Engineer Invents Accessory That Lets You Play the Nintendo Switch with One Hand
Don't let anything keep you away from playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
There are many video game fans who have mobility issues, but the industry doesn't have a great track record for making accessible hardware and games. Even subtitles, a dirt-basic feature that shows up on the cheapest bargain-bin DVDs, aren't guaranteed to be in a multimillion triple-A release (let alone subtitles with an easy-to-read font, or options to choose said font).
Thankfully, fans are pretty good at picking up the industry's slack. Julio Vazquez, a mechatronics engineer, recently invented two simple accessories that let you play the Nintendo Switch with one hand. Vazquez invented the Joy-Con harnesses when one of his friends lost mobility in his right hand after a cerebrovascular accident.
The first accessory (which is handsomely designed to look like a Sheikah slate!) brings the Joy-Cons close together, allowing them to be manipulated by one hand. The second accessory, which looks like a stalk of celery, appears to be more ergonomic and a little easier to use; you grip it like a hand-strengthener, and use your thumb and fingers to work the analogue sticks, bumpers, buttons, and triggers. Even the Switch's gyroscope controls remain accurate with this setup.
The AbleGamers Charity, which works to make gaming more accessible for everyone, printed out the accessories and gave them a go. The blueprints are free to download, so if you have need of an accessory that lets you play a Switch game single-handedly, find yourself a 3D printer and go for it.
Oh, and since it'll inevitably come up, here's an obligatory remark about how Vazquez's inventions are also perfectly-suited for hentai games. Ha ha! We are all comedy geniuses!
Seriously though, anything that lets everyone game more comfortably is awesome.