Sick of squinting while playing on the Nintendo Switch? One YouTuber has a unique solution for those looking to get cleaner visuals.
The video atop the page comes from YouTuber Pavlo Khmel, who set out to solve the problem of lower performance in handheld mode.
The idea behind the custom-made device makes a lot of sense. In handheld mode, the Switch natively drops in-game resolution down to 720p (from 1080p when docked). So to bump the resolution back up to 1080p, all you need to do is make a portable dock. Sounds obvious, right?
Big Plans
Later in the video Khmel explains how he went about creating a portable dock. The first step was to rip the guts out of the official Nintendo dock. That way he’d have all the hardware he needs to get the Switch working in docked mode.
The next part of the grand plan saw a massive amount of 3D printing to create several pieces of a shell that could later be screwed together. Add in the guts from earlier, a power bank, a laptop screen, and some PCB boards and the end result is a portable docked Switch, complete with faster performance and 1080p visuals.
It Gets Better
The main problem with the first model, according to Khmel, the speakers. The Switch’s speakers aren’t the loudest when undocked. Create a massive plastic tomb around it and you can imagine how quiet it’ll be.
The solution? That’s where things take an even more ridiculous turn.
Khmel goes on to not only create a second Switch shell, but he’s now also managed to work two JBL mini-speakers into the design. What’s even more amazing, with a newer power bank attached, the whole device can manage around five hours of battery life. And even when it is out of juice, the Switch can emerge still fully charged due to the power bank having charge passthrough. Amazing.
While not anywhere nearly as impressive, we recently got Xbox 360 games running on a Steam Deck. Badly, mind, with the exception of the Goldeneye Remaster. That game was one of the few that didn’t instantly crash.
Still, if you’re after something a little simpler that doesn’t require 3D printing and PCB board knowledge, seeing how far you can push the Steam Deck is a much more straightforward affair. Especially when you can hide all your mistakes with a quick factory reset.
All screencaps from Pavlo Khmel on YouTube.
