Joy-Con grip form study

Using blue foam to decode the form of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Grip controller.

A staple of the Nintendo Switches is the Joy-Con Grip. It comes with the console and is a hollow, plastic controller mean to hold the Joy-Cons into a position that mimics a traditional video game controller. Its aesthetic matches that of the Switch set and is intended to stand next to the console as a companion.

While it serves its function properly and is aesthetically pleasing, its form is lacking in making the grip comfortable for gamers to hold.

Unhappy with the grip, I used blue foam to decode and explore the foam of the Joy-Con Grip without compromising its core aesthetic and while keeping its ability to stand.

Because the width of the controller and height needed to stay constant to match the size of the Joy-Cons, I altered the shape, direction, and size of the handles and how they transitioned into the back of the grip and explored adding an indentation for a finger to sit in.

Form Sketches

Models

Ideation & Production

I began ideating by sketching out the ideas for the different transitions to improve the grip.

I then asked people to hold the original grip and how it feels in their hand to get ideas for more changes to make it comfortable in other people's hands and not just mine.

I then created to-scale stencils with the transitions labelled on them.

I began measuring and cutting my blue foam into sections for the main part of the grip as well as the middle section.

Using table and band saws I cut out the right sizes. Some of the pieces for the grips varied in depth because some of the variations did. The middle pieces were identical. I used sand paper to sand down and round the middle pieces.

I put the stencils on their respective blocks.

Using both band saws and heated wire I cut out the shape of the grip from the block.

A visual of some of the different models before they were sanded.

I kept summaries of the different models with me and numbered them. To keep track of the models because they all look so similar I kept them numbered during this process as well.

I used this sander the most. I used it to create the space where the Joy-Cons slide in and round the tips. Before I went to this sander I would use an air-pressure sander to round out the edges and get rid of the blockiness.

Using this sander I got flatter edges and leveled the flat spaces out.

I finally again used the first sander to clean everything up.

The final step was hand-sanding the grip to make it smooth.

Last, I glued the middle piece to the grip and made sure it could stand.