Jan 27, 2018 | By Julia
The Nintendo switch has proved hugely successful since it first hit the market last March. Despite its online chat system leaving something to be desired, users all over the Internet have gotten creative with all kinds of modding and tinkering. To that end, some of the paint jobs we’ve seen are pretty impressive, but the most exciting innovation to catch our eye by far is a new 3D printed accessory by Thingiverse maker Nathan Becker. Not just any 3D printed device, Becker’s clever addition makes the Switch compatible with your standard smartphone, effectively upping the Switch game beyond what Nintendo ever thought possible. According to its growing legion of fans, Becker’s 3D printed gadget makes the whole setup infinitely more useful. The best part? As a fully accessible Thingiverse entry, the Nintendo Switch Phone Joy Con grip can be 3D printed and tweaked as much as desired, all from the comfort of your own home.
“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,” says Becker of his multi-purpose accessory. With some slight adjustments, the 3D printed device can be made to fit a wide range of standard-issue smartphones, including the iPhone X, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 7+, Pixel 2 XL, Note 8, and Galaxy S8+. Becker, who goes by the Thingiverse username Puglife, has invited others to add their own remixes with different types of phones, and notes that he would be happy to add more phone types upon requested.
Modelled using Fusion 360, the Nintendo Switch Phone Joy Con grip took Becker about 10 hours to print using .1mm layers. The whole thing measures up at 160 X 14.3 X 101 millimeters. Becker does caution that since 3D printers can vary in their tolerances, those printing at home may need to edit their slicer settings, adjusting it to be slightly bigger or smaller to get the tolerances exactly right. In Becker’s case, he opted to use a digital caliper in order to gain exact measurements of the components.
Becker credits this Nintendo Switch Phone Mount as his main source of inspiration. As a way to supplement Nintendo’s shotty chat system and facilitate better online interaction, however, Becker goes one step farther with his accessory. While having your mobile device attached to the top of the Switch is effective, Becker’s version, which embeds the smartphone directly into the grip, takes the cake for the most convenient way to use the Nintendo Switch online app while competing in multiplayer matches.
Check out the full set of files, and more images, over at Becker’s Thingiverse page.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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