Nintendo Switch 2 patent reveals weird new controller and confirms mouse tech

Freshly discovered patents from Nintendo appear to confirm a number of theories about its Joy-Cons and another completely new controller. The Nintendo Switch 2 might have been officially revealed but we still know very little about the console itself, aside from its bigger size, backwards compatibility, and colour scheme. Some details are heavily implied in the reveal video, such as the mouse functionality and magnetic Joy-Cons – which were previously mentioned in leaks – but Nintendo has yet to confirm any of them directly.

While Nintendo is likely waiting for its Direct presentation in April, to go into these details, a bunch of newly-published patents from the company may have given the game away. The patents, which were initially filed in August 2023 but published on February 6, 2025, appear to confirm several details about the Switch 2. An input device and system patent mentions a ‘sensor for mouse operation’ which ‘detects reflected light from a detected surface’.

It contains several drawings of how the mouse functionality works, showing a Joy-Con on its side, as a disembodied hand clicks on the shoulder buttons. Interestingly, the drawings also show both Joy-Con working like a mouse at the same time, and one functioning as a mouse while the other Joy-Con is raised in an upright position (likely for first person shooters). Within the same patent, there are drawings of what appears to be an equivalent of a Switch Pro Controller – albeit one which can detach into two halves and also be used like a mouse, with a sensor on the inside.

This suggests that, rather than being a rarely used optional feature – like the optical sensor on the original Joy-Cons – Nintendo consider the mouse functionality vital enough that it’s also available when using alternative devices like the Pro Controller. A separate game controller patent is less interesting but it does outline the specifics of the magnetic connection within the Joy-Con. ‘The game controller is detachably mounted to a body device that has a recess,’ it reads, ‘that comprises a first magnet and a second magnet at the bottom of the recess, and that can execute game processing.’.

The patent also clarifies how the Joy-Cons won’t easily slip off during use, describing two buttons which are to be ‘pressed by the user’ on the ‘top surface of the protrusion’, adding: ‘The first button is attracted to the first magnet by a magnetic force. The second button is attracted to a second magnet by a magnetic force.’. A third patent, titled attachment, shows a wrist strap for Switch 2 Joy-Con, which will similarly connect via magnets. Within the same document, there are also drawings for what appears to be some kind of charging station for the Joy-Cons, showing both the left and right controllers being laid down sideways in a dock.

There’s a chance these patents have not been turned into actual products, but considering how much of it lines up with what’s rumoured around the Switch 2, it all points to this being a strong indicator of how the console will actually function. Nintendo is expected to confirm these specifics in its Direct presentation on April 2, which will likely also include another look at the next Mario Kart.

Following the presentation, Nintendo is set to tour the Switch 2 around the world at a series of public hands-on events from April to June. Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

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