Rumoured Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse mode spied in Nintendo patent

The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy Cons will have the ‘mouse mode’ as hinted in the console reveal trailer last month, judging by evidence unearthed in a new patent filing.

When the hardware was revealed in mid-January, Nintendo’s trailer showed (at around 1 minute 9 seconds in the video below) a pair of Joy-Con controllers racing along the ground before settling into their magnetic cradle within the console itself.

While it could have simply been a neat and quirky way to show off the new controllers, many onlookers mused about the possibility of a mouse mode that leveraged sensors on the bottom of the controllers.

Now that mode has shown up in an intellectual properly filing that popped up this week. The Joy Con controller is shown connector side down with a player able to use the thumb stick and the shoulder buttons for additional control.

It’s not immediately apparent what this could be useful for, but it’s possible that traditional RPGs may benefit from a mouse-like controller. Or, it could also be useful for creating levels in games like Super Mario Maker.

The Joy-Cons on the Switch 2 already have an additional little holster to make such a slip and slide action possible, so it seems like we’re in here.

The patent filing is in Japanese, but the “mouse operation sensor” tech is mentioned throughout the filing according to translations.

The abstract reads: “This input device comprises a front surface, an upper surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, a direction input unit, a first upper surface button, and a sensor for mouse operation. The first side surface is on one side in the left-right direction. The second side surface is on the other side in the left-right direction.

“The direction input unit is provided on the front surface. The first upper surface button is provided on the upper surface and can be pressed around a first rotation axis extending in a direction in which components in the left-right direction are included. The sensor for mouse operation detects reflected light from a detected surface, the light changing by moving over the detected surface in a state in which either the first side surface or the second side surface is placed on the detected surface.”

If this functionality comes to fruition we may hear about it at the Nintendo Direct showcase on April 2.

Nintendo secret sauce incoming

This may be one of the new gameplay techniques Nintendo is planning to differentiate the Switch 2 from its original. It may be another of those little pieces of magic that sets Nintendo aside from the competition when it comes to intuitive and playful gameplay. We don’t know exactly what it’s for yet, but we’re looking forward to Nintendo showing us what it has in store.

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