Sakurai’s horizontal Switch dock set-up is fascinating

Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai’s pivot to content creation has been a treasure. Ever since the developer spun up his YouTube channel, it’s become a trove of game design knowledge and history. It’s also how I learned that, apparently, you can just horizontally dock your Nintendo Switch and no one will stop you.

I’ve personally purchased two Nintendo Switches: an original launch edition, and then later, I upgraded to an OLED. (Side note: OLED rules.) While I might have, on occassion, entertained the notion of docking a Nintendo Switch horizontally just to see what happened, I have always returned my docks to their tall, upright positions.

Yet in a new video detailing his extremely fascinating methods for physical game storage, Sakurai shows off a fancy gaming cabinet that includes a horizontal Switch dock set-up. As the creator notes, it works perfectly fine, though it can also be stood up if need-be.

I have to admit, this bewildered me. Social media posters also seemed to pick up on this, so I know I’m at least not alone. But seriously, have other people been out here doing this?

Naturally, I had to try this set-up out for myself. And sure enough, horizontally docking your Switch does work. In fact, for cabinets like what Sakurai has, it makes a lot of sense. While it might seem strange to slide it in, rather than letting the heft of the console secure the connection, it makes removing the Switch a heck of a lot easier if it’s in a storage cube like this.

The docking situation, along with Sakurai’s entire setup, really made me reflect on how the home entertainment situation is shifting. A cabinet was the norm for me, growing up, but with wall mounts and flatscreens, we seem keen to reduce any amount of framing or storage. Sleek, minimal, nothing but what’s necessary. But looking at Sakurai’s set-up, I love the discrete sections and how it frames all the consoles. The sliding glass is a really nice touch, and looks so much cleaner than the little doors I’d leave open as a kid. My apologies to my family members’ shins.

Nowadays, I’ve had to come up with bizarre solutions for housing monsters like the PlayStation 5. And though having my Switch dock upright makes it easier to set it down to charge and pick it back out later, I totally see the use-case here for someone who plays a lot of docked Switch.

Keeping the classics

Anyways, the rest of the video is fantastic, and highly worth a watch if you’re into retro game storage. Or even just to gawk at Sakurai’s frankly impressive collection. From the HDMI switcher to the actual game storage methods, you can see just how much care the designer puts into his collection.

A personal favorite of mine is his storage method for Famicom games: using an old cassette tape shelving unit. Pulling those little drawers out to reveal a filed set of cartridges just looks satisfying.

This video shows that Sakurai still has a wealth of knowledge to impart, whether it’s game design, retro collecting, or simply a new way to stash your Switch.