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. In its Switch 2 teaser video last month, Nintendo showed two Joy-Con controllers sliding along the ground, much like you’d move a mouse.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 set to launch this year, there's plenty of fervour around the handheld but perhaps the most interesting new thing is confirmed in a recent patent. Said patent shows how you can use the new and improved Joy-Cons as lil' gaming mice,

This is a new record-low price for the Nitro Deck, which I consider to be one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers. Even the more regularly seen models that come in GameCube purple or Black rarely get discounted down below $39.99, which is what the other versions are currently sitting at.

Nintendo gave gamers a sneak peek at the Switch 2, but little else. Here's what the teaser video confirmed, plus the rumors still swirling around the upcoming console.

During the Nintendo Switch 2 teaser in January, the gaming company also said we would get more information in the next Nintendo Direct, which was vaguely placed in April. Now we have a a time and date for the event: Wednesday, April 2, 2025, starting 9 AM Eastern, 6 AM Pacific and 2 PM UK time. Nice and early.

The strongest evidence so far that Nintendo's new console will let you use Joy-Cons as a computer mouse as well as a charging dock.

Nintendo officially revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 last month, showing off a console that looked very similar to its predecessor, albeit larger and slicker. At the time, the company also revealed that a Nintendo Direct stream focused on the Switch 2would take place in early April,

The international patent was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization in January 2023, but it was only published on WIPO's website on Thursday. The Japanese-language patent—whose illustrations match what we've seen of Switch 2 Joy-Con precisely—features an English abstract describing "a sensor for mouse operation" that can "detect reflected light from a detected surface,

Fans have been speculating about PC gaming mouse-like functionality for the Switch 2 ever since optical sensors appeared in leaks last month. Nintendo then teased the feature in the new Switch’s reveal trailer shortly after.