Nintendo’s Switch gaming console was first released in 2017 and is considered an eighth-generation console in console design history. It is a hybrid system that can be docked for playing on a large screen or used with its own built-in touchscreen for portability. It has a pair of controllers, known as JoyCons, that can attach to either side of the console when portable or be removed and used as wireless game controllers, either by one person or shared for two-player social play. It is a ground-breaking example of games console design, combining years of development across portable and home console developments by Nintendo. It is a gaming system without precedent that foregoes technological power for social playability and creative ingenuity.

The system’s screen utilises touchscreen technology, inspired by a decade of smartphone design, for added ways of interacting with games when used in portable mode. It can be used in portable mode and dropped into the dock which seamlessly transfers the action to a television screen. The system’s JoyCons contain several sensors and feedback mechanisms. Both controllers include gyroscopes, motors with an unbalanced weight that produces haptic feedback, and one contains an infrared camera. They can sense movement, velocity, and move of their own volition if used in certain ways, with the infrared camera sensing light and dark reflections. These functions produce many different ways of interacting with games, such as motion control where movement in your environment is reflected on what happens onscreen, or, implemented in other peripherals for a variety of unusual experiences.