Newly-published Nintendo patents show that the company has been exploring a version of its Joy-Con controllers that can work like a computer mouse, a feature Nintendo has hinted will be coming to the Switch 2.

When Nintendo first unveiled the Switch 2 last month, we (and everyone else) noticed something peculiar about the new Joy-Con controllers. Now, some recently unearthed patent filings more or less confirm all the theories.

New Switch 2 patents hint at Nintendo bringing mouse-like functionality to its upcoming Joy-Con controllers, along with a look at a more traditional-

A recently discovered patent shows Nintendo Switch 2's Joy-Con being used like the mouse on a PC, seemingly confirming system rumors.

This confirms what many fans suspected upon seeing the Joy-Con controllers sliding around a surface on their sides during the announcement trailer last month. Presumably, the “mouse operation” feature will allow some games on Switch 2 to be played with either traditional controller inputs or mouse inputs.

A machine translation of the full text of the patent describes the controller as "a novel 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 their palm and places the inner edge "on, for example, a desk or the like."

In it, the pair of Joy-Cons briefly raced each other across a hard surface Tron-bike style, trailing their wrist straps like tails. The whole thing made them look a lot like computer mice, and it was broadly assumed that this hinted at mouse controls for the Nintendo Switch 2.

A newly published Nintendo patent for the Switch 2 Joy-Con shows the controller being used as a mouse, as well as diagrams of a potential new controller. The patent, listed on the World Intellectual Property Organization database with a publication date of today, shows diagrams of the right Joy-Con from various angles.

Furthermore, Nintendo refers to the new Switch 2 Joy-Con as the "first embodiment" of the input device, the mysterious new controller as the "second embodiment", and the original rail-system Joy-Con as the "third embodiment", suggesting that, yes, these are indeed separate devices.

The Nintendo Switch 2 might have a wireless mouse feature, expanding the console's capabilities when it comes to playing games. For a handheld, this is