For many of us, the last year has been 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 has a supersized version of the Nintendo Switch with a length of 1.80 meters and a weight of 65 kilos? Just try reach the buttons and keeping it on your lap would be a better workout than a CrossFit class.
Michael Pick is the mad scientist behind this creation, which is made from a combination of plywood used for the overall scale of the formatted console, oversized buttons printed on a 3D printer, and a 4K screen in the center. At 70 inches in length, Pick’s custom Switch is about 650% larger than Nintendo’s original Switch, and it’s about that close to a ‘pro’ version of the portable console right now.
Hidden in the left Joy-Con is a real Switch that uses an HDMI cable to route gameplay to the 4K screen, so minimal hardware hacking was required to make this beast a reality. Most surprising is not that the gigantic Joy-Cons work, but how Pick did it. Rather than functioning as wireless Bluetooth controllers, the buttons on the giant Joy-Cons actually activate servos that physically press the buttons on the real Joy-Cons inside. It sounds a bit over-engineered, but the approach means that if and when the next-gen version of the Switch arrives, it can be swapped out to this extra-large scale with a few tweaks and upgrades.
Rather than keep the Switch beef cake, Pick donated it to 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 fine with Bluetooth controllers that are much easier to hold.