The Switch 2 is official, and we’re going to hear a lot more about it next month at Nintendo’s next Direct livestream.
In the meantime, an intriguing patent has emerged hinting at some extra functionality for the handheld hybrid which suggests innovative ideas are still alive and well at Nintendo, despite the surface similarity of the Switch 2 to its predecessor.
Game Rant has found a patent that seems to indicate Nintendo may allow other accessories to be attached to the console. Connections are made via a “coupling structure comprising two apparatuses that can rotate around a magnetic connection point”, which could mean just about anything, but the site says that the patent specifically mentions one application as a mobile phone holder.
It’s important to note that the Switch 2 isn’t specifically mentioned, so this could be for something else, or just one of those patents that’s filed and then goes nowhere.
Dual-screen vibes
But at the same time, Nintendo has a soft spot for dual-screen gaming as the DS, 3DS and Wii U all demonstrate with varying degrees of commercial success. Being able to attach a phone to the device could allow it to connect to games in innovative ways, from displaying additional content to emulating older titles for the DS handheld.
Some of the most interesting uses in the Wii U era — such as the pack-in Nintendo Land launch title — only worked because some players could see different things to others. Perhaps such functionality could return again in some form or other in the smartphone age.
But it’s not limited to smartphones. Oddly, Game Rant says the patent mentions “bedclothes fitting instruments” as one of its potential applications, meaning the connection system could attach soft materials too.
We have no clue what this could involve, but if anyone can come up with an idea, it’s Nintendo — the company that brought us the Donkey Konga bongo controllers for GameCube and self-assembly cardboard accessories for Switch.
While the Switch 2 looks very familiar to current owners of the original Switch, it does seem like it may have a few tricks up its virtual sleeve.
While the Switch 2 looks very familiar to current owners of the original Switch, it does seem like it may have a few tricks up its virtual sleeve.
For one thing, the next-generation Joy-Cons look like they’ll be usable as a mouse, opening up a whole world of PC-centric titles to console players, from first-person shooters to real time strategy games.
More should be revealed at the next Nintendo Direct, scheduled for April 2. Though the Switch 2 is unlikely to go on sale immediately, a summer 2025 launch window has previously been mooted as a possibility.
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