‘Better than a standard Switch Lite’: A modder has turned his Wii U GamePad into a working Switch
He wanted to mix the ergonomics of the Wii U with the portability of the Switch
A modder has turned his Wii U GamePad into a working Nintendo Switch handheld.
Modder Kouzex posted a video on his YouTube channel, showing a Wii U GamePad running the Switch hardware.
According to Kouzex, the mod was created because he’s seen numerous people online saying they prefer the ergonomics of the Wii U GamePad, and wish it had the portability of the Switch.
After seeing someone saying they wished someone would put a Switch inside a Wii U GamePad but didn’t know if it was even possible, Kouzex accepted the challenge.
Kouzex set five rules for his mod, to ensure it would be considered a worthwhile project rather than something arbitrary:
- All the Wii U GamePad buttons had to be fully functional
- The mod had to still look like an untouched Wii U GamePad, rather than clearly modified
- It had to run real Switch hardware, rather than emulation
- It had to be better than a standard Switch Lite handheld
- It had to be durable enough to take with him while travelling
The modder chose to incorporate a Switch Lite into the Wii U GamePad because all of its buttons are built in, making it easier to wire everything up and meaning it wouldn’t need to power Joy-Cons separately.
After a lengthy process – detailed in a half-hour video – which involved dismantling both devices, trimming down some of the internal components, fitting everything in place and rewiring everything together, Kouzex had a working Switch inside a Wii U GamePad.
Noting his rule that the system had to be better than a Switch Lite, Kouzex replaced the console’s screen with an OLED one, making the display look better than the stock hardware.
Summarising the mod, he said: “This turned out amazing. I think it looks barely modified and definitely fits within what I would call a ‘sleeper build’. The printed frame and larger bezels aren’t too noticeable, and I think it would trick most people, if they even know what a Wii U is in the first place.”
“Literally every button on the Gamepad corresponds to a button on the Switch. Everything is mapped one to one other than the TV button, which is capture.”
The only major issues noted by Kouzex are the lack of a cartridge slot (which he says isn’t needed because digital games can be installed), and the fact that the temperature runs around five degrees higher than the standard Switch Lite (which he says he’ll investigate but is “not the end of the world for now”).
“All in all, mission success,” he concluded. “This is definitely coming with me the next time I’m on a plane. That is, if it would even get past security.”
