Fan-Made Nintendo Switch Clone Has Thousands Of Classic Games Available

For those that haven't gotten their hands on a Nintendo Switch yet, or are waiting until more [...]

By Liana 'LiLi' Ruppert

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(Photo: Tim Lindquist)

For those that haven't gotten their hands on a Nintendo Switch yet, or are waiting until more titles become available, we've got just the thing. One man took his vision of an elaborate classic library and put it to good use when crafting this Nintendo Switch clone from scratch. Don't believe us that it's meant to be a clone? The name is even "Nintimbo RP".

There are a lot of similarities that can be found between his vision and the official Nintendo Switch. The LCD screen, the portability - though the controllers on the side look similar, they do not detach like the Switch's Joy-Cons, however.

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This is what Tim had to say about his project, and what his goals are moving forward, according to his official project website:

"This project was to create a portable gaming system that could also double as a portable computer. The goal was to create a console that was functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. I use what I learned with 3D modeling to make professional looking cases to house my circuits. Buttons were constructed using tactile components behind a stripped façade.

Inside a Broadcom BCM287 processor (ARM architecture) is running a light version of Linux with emulators on top. This interfaces with the 7-inch touch screen on the front to display the GUI. Buttons are wired to a microcontroller and finally to the motherboard so games can be played. Thermals are controlled by bringing air in through an intake located on the back. The air is directed past heat sinks on the processor and graphics card, this then goes through the fan and into a duct system that routs the exhaust out of the top of the device.

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"On the top there are two USB ports for external serial communication (mouse, keyboard, extra controllers). There is also a 5 LED indicator (blinks randomly on boot, battery level indicator, volume indicator) as well as the ON/OFF button. On the bottom there is a micro USB used to charge the internal 10,000mAh battery which runs the whole show.

Also there is a 3.5mm headphone jack which cuts power from internal speakers and redirects it through this port when in use. Lastly there is an HDMI out port on the bottom which disables the 7-inch touch screen and redirects the video and audio to the new source. On the front we have all the buttons and touch screen. A neat feature is the "home button" which takes the user back to a main screen to choose what console and game to play.

My future plans for this device are to have secret "Easter eggs" where you can hold certain buttons on boot to enter the CLI or Linux GUI instead of the default emulation software. I also want to make hardware shortcuts for changing settings rather than plugging in a keyboard and typing the command. I also want to develop an audio card to filter out the high frequency pop that occurs before the start of each game and unify the dB gain between each console. I uploaded my 3D model and am in the process of creating a tutorial for anyone else interested in building my device."

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So far Lindquist hasn't disclosed when this build will come available or for how much, but it looks amazing from what we can see in the video above. Yes, there are emulators out there, but the build gives players looking for a more organic experience just that.

To learn more about the Nintimdo RP and Lindquist himself, check up on all of his current projects on his website right here.

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