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The release of the Nintendo “Input Device” patent confirms rumors about mouse functionality being added to the Switch 2 Joy-Cons.
With the release of the teaser for Nintendo Switch 2, speculations about adding mouse functionality to the Joy-Con controllers have sparked. However, Nintendo has not confirmed or released any additional details about this functionality.
Nintendo recently published patents on February 6, 2025. The filed patent describes an “Input Device,” which seems to resemble the Joy-Con controller. Let’s take a deeper look at the Nintendo patents that strengthen the mouse-like functionality of the controllers.
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con Mouse Functionality Patent
The new Joy-Con controller’s mouse-like behavior was first spotted in the Switch 2 reveal trailer, as the controllers slid on the surface like a mouse. Moreover, a Reddit post on the Nintendo Switch subreddit linked the patent to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s portal.
According to the WIPO Patentscope database:
“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.”
What We Can Deduce
The diagrams shown in the patent article directly line up with the design of the upcoming Joy-Con controllers. Furthermore, the patent explicitly mentions the phrase “mouse operation” in it.
The patent illustrations show a person holding the Joy-Con like a mouse. The diagram shows a user clicking the controller’s bumper and trigger as left and right clicks like a mouse.
The illustrations clearly show that both the left and right Joy-Cons function as mice. Even so, it remains unclear whether players can use both at the same time.
Fans speculate that players could use this feature for games like Civilization, which they traditionally play better using a mouse. Still, some suggest that given Nintendo’s history, it can use this feature in new and innovative ways.
Although Nintendo’s reveal trailer and patent release for the Switch 2 have created a lot of hype, the company has yet to confirm whether it will include mouse functionality in the new Joy-Con.
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