For many of us, the last year has been conclusive proof that sitting on a bench with a portable console in hand is a terrible way to stay in shape. But what if the console is a supersized version of the Nintendo Switch six feet tall and weighs 65 pounds? Just try to reach the buttons and keeping it in your lap would be a better workout than a CrossFit class.
Michael Pick is the crazy scientist behind this creation, built from a combination of plywood used for the overall casing of the extended console, large buttons on a 3D printer and a 4K screen in the middle. Pick’s custom switch, which is 70 centimeters long, is about 650% larger than Nintendo’s original Switch, and it’s about as close as anyone can get to a ‘pro’ version of the portable console at the moment.
Hidden within the left hand side, Joy-Con is a real switch that uses an HDMI cable to play the 4K screen, so minimal hardware hacking was required to accomplish this beast. The most surprising thing is not that the giant Joy-Cons works, but how Pick went about it. Instead of functioning as Bluetooth wireless controllers, the buttons on the giant Joy-Cons actually activate servos that physically push the buttons on the actual Joy-Cons inside. It sounds a bit designy, but the approach means that if and when the next generation version of the Switch arrives, it could swap it out with a few modifications and upgrades in this large scale.
Instead of holding the Beefcake Switch, 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-up spot. But it’s doubtful the kids there will have to climb all over the console to play it, as it also works very well with Bluetooth controllers that are much easier to hold.