While the Switch 2 might have CRT filters on some of its Nintendo Switch Online games, there's just nothing that can beat the good old days of gaming on a tiny square TV. CRTs are imbued with retro gaming nostalgia, as is the need to slot in a cartridge and listen out for a loud 'thunk' when it fits snugly into place. Heck, it's a trademark Nintendo act right from the days of the front-loading NES.
YouTuber and gamer Joel Creates has taken all of these elements to create a portable CRT dock for the Nintendo Switch 2, where you use the Switch console as a giant cartridge in the ultimate homage to Nintendo's gaming past.
Found on Hackaday, Joel's project allows gamers to place their Switch 2 into an all-in-one dock with a CRT display taken from a portable Sony TV, fusing modern tech and the fastest-selling console on the market with old components to give your games a true retro edge.
One of the things I love the most about this dock, apart from the obvious fact that it has a built-in screen at a 45-degree angle which looks like it's dropped straight from a 90s time capsule, is that it has the buttons from a third-party N64 controller placed on either side of the display. This means that you can either use an external wireless controller or control your favourite games from the dock itself.
It also promotes portable play thanks to a 100W power bank, so you could take this thing to a friends house or game in the park while your dog and kids run riot.
I love the idea of slotting in Nintendo's newest console into something that looks like it's related to R.O.B the Robot. Gaming with a CRT screen is always my preferred format because I live my life in the past with this job, and seeing games from NSO on the screen they were meant to be played on makes me very happy.
This was no easy task to complete as the video above shows, and while the actual Switch is way more portable, I would argue that this is the coolest dock I have ever seen. I would love for Joel Creates to start making these and selling them, and if he ever does in the future, I'll be sure to grab one and put it through its paces for you!
