Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con Features Confirmed in New Patent

The Nintendo Switch 2 might look familiar at first glance, but new patents reveal Nintendo's biggest innovations may lie in its redesigned Joy-Cons. While official confirmation is pending, leaked reports and now these patents strongly suggest magnetic attachment and surprising mouse functionality.

A Nintendo patent describes a game controller with magnetic mounting to a console featuring a recessed area with magnets. The patent specifies two buttons, required for detachment, magnetically attracted to corresponding magnets within the console's recess. The text reads, “This game controller is detachably mounted to a body device that has a recess, that comprises a first magnet and a second magnet at the bottom of the recess, and that can execute game processing.”

The patent further details these buttons’ placement: “The first button and the second button are provided in the longitudinal direction in the top surface of the protrusion,” and their function: “The first button is attracted to the first magnet by a magnetic force. The second button is attracted to the second magnet by a magnetic force.”

Intriguingly, the patent also illustrates the Joy-Cons functioning as a mouse. Holding the controller sideways, the R1 and R2 buttons mimic left and right mouse clicks, with joystick movements potentially providing scrolling capabilities.

Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con patent includes illustrations for the mouse functionality. More images in the link https://t.co/13ZNQtOMqF pic.twitter.com/ey3ufRUWZE

— Wario64 (@Wario64) February 6, 2025

Illustrations showcase both dual-mouse and hybrid configurations—one Joy-Con as a mouse, the other as a standard controller.

The magnetic attachment mechanism was among the earliest Switch 2 leaks. The mouse functionality emerged later, though a January teaser subtly hinted at this feature by showing Joy-Cons gliding like a computer mouse.

For a comprehensive overview of the Nintendo Switch 2, see our detailed breakdown. Mark your calendars! Nintendo plans a Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025, promising official details.