The Nintendo Switch is a fun, incredibly popular handheld console—no question there. However, Nintendo continues to snatch a little defeat from the jaws of victory in two key areas: It’s incredibly difficult to actually chat with other Switch owners in your games, and there’s still no built-in web browser—or, really, any useful apps beyond Hulu—that you can use.
Nintendo is allegedly working to get more of the latter integrated into the Switch’s eShop. As for the former, players can only chat with each other if they use the Nintendo Switch Online app for Android and iOS. And that’s annoying. You have to flip between playing on your Switch and typing on your secondary device just to game and talk, and the app only supports a single game right now: Splatoon 2.
As Kotaku notes, Switch enthusiast Nathan Becker has a great idea to manage this situation. He’s created a customized smartphone holder that supports the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons. The whole contraption looks a bit like the Switch itself if you just removed the console and dropped in your smartphone. It’s an ingenious way to type and game without having to swap between devices.
“This is a switch joy con grip for the iPhone X, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 7+, Pixel 2 XL, Note 8, and Galaxy S8+, and I would love to see some remixes with other types of phones. I would also be happy to add more phone types upon request,” Becker writes.
“This can be used for watching a stream while on a loading screen, having a game map open, accessing the Nintendo Switch Online App, and much more. Printers can vary in their tolerances, so you may need to edit your slicer settings to print it a few percent bigger or smaller to get the tolerances perfect. I hope you enjoy this accessory!”
According to htxt, it took Becker around ten hours to print his new grip using a 0.1mm layer height. He also took a little extra time to remove the print’s supports and sand it down to pretty it up. The design of his smartphone holder is completely free to download, so start warming up your 3D printer if you’re tired of having to pick between your Switch and your smartphone while you game.
