Tag Archives: Gaming

Belkin Just Fixed the Nintendo Switch 2’s Biggest Battery Problem

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Battery life has always been the quiet asterisk on handheld gaming. The Nintendo Switch 2’s internal battery offers roughly two to six and a half hours, depending on what’s running, which is plenty for a short commute but not enough for a long flight or an afternoon away from an outlet. Most players either play conservatively or keep a cable nearby. Neither approach is especially graceful.

Belkin’s Charging Grip for the Nintendo Switch 2 takes a different approach to the problem. Rather than asking you to stop and plug in, the grip attaches a 10,000 mAh magnetic power bank directly to the back of the console, turning the Switch 2 into a more capable device without fundamentally changing how it feels to use. The power bank snaps on magnetically and charges through a built-in USB-C cable at up to 30W, delivering up to 1.5 times the console’s original battery capacity.

Designer: Belkin

What makes the design considered is what it doesn’t break. Joy-Cons still detach from the console normally without removing the grip first. The Switch 2’s built-in kickstand still deploys. The console still docks without modification. Each compatibility point matters for anyone moving fluidly between handheld play on a train, tabletop gaming across a table, and television sessions on the couch.

The ergonomic side adds something beyond the battery. Handheld gaming on the Switch 2 in its stock form is functional but not generous in how it fills the hands, particularly over long sessions. The Charging Grip’s non-slip handles extend the form to something closer to a conventional controller, distributing the weight more evenly and making sustained play noticeably more comfortable. The ergonomic benefit is there regardless of how much charge the power bank has left.

An LED display on the grip shows the remaining power bank charge, so there’s no guesswork about whether it’s worth detaching before a trip. The power bank itself detaches magnetically when you’d rather not carry the extra weight, which keeps the grip useful on lighter travel days too. Available in Black and Olive, both colorways match the restrained aesthetic of the Switch 2 rather than drawing attention to the accessory.

Belkin made the grip from recycled plastic and ships it in 100% plastic-free packaging, a material decision that adds environmental consideration without affecting physical quality. The 10,000 mAh power bank also works as a standalone unit, giving the grip an afterlife if the console ever changes or needs replacing. It’s one of the quieter but more thoughtful spec decisions in the package.

The Charging Grip for Nintendo Switch 2 is priced at $99.99 and is available directly from Belkin in two colors. For a device whose most consistent criticism is how quickly its battery disappears under demanding games, an accessory that meaningfully extends that runtime while improving ergonomics makes a straightforward case for most people who use their Switch 2 regularly outside the house.

The post Belkin Just Fixed the Nintendo Switch 2’s Biggest Battery Problem first appeared on Yanko Design.

DIYer turns tiny GameCube keychain into a fully-functional controller

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Controllers come in all shapes and sizes, depending on the gamers’ needs, and most importantly, their holding comfort. Things get really interesting as a lot of big tech companies invest a lot of effort in designing a one-size-fits-all controller, which holds good for long gaming sessions. While most controllers are more or less the same size, there’s always that element of curiosity for accessories that are radically different from the standard proportions.

YouTuber Crux, who’s known for interesting creations with an infusion of gaming, has crafted a mini controller out of pure curiosity. Having got the Backpack Buddies GameCube controller keychain, he asked himself the question – can this be turned into a functional controller? That led to this interesting DIY project that is as intricate as things can get, since the maker is dealing with the super small size of things.

Designer: Crux

We all have keyrings in some form or another, and these cute little accessories evoke the feeling – what if these were functional? The DIYer addresses this curiosity with the functional GameCube controller keychain that looks extremely satisfying as it takes shape. Since he was dealing with very small proportions here, the rotary motor tool does the trick of shaving off the extra bit on the inside of the keychain controller to make space for all the electronics. To put together the intricate joysticks, D-Pad, and other buttons, the DIYer goes down the 3D printing lane. Of course, the button controls and the joysticks had to be mounted on a sturdy base on the inside; that’s why Crux goes for the surface-mount tactile switches.

The DIY progresses with splitting the two controller halves and making up the necessary space to fit the electronics. The ultra-thin enameled wires connect the different components to the Waveshare RP2040-Zero microcontroller board, which is programmed with firmware that makes the cute little keychain gamepad act like a native GameCube controller. The final step involved salvaging the wire and plug from the real controller and attaching it to the output ports. Once everything is in place, it’s time to connect the controller to the port and enjoy some gaming. He demonstrates a session of Fortnite and then moves to Mario Kart Wii. All the inputs work as intended, and you just wish this thing were available to grab right away.

If you manage to check out the complete video till the end, Brux hints at more keychain projects in the future. These include the SNES controller, N64 controller, and 3DS controller, which are absolutely cool. Somehow, if he can manage a wireless keychain controller DIY, that would be sublime.

The post DIYer turns tiny GameCube keychain into a fully-functional controller first appeared on Yanko Design.

OneXPlayer 3 Just Turned the Gaming Handheld Into a 3-in-1 PC

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Gaming handhelds have settled into a fairly predictable shape. A display, a battery, a chip, and controllers, all sealed into a body you carry as a single unit. That works well for most people in most situations. It doesn’t, however, work especially well when you want the same device to handle a different role, because the controllers are permanently in the way and the laptop mode simply doesn’t exist.

The OneXPlayer 3 is built around a different idea. Announced at Computex 2026, it runs Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme processor, a chip designed specifically for handheld gaming on the Panther Lake platform, with 14 CPU cores, 12 Xe3 GPU cores, and up to 180 TOPS of total platform AI compute. What sets it apart from every other Arc G3 device shown at the same event, though, isn’t the chip. It’s the structure.

Designer: ONEXPLAYER/ONE-NETBOOK

The controllers detach. Clip them onto both sides, and it’s a gaming handheld. Remove them and add the magnetic backlit keyboard, and it becomes a compact laptop. Pull that off too, and what’s left is a standalone tablet with an 8.8-inch AMOLED display in native landscape orientation. That last detail matters: most handhelds use portrait panels rotated sideways, which introduces subpixel layout issues. The OneXPlayer 3 doesn’t have that problem.

The display runs at 144Hz with VRR and HDR support, which counts during fast-paced titles where motion clarity and input responsiveness make a concrete difference. The detachable controllers aren’t simplified accessories, either. They carry Hall Effect joysticks for drift-resistant precision, two-stage triggers, a capacitive touchpad for cursor control without needing an external mouse, and rear buttons that keep extra inputs within reach during play.

Battery capacity sits at 85Wh, which is among the largest in any current gaming handheld. An extended session doesn’t mean much, though, if the chip is running too hot to maintain performance throughout. OneXPlayer addresses that with a liquid cooling system designed to manage the sustained thermal output of the Arc G3 Extreme under gaming loads, rather than leaning on a conventional fan arrangement alone.

The port selection reflects how the device wants to be used. USB4 opens up external display connections and eGPU docking that most handhelds simply don’t support. USB-A, a mini SSD expansion slot, MicroSD, and a 3.5mm audio jack fill out the rest, covering both gaming peripherals and the connectivity and storage needs that come up during productivity work.

Intel’s Panther Lake platform also delivers up to 50 TOPS of NPU AI performance alongside the GPU’s compute capabilities, contributing to that 180 TOPS total. That headroom targets AI-assisted gaming features and on-device content creation tools that will roll through software updates, giving the hardware a longer useful life than a device designed purely for gaming today.

Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, though the hardware points to a starting figure above $1,500, with higher configurations likely pushing well past that. A global release is expected in 2026. For a market where most handhelds look and function almost identically, the OneXPlayer 3 is asking a direct question about what a handheld should do when the gaming is done and the bag needs to close.

The post OneXPlayer 3 Just Turned the Gaming Handheld Into a 3-in-1 PC first appeared on Yanko Design.