The Joy-Con design is a big part of the experience of gaming on a Nintendo Switch. We weren't initially sure about the new mouse control on Switch 2, but it comes into its own on certain games – including for 3D modelling in Donkey Kong Bananza. and in Metroid Prime 4.
But could Switch mouse control have even more potential? A Nintendo patent filing suggests the gaming giant may be working on an ingeniously simple add-on that would allow the same sensor to handle a whole new type of input.
As pointed out by Nintendo Patents Watch on BlueSky, a patent filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows the detachable Switch 2 Joy-Cons with an add-on hand crank on the left controller.
The design described in the documents sounds like an ingenious way of doing this since the existing mouse sensor would do the work. That makes the accessory look neat and compact (but presumably more solid than the cardboard Labo Toy-Con Fishing Rod). If it becomes a reality, it could change how we experience fishing in the rumoured next Animal Crossing game, allowing players to reel in a catch in a more realistic way, or it could support games like Sega Bass Fishing.
If the mechanism sounds a little familiar, you might be thinking of the Playdate. Made by Panic, it's a lovely little console that we described as the most adorable games handheld ever when it was announced back in 2019.
A number of gamers are already pointing out the apparent similarity. "I can't believe they just made the Playdate 2," one person commented on BlueSky. Others are wondering if we could see ports of some of the best Playdate games come to the Switch.
While it's only been noticed now, Nintendo made the patent filing back in February 2024, over a year before the Switch 2 release. The same application also includes a concept for a clickable Joy-Con wheel. Again, the rotation would be tracked by the mouse sensor. The click would be transmitted to the left shoulder button, while there's a second button for pressing SR.
We don't know if either of these ideas will become reality, or if Nintendo's actively working on them or if it merely wanted to protect the idea before a third party come up with their own add on. But it does feel like something Nintendo would do.
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