For many of us, last year was a definitive proof that sitting on a sofa with a portable console in hand is a terrible way to stay fit. But if this console had been oversized version of the Nintendo Switch does it measure six feet long and weigh 65 pounds? Just trying reach for buttons and holding it in 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 tangled console case, oversized buttons produced on a 3D printer and a 4K screen in the middle. With a length of 70 inches, Pick’s custom switch is about 650% larger than the original Nintendo switch and is as close as anyone can get to a “pro” version of the portable console at this time.
Hidden inside the Joy-Con on the left is a real Switch that uses an HDMI cable to power the game on the 4K screen, so it took minimal hardware hacking to achieve this beast. What is most surprising is not that the Joy-Cons giant works, but how Pick did it. Instead of working as wireless Bluetooth controllers, the buttons on the Joy-Cons giant actually trigger servers that physically press the buttons on the actual Joy-Cons inside. It sounds a little over-designed, but the approach means that if and when the next generation version of the Switch arrives, it can be changed in this oversized shell with a few changes and upgrades.
Instead of keeping the beef switch, Pick donated it to Saint Jude Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, where it can be enjoyed by those who need a pick-me-up. But it is doubtful that the children there will have to climb on the whole console to play it, because it works very well with Bluetooth controllers that are much easier to hold.