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It now seems all those online folk speculating about the Nintendo Switch 2 JoyCons were absolutely correct. A newly revealed patent from Nintendo spells out what is going on underneath the new, larger sequel Switch controllers, specifically its “sensor for mouse operation.” Looks like we’ll be skating our Switch controllers across the tabletop, just as Nintendo teased in its reveal trailer.
Nintendo filed this patent on Aug. 1, 2023, though the World Intellectual Property Organization finally published the paper Thursday (Polygon first spotted the patent). According to a machine translation of the patent, Nintendo describes a “wireless mouse” feature. The actual sensor is further described as a “mouse operation sensor” that “detects reflected light from the surface… that changes by moving on the surface.” So, just like a mouse, you’ll need to place the controller on a flat surface to get it to work.
© Screenshot: WIPO Most modern “optical” computer mice use a low-resolution optoelectronic sensor that takes thousands of images of the surface every second. That’s the red LED light you see when you hold up the mouse’s underside. The patent does not directly reference an optoelectronic sensor. Instead, it describes a “hole provided on one side surface” used for “guiding the reflected light to the mouse operation sensor.” That hole may be located between the joystick and four buttons on the other side of the JoyCon.
If we had to judge by the included diagrams, the trigger and bumper on each controller would act as the mouse click. Multiple included images show a hand with the thumb on the joystick. Multiple parts of the patent mention the use of the thumbstick, and we suspect it could act as the scroll wheel or serve some other scrolling function.
© Screenshot: WIPO While it’s only a patent, and companies regularly file patents for concepts that never come to fruition, this is as close as we’ll get to mouse-like capabilities for Switch 2 as we’re likely to get before the official Nintendo Direct conference slated for April 2. The diagram displays the controller with all the same dimensions as we saw in the reveal trailer, confirming this will be a major selling feature for Nintendo’s new handheld.
We suspect the mouse feature will be a big boon for those developing PC-centric games. The executive producer for Civilization VII, Dennis Shirk, recently told IGN, “I love what they are doing with the controllers.” We still don’t have a full list of Switch 2 launch titles, but we suspect indie devs for PC are being courted to port their games to the sequel Switch. Other strategy games like Frostpunk 2 will suddenly become much more playable on the new hardware. Depending on the accuracy and latency of the mouse sensor, Nintendo may also position it for the sake of third- or first-person shooters.
Peripheral makers have confirmed that the new JoyCons will have some accelerometer technology for limited motion controls. Nintendo has also shown off how the JoyCons magnetically attach to the main system body. We’ll have to wait and see if the exposed port may get damaged if you keep repeatedly slotting and unslotting your JoyCons.
