It was one of the first emulators able to run Switch games with great consistency. And just think: if a Raspberry Pi-powered emulator machine looks this good, just imagine what a dedicated, Nintendo-built portable console in this form factor could do. While it is not exactly a Switch emulator, Cemu can run both gamecube and Wii U, and Nintendo Switch games. Still, looking at the build process, and considering the amount of hardware that banjokazooie has managed to fit into the GamePad’s relatively small form factor, the whole thing really is quite an impressive hack. The only downside - aside from the rather high level of technical skill you’d need to build your own - is that the GamePad-turned-console only gets about three hours of battery life on a charge.

banjokazooie’s hack changes that, by overhauling a broken Wii U GamePad with a Raspberry Pi 3, a 6.5-inch HDMI display, and some extra batteries to convert the damaged controller into a portable emulator that runs RetroPie. The Wii U GamePad is meant to be a controller for the Wii U with the feature to use it as a display for the console and play without using a TV - but at the end of the day, all of the actual processing is still taking place over at the console. The hack turns a broken Wii U GamePad into a portable console Gyro functionality is emulated with limitations and can be controlled. GamePad touch input can be controlled via left mouse click. Keyboard input + USB controllers as input devices are supported.

Wiimotes are emulated as well (including native support). And while the Switch doesn’t come out until next year, Hackaday seems to have found the next best thing in Sudomod forum user banjokazooie’s mod that turns an old Wii U GamePad into a fully functional standalone console. Currently the DRC (GamePad), Pro Controller and Classic Controller is emulated.

The entire console appears to have been shrunken down to the size of the Wii U’s GamePad controller.

Wii u emulator switch