An engineer designed two Nintendo Switch controller adapters to help make gaming more accessible

The design is available to download for free.
By Kellen Beck  on 
An engineer designed two Nintendo Switch controller adapters to help make gaming more accessible
The single-hand Joy-Con adapter peripheral designed by Julio Vazquez. Credit: Julio Vazquez/thingiverse

An engineer is helping to make playing Nintendo Switch a lot more accessible for gamers everywhere.

Engineer Julio Vazquez created two 3D-printed peripherals for the Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con controllers, allowing players who only have the use of one hand to play Switch games more easily.

Two different models were showed off by the AbleGamers Charity on Twitter, demonstrating how the adapters work better in one hand than the standard Joy-Con grip.

Vazquez created the design on the right in April, which puts the two Joy-Cons right next to each other, effectively closing the gap that the standard Joy-Con grip creates and making it easier for players to reach every button.

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But some games with more complex control schemes, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, require more simultaneous button and joystick interaction though, so Vazquez also created the design on the left.

Vazquez says he was inspired to create the single-hand Joy-Con adapters by his friend who lost his ability to use his right hand.

"This adapter was developed by request of my friend Rami Wehbe, who wanted a way to play Zelda: Breath of the Wild using only his left hand; as he lost the ability to control his right hand due to a cerebrovascular accident," Vazquez wrote in the design description. "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a complex control scheme, and the shape of the included Joy-Con grip doesn't help at all. So, I decided to make a customized grip that would help in this situation."

Here's a look at the design in action:

The two designs are available to download for free on Thingiverse as long as you have a 3D printer (or know someone else who does).

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Kellen Beck

Kellen is a science reporter at Mashable, covering space, environmentalism, sustainability, and future tech. Previously, Kellen has covered entertainment, gaming, esports, and consumer tech at Mashable. Follow him on Twitter @Kellenbeck


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