Gametech wants you to be able to keep one hand free for doing other things while you play.
The Switch 2 is a very flexible piece of video gaming hardware. You can play games in handheld mode, on your TV in docked mode, or even split the difference by deploying the kickstand and using the main unit as its own self-standing monitor.
And now, you can even play Switch 2 games with just one hand.
That might sound like a hard trick to pull off. The complete Switch 2 controller, after all, has a total of two analog sticks, eight main face buttons, two smaller supplementary face buttons, and four triggers. Even so, Fukuoka-based peripheral maker Gametech has figured out a way to manipulate all that while still leaving one hand completely free to do other stuff, and they call it the Katate (“One-hand”) Grip SW2.
Rather than a complete stand-alone controller, the Katate Grip SW2 is a multi-piece frame into which you fit the left and right Joy-Con 2s after disconnecting them from the Switch 2’s main unit. After snapping the two central pieces together, you slot a Joy-Con 2 into each, then place a cover over them to lock them in place.
Then it’s just a matter of adjusting the hinge in the middle to an angle that lets you manipulate both sides of the combination at once.
Your thumb works the analog stick of whichever Joy-Con 2 is facing you, while your middle finger, ring finger, and pinkie handle the stick and face buttons of the Joy-Con 2 on the opposite side. Your index finger does double duty, working the triggers on both Joy-Con 2s, and the Katate Grip SW2 is designed so that you can use it with either hand.
It probably takes some time to get used to, but, in theory, once you do it should work pretty well. Now, as to why someone might want to keep one hand free while playing video games, the low-hanging fruit would be to suggest that this could be beneficial to fans of lascivious dating sims, but Gametech has several much more chaste examples, such as being able to snack on finger foods without getting your controller greasy or sticky…
…being able to play even while recovering from a hand or finger injury…
…or being able to play games while simultaneously using your phone.
▼ Admittedly, this one doesn’t seem to speak very highly of the game’s entertainment value, but hey, maybe you’ve got some important texts to fire off or bills that need paying ASAP.
▼ Preview video for the Katate Grip SW2
Gametech isn’t the first company to figure out a way to do one-handed gaming as ASCII had a couple of one-handed controllers back in the circa 16-bit era, when turn-based RPGs were the prestige genre in Japanese video games.
It’s likely that the Katate Grip SW2 will also work best with turn/menu-based games, or at least games that don’t require intense, precise button-striking. Still, for relaxed gaming sessions, it should be up to the task, and it’s available through Gametech’s online store here for 2,750 yen (US$17.75).
Source: Gametech via Denfamico Gamer via Hachima Kiko
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Insert images: GAMETECH 公式チャンネル, Gametech
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