This cardboard Nintendo Switch design's THE BEST… but it's only for contest winners
The official Nintendo Switch cardboard system design isn't for sale but I need it
If you want the coolest special-edition Nintendo Switch system yet, you'll need to get creative. Nintendo is giving away cardboard-themed consoles, docks, and Joy-Cons away to winners of the next Nintendo Labo Creators Contest, and… I love them. They look phenomenal. There's just something about taking something high tech and making it look like it was made out of Amazon boxes you had lying around the house that will never get old.
You can see the overall kit above, but what I desperately need for you to notice is the little corrugated cardboard detailing on the back of the dock and inside edge of the Joy-Con. It's little touches like that which elevate this Switch design from "cardboard brown" to "actually looks like it's made from cardboard."
Not to mention how the little electronics labels on the back of the Joy-Cons contribute to that real-life shipping box feel.
So how do you go about winning these things? That depends on whether you're in the US or Europe, though admissions for both regional contests will begin on July 19. For the US, you'll have until August 20th to submit your own custom Toy-Con musical instrument or homemade "gaming experience" (see the details here). For Europe, you'll have until September 7 to submit any kind of Toy-Con Garage creation, Toy-Con customization, or a creation or customization for the kids 12 and under category (details here).
The winners of each category will receive that frickin' amazing cardboard-themed Switch system, and finalists will get a rad set of cardboard-themed Joy-Cons. If you want to get a feel for what the judges will be looking for, or just want some inspiration for your own independent Labo work, check out the winners of previous Creators Contests.
You don't need to win anything to have a good time with our list of the best Switch games.
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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.