for hack’s sake, but it warms my heart knowing that my beloved Watchman still might have a few more tricks up its sleeve.

[YouTube via GoNintendo]


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