For many of us, last year was the ultimate test that sitting on a couch with a handheld console in hand is a terrible way to stay fit. But what if this console was one large version of the Nintendo Switch measures six feet long and weighs 65 pounds? I’m just trying reach the buttons and keeping it on your lap would be a better workout than a CrossFit class.
Michael Pick is the crazy scientist behind this creation, which was built from a combination of plywood used for the general housing of the embiggeneada console, large buttons produced on a printer 3D and a 4K screen in the center. Measuring 70 inches long, Pick’s custom switch is approximately 650% larger than Nintendo’s original switch and is as close as anyone can get to the “professional” version of the handheld console right now. .
Hidden inside the Joy-Con is a real switch that uses an HDMI cable to power the game on the 4K screen, so a minimum of hardware hacking was needed to perform this beast. The most amazing thing is not how the giant Joy-Cons works, but how Pick was doing this. Instead of functioning as wireless Bluetooth controllers, the buttons on the Joy-Cons giant activate servos that physically press the buttons on the actual Joy-Cons inside. It seems a little too designed, but the approach means that if the next generation version of the Switch arrives and when it can be switched to this large shell with some modifications and updates.
Instead of keeping the beefcake switch, Pick donated it to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, where those in need of a pick-me-up will be able to enjoy it. But it’s doubtful that kids there will have to go all over the console to play with it, as it also works great with Bluetooth controllers that are much easier to maintain.