Over the weekend, some leaked images of supposedly official Switch 2 Joy-Con were shared on social media. While the physical description matches most of the rumors we’ve been hearing, there was one addition: an optical sensor. With the Switch 2 Joy-Con reportedly having magnetic connectivity with the main device, this sensor may be used to determine whether or not the controllers are attached for charging purposes. It could also suggest that the new Joy-Con has some expanded functionality over its predecessors.
Rumor: More images of Switch 2 Joy-Cons have immerged from China.
Source: https://t.co/MplOUwKhRi pic.twitter.com/5ZdFmVlggl
— Stealth (@Stealth40k) January 5, 2025
As you would expect from social media, people have been jumping to some wild conclusions about what Nintendo is planning for its next device. The most popular theory is that this sensor will be used to emulate mouse functionality, broadening the type of games that can appear on Nintendo’s hybrid device. That might seem like a totally wild idea at first, but PC manufacturer Lenovo actually implemented a similar idea into its Legion Go handheld back in 2023. It’s certainly possible, though I think incredibly unlikely.
Another idea being floated around is that the sensor will somehow replicate the original Wii Remote pointer functionality. For those unaware of the technical makeup of gaming controllers, the Wii Remote’s famously used infrared technology to accurately determine where the user was pointing at the screen. Due to the change in TV technology over the years, it needed to be assisted by a sensor bar that would send imperceptible flashes at a regular cadence to the Remote which circumvented how TVs had shifted to digital technology such as LCD. With IR sensors, the Remote worked on any TV and was incredibly reliable. The thing is, optical sensors are not even remotely similar to IR sensors, so I do not see where this connection is being made.
The last thing to bring up is that this optical sensor seems to only be on the left Joy-Con, indicating that Nintendo isn’t planning for it to replicate previous controller functionality. It would also dispel the idea that this sensor will be used for determining if the Joy-Con are attached to the Switch 2 as it would need to be on both controllers. In all likelihood, this is maybe the same idea as how the current right Joy-Con has its own IR sensor that can act as a camera. That camera only works in a handful of games, but this optical sensor may be merely a replacement for that.
Whatever winds up happening, these leaked images do look pretty legit. They also follow all other speculation we’ve heard about the Switch 2, giving more credence to their believability. I don’t put a lot of stock in leaks or rumors, however, so I’m not entirely sure what to believe. At the very least, Nintendo will certainly know what it needs to detail when it decides to officially unveil the new console.
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