Last month, Nintendo Switch 2 was officially revealed in a new trailer. That trailer didn’t offer a ton of information, but it did offer include hints at new features. The new system will have remodeled Joy-Con controllers, which are bigger, and boast larger buttons. The trailer also hinted at the Joy-Cons having a functionality that allows them to be held similar to a PC mouse, though Nintendo has yet to confirm just that. However, it seems one of the worst kept secrets about Nintendo Switch 2 just got a lot more likely. A newly discovered patent from Nintendo shows a Right Joy-Con being used like a mouse, with the player’s index and middle fingers pressing the ‘R’ and ‘ZR’ buttons.
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We probably won’t get an official confirmation about this feature until the Nintendo Direct presentation on April 2nd, but this patent filing makes it look very official. There are a lot of fans that have wanted Nintendo Switch 2 to feature some kind of hardware gimmick or hook that sets it apart from the current hardware, and this would seem to be just that. An image from the Joy-Con patent can be found below.
Allowing the Joy-Con to be used like a PC mouse could open up a ton of possibilities for Nintendo Switch 2. For one thing, it would allow Nintendo to bring specific games to Nintendo Switch Online’s SNES app. Rumors last year suggested that Mario Paint might be in the works for that app, but the lack of a mouse peripheral would stand in the way. That’s not even mentioning the fact that it could be used for shooters like Splatoon, or Call of Duty, which Microsoft has promised to bring to Nintendo platforms. EA could also use it to bring The Sims games to Switch. We could even see it used to simulate the original touch screen controls from the first Super Mario Maker.
It’s worth noting that patents are not necessarily evidence of features that will be implemented by a company, only that they’re being considered. Years ago, Sony filed a patent for a PS5 feature that would have allowed players to use household items like bananas in place of an actual controller. That obviously has yet to pan out, and it shows that fans shouldn’t put too much stock into these things.
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That having been said, if Nintendo Switch 2 does not have a mouse Joy-Con feature, it would be pretty surprising at this point. The Switch 2 trailer not only seemed to show the Joy-Cons in that position, but it even made the Joy-Con wrist strap look like a mouse’s tail. That seemed to be an awfully big hint at things to come, and the number of possibilities for that feature seems pretty much endless.
What features and improvements do you want to see from Nintendo Switch 2? Do you think this Joy-Con mouse rumor will prove accurate? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Gaming Leaks and Rumours, Patentscope]
