It was a month since we heard rumors for the first time that the new Joy-Cons of the Switch 2 could be pushed over a flat surface to function as a computer mouse. Now a newly published patent seems to be submitted by Nintendo confirming that function and describes how it will work.
The international patent was submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization in January 2023, but it was only published on the WIPO website on Thursday. The Japanese languageocent-wiens illustrations correspond to what we have seen from Switch 2 Joy-Con precisely an English summary that “a sensor for mouseworking” describes that “reflected light can detect a detected surface, the light that changes by moving by moving By moving over the detected surface … “Just like any number of optical computer mice. Schematic drawings in the patent show how the light source and the light sensor are pressed in the Joy-Con, with a built-in lens for aiming the light to and from each.
A schematic diagram of the Joy-Con Light sensor of the Switch 2
A schematic diagram of the Joy-Con Light sensor of the Switch 2
Credit: Nintendo / Wipo
A machine translation of the full text of the patent describes the controller as “a new input device that can be used as a mouse and other than a mouse.” In mouse mode, as described in the patent, the user cradles the outer edge of the controller with his palm and places the inner edge “on for example a desk or the like.”
In this configuration, the user's thumb can still have access to the analog stick (which now points horizontally) while the index and middle fingers are placed so that the two shoulder buttons “can be operated as a button with the right -hand click and a left -click button for example , “According to the patent. The patent describes this configuration as “easy to hold” or “easy to hold”. It also goes to the extreme to explain how to wrap the shoulder buttons around the curved upper corner of the controller and therefore “easy to press” by pushing down or closer to horizontally with a finger.
