A 3D-printed adapter makes it easier to play the Nintendo Switch one-handed

Engineer Julio Vazquez wanted to help his friend Rami Wehbe play the Nintendo Switch after he lost the use of his right hand due to a cerebrovascular accident. Wehbe couldn’t play Breath Of The Wild with the Joy-Con controllers because he needed both hands to manage the two sticks. Vazquez built a few simple prototype solutions and settled on a modular system that lets him play the game with just his left hand.

“This current design was the result of almost a week of research and lots of failed prototypes, as I had to ensure that it would be easy to print, lightweight and practical. After testing that it works properly, we decided to share it, so that it can be of help to other gamers in a similar situation,” wrote Vazquez. You can download the model here and print it at home.

These sorts of little physical hacks are some of the coolest uses of 3D printing tech I’ve seen. While it’s fun to print a Yoda head or a sleeping pig, fixing a problem with a simple, accessible technology is the best test of its future utility.