We’ve all waited a long time for an upgrade to the Nintendo Switch, and now we’ve finally seen a working model of a Nintendo Switch DS! Nintendoids the world over experienced a breath of pure wild Nintendo Magic when the Switch and BOTW dropped back in March 2017, and the console has proven to be one of the most popular gaming platforms of all time. There’s currently a waiting list during the Coronavirus pandemic because so many people are buying them up! The appeal of a handheld/home gaming system is one that has brought many new players to the Nintendo fold; you just can’t beat carrying on playing through your very-own save file no matter where you are in the world, which is also why we love this gnarly Nintendo 64 Handheld too!
Before the Switch came along, the DS was the unprecedented rules of the handheld circuit. From the original model that I used to play Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training on while…you know…doing my business, right through to the 3DS with its never-ending supply of games, Nintendo’s dual-screen clamshell was, and still is superb, spawning lots of wannabe fake consoles in the same style. Alas, all good things must come to an end. The Nintendo DS product line sold a whopping 154-million units over all of the various evolutions, but its retirement was inevitable once the Switch proved itself and showed a level of longevity that the Wii U could have only dreamt off.
Nintendo’s console progression formula often looks to the past as well as to the future. Before the DS we had the clamshell SP, and before the Switch, we had the Wii U, the controller of which was the real stepping stone between the DS and our new favourite dockable handheld. So, in a world where more means better (how many cameras does the newest iPhone have now; 45?), the next step would be to add another screen to the Nintendo Switch, right? That’s exactly what modification master Mechachoi thought too. He’s created the first-ever Nintendo Switch DS console, enlarging the existing screen area over two devices in a flip-up clamshell that has blown our minds!
Keep Reading For Solid News On An Authentic Nintendo Switch DS From The Gaming Giants Themselves!
Meet The Nintendo Switch DS – Double The Screens, Double The Power
Here it is folks, the first-ever modded Nintendo Switch DS. The device itself uses two Nintendo Switch units but only one set of joy-cons. It looks as though Mechachoi has whipped up a 3D-printed clamshell docking device that splits the screen output of one Nintendo Switch console between two, a little bit like a second monitor in your home computer setup. This allows you to see even more of the map in games like BOTW and Xenoblade Chronicles, and it looks absolutely incredible. The two Switch devices slot in smoothly, a little bit like those car-headrest holders that you can buy, and the clamshell itself looks super sturdy and capable of taking a few knocks and bumps.
But the amazing features don’t just stop at a Nintendo Switch with a spilt output. Mechachoi has managed to be able to get Nintendo 3DS games working on this set up too, with the map on the bottom device and the main game on the top screen. This opens up so many new possibilities and indeed a lot of questions along the lines of ‘how the heck did he do that!’ (feel free to change heck for your swearword of choice). We’ve seen this amazing bit of kit in action with Animal Crossing New Leaf for the 3DS; touchscreen options work on the lower half of the unit, and loading time is seamless with no lag or frame drop in sight. It’s a brilliant bit of modding, and we’re hoping that Mechachoi will continue to push the boundaries of the Nintendo Switch for many years to come! (with Nintendo’s permission of course…)
Can We Get Our Hands On One?
But is the Nintendo Switch DS ever likely to become a reality on the mainstream market? Well, we think that it is. There have been so many rumours flying around about a new and improved Nintendo Switch dropping in 2020, but Nintendo still claims that we won’t be seeing one any time soon. So, let’s say for argument’s sake that we see a new Switch in 2021. Looking at how Nintendo fuses old ideas together to make a new console, our prediction of the device having two screens seems to fit. Not only that, but members of the eagle-eyed gaming community have spotted a reference to a new hardware model in the latest Nintendo Switch firmware update that might mean all of our cosmic ramblings are about to come true.
The small piece of information that has got everyone going crazy is only six letters long – ‘nx-abcd’. That little codename does tie in with other similar hardware updates relating to new consoles that Nintendo have produced over the years, but could those six letters really mean that we’re going to see a Nintendo Switch DS next year? I’m sat here now thinking how amazing it would be if I had one of these to pass the time through the Covid19 lockdown – I don’t think I would leave my bed, never mind the house! It’s amazing how six characters that wouldn’t even score you any points in Scrabble (ok, you could spell band or cab) can get so many people excited – that’s how much we want to see more cool Switch stuff hitting the shelves!
So, what could a potential Nintendo Switch DS look like if it came off Mario’s official production line? Well, our money is on it being a clamshell device that has touchscreen capabilities on the bottom, giving you a place where you can have your map and item screen open all the time without having to pause to open up a new menu. Better speakers, wireless headphone capabilities, an internet search engine for finding walkthroughs on the go; all of these things would be nice to see and would enhance portable gameplay a lot.
Will this new device be more like the Nintendo Switch Lite and not be a dockable console? I hope not, not unless they bring out an upgraded switch for home use at the same time at any rate. If I know Nintendo though (and I like to think that I do), then they might continue to ride the original Nintendo Switch design out for a couple more years yet before making any significant changes to the system, and the Nintendo Switch DS (should we be calling it the NSDS?) might be solely intended to replace the 3DS and continue Nintendo’s reign in the handheld gaming world. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ has always been Nintendo’s unofficial mantra; I just hope it doesn’t see them falling behind the wayside with the new XBOX Megatron 10’00 and PS5-Star Resort (I’m more into retro consoles as you might be able to tell).
Image © Mechachoi
There are so many ifs, buts, hows, whys and whats to consider, but we guess that only time will provide the answers that we’re all searching for. Hopefully, we’ll all have BOTW 2 to work through to pacify us before long. But for now, we’ll all just have to take a look at Mechachoi’s incredible creation and hope that he pops by the Retro Dodo offices so that we can have a go on it ourselves!
Let us know your thoughts on this Nintendo Switch DS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (I’d say ‘slide into our DMs, but I’m not an imbecile).
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Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 33 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
