The game merchandise company Fangamer has teamed up with the retro gaming podcast Retronauts to create the Flip Grip, a device that makes it easy to play the Switch in a vertical screen orientation while in portable mode.
A Kickstarter campaign for the accessory has launched today. It is asking for $42,500. The project deadline is on July 9. Some devices can mount the Switch in a vertical orientation, but the Flip Grip is unique because it also connects the Joy-Cons.
Many Switch games, especially arcade classics and side-scrolling spaceship shooters (sometimes called shoot-’em-ups or shmups), use a vertical screen orientation. But you can only attach the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers to the horizontal sides of the machine. The Flip Grip makes it so you can hold the Switch in its portable mode while the screen is vertical. This will make it easier to play games like Donkey Kong, Ikaruga, Pac-Man, and Punch-Out.
The device does come with some caveats. Nintendo did not design the Switch for vertical use, so the system’s user interlace will always be stuck to a horizontal orientation. The Flip Grip will also block some of the console’s features, notably the power button. You’ll only want to use the Flip Grip for gameplay.
But this is still a great idea for fans of classic arcade games and shoot-’em-ups.