Nintendo Switch

The most recent console released by the video game company, the Nintendo Switch can be connected to a TV for a traditional home console play experience, but also has a built-in screen that allows for portable play, and detachable controllers that allow for multiple configurations. Vibrant color options for the controllers allow for an eye-catching design that would make for an appealing LEGO display, and a modifiable screen allows for extended creative play, as people can customize the design to suit their interests.

Model Info:

The key features of the model are that the controllers are detachable in a realistic manner, and the console can support a screen that is built in either direction. The controller attachment uses a combination of parts 30586 (Plate 2 x 8 with Door Rail) and 60478 (Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End), which allows the controllers to slide unidirectionally in a method that I have not seen used in a set, though I have not verified that it has never been done before. As an example of the screen built with studs toward the top of the Switch, I have built a depiction of Link climbing a mountain against a backdrop of a sunset over Hyrule, from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As an example of the screen built with studs toward the face of the Switch, I have built a depiction of the Master Sword in its pedestal in the Lost Woods, also from The Legend of Zelda, but I have used 1x1 tiles to maintain a smooth pixelated surface for the screen. I find the aesthetic of a smooth screen and studded console to provide a nice contrast and simplified design for attaching the buttons, but the rest of the Switch could be built in a studless fashion instead. Alternatively, the screen could be built with plates instead of tiles, which could allow the reuse of plates between different screen builds. I am not specifically proposing the screen designs shown, just the ability for the screen to be built in either direction. The 2x2 jumper plates help to facilitate the screen being built in either direction, since the hollow studs provide a half-plate depth against the face of a plate or brick.

My model does not propose any minifigures, and the depictions of Nintendo characters in 2D might be possible to license without conflict, but other screen designs that do not have Nintendo characters may be considered preferable. Other options that come to mind for the screen are the Nintendo logo, the Nintendo Switch logo, the LEGO logo, the Switch game selection menu, or start screens from games that are available for the Switch, such as LEGO City Undercover or LEGO Worlds. Are there other screen designs that you would like to see?

Model Sections:

• [Depicted] The console (excluding screen) contains 94 or 96 parts, depending on which screen style is attached.
• [Depicted] Each "Joy-Con" controller contains 47 parts, thus 94 parts for one pair of controllers.
• [Depicted] The screen with studs toward the top of the Switch contains 203 parts as shown, but is quite variable upon the design.
• [Depicted] The tile screen contains 180 tiles supported by 10 plates. This would involve fewer pieces if the tile view is not kept pixelated, or if plates are used (or reused) instead of tiles.
• [Preferred] A controller grip that a pair of "Joy-Con" controllers can attach to for a different mode of play would be preferable, but not required for the design to work. I would estimate that this would require less than 100 parts.
• [Optional] A dock could be included, which is used for the Switch to connect to a TV, but it is monochromatic in nature. If it was included, perhaps the cord storage area could be repurposed as storage for the alternate screen build.
• [Optional] If the controller grip is included, a second pair of "Joy-Con" controllers could be included as well, to increase the color options available.
• [Optional] Depending on what price point the marketing team would aim for, additional or alternate screens could be included, perhaps as a 3-in-1 Creator style screen that repurposes some of the parts for alternate builds.
• [Total] A viable design could be kept under 500 parts, or could be expanded to above 800 parts, with many small parts.

Though I have built the "Joy-Con" controllers in only red and gray, I would find it preferable for the color selections to be as close as possible to the neon colors Nintendo has produced. A pair of red and blue would be the natural first choice, with pink and green being secondary, and gray as a fallback option. However, some of the necessary parts are uncommon or currently unavailable in LEGO colors. Particularly, the hinge elements 3937 and 3938, as well as curved elements 30357, 30565, and 85080 (or 3063) could be needed in dark azure (or just blue), bright green (or lime), or magenta (or dark pink).

Note: This project is not sponsored by Nintendo; and all characters, trademarks, etc. are property of their respective owners.