With the Nintendo Switch 2 launch event gearing up to give us a "closer look" at the highly anticipated console, we now may have an idea at what its new Joy-Con controllers will offer. According to patents, they could deliver a fresh way to play games.
Recently published patents from WIPO show off images of the Nintendo Switch 2's upcoming Joy-Cons, with multiple drawings indicating the controllers will act like a mouse. This feature has been hinted at before, with the Switch 2 first-look trailer showing the controllers sliding along a surface.
As shown in the images, one Joy-Con is placed on its side where it would attach to the Switch 2. A hand holds the controller like a mouse, with fingers placed on the R and ZR buttons, while the thumb is on the stick. It appears that the side of the Joy-Con will have an optical sensor, and when translating the text via Google, "mouse operation sensor" is also mentioned.
The mouse functionality may not be limited to just one controller, though. Other images hint that both Joy-Cons can be used as a mouse, with a left hand being placed in a similar way (great news for lefties).
Interestingly, one image shows that while one controller — the right controller in the image below — uses the mouse-like feature, the other Joy-Con can be handled normally in the upright position. It appears this acts like a way to use more buttons while playing games that support a mouse — à la PC gaming using the WASD keys on a keyboard.
We've seen this type on mouse-like functionality before in the Lenovo Legion Go, with its right controller turning into a mouse. This aimed to be used in first-person shooter titles, and it could indicate that Nintendo could have a few more FPS games coming to the Switch 2 (Metroid Prime 4 comes to mind).
Since these are patents, these images might not reflect what will come when the Nintendo Switch 2 actually arrives. Still, with the console's launch expected to be between June and September of this year, it won't be long until we're certain if the new Joy-Cons can act like a mouse.
We've heard of other interesting controller features, including the Joy-Cons being able to predict what buttons you’re going to press ahead of time. Other patent images also indicate the controllers can attach to accessories magnetically, which was hinted at with the "snap" connections to the console we saw in the reveal trailer. However, one illustation also showed an interesting new controller design...
An all-new Switch 2 controller?
One figure of the published patents gave us a look at a more traditional-looking console controller, but similarly split like Joy-Cons. This one comes with handles instead of the usual vertical design of a Switch's controllers, and in fact, it's akin to a more angular Nintendo Switch Pro controller that's split in two.
This could be the Switch 2's version of a Pro controller, and judging by the look of its side and how it's placed in the images, it may also have the mouse feature. There's little known about these types of Joy-Cons, but I wouldn't be surprised if it comes down the line as a "Pro" version of the new Switch 2 Joy-Cons.
There's plenty more we need to find out about the Switch 2 and it's controllers, and we'll find out more during the upcoming Nintendo Direct taking place on April 2, 2025.
As some good news, Nintendo confirmed it's considering "affordability with the Switch 2's price.
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