For many of us, the last year was definitive proof that sitting on a couch with a portable console in hand is a terrible way to stay in shape. But what if that console was a supersized version of the Nintendo Switch measuring 1.8 metres and weighing 30 kg? Just trying to reach the buttons and hold it in your lap would be a better workout than a CrossFit class.
Michael Pick is the mad scientist behind this creation, which was built from a combination of plywood used for the overall shell of the embiggened console, oversized buttons churned out on a 3D printer, and a 4K screen in the middle. Measuring 1.8 metres long, Pick’s custom Switch is about 650% larger than Nintendo’s original Switch, and is about as close as anyone can get to a ‘pro’ version of the portable console at this time.
Hidden inside the left Joy-Con is a real Switch using an HDMI cable to feed gameplay to the 4K display so there was minimal hardware hacking needed to realise this beast. What’s most surprising isn’t that the giant Joy-Cons work, but how Pick went about doing that. Instead of functioning as wireless Bluetooth controllers, the buttons on the giant Joy-Cons actually trigger servos that physically press the buttons on the real Joy-Cons inside. It sounds a little over-engineered, but the approach means that if and when the next-generation version of the Switch arrives it can be swapped into this oversized shell with a few modifications and upgrades.
Instead of keeping the beefcake Switch, Pick donated it to the Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, where it can be enjoyed by those in need of a pick-me-up. But it’s doubtful the kids there will have to climb all over the console to play it, as it also works just fine with Bluetooth controllers that are much easier to hold.