With no official information about how players will be interacting with the upcoming Switch 2, it has fallen on people investigating patents to see what Nintendo might have in store. One of the latest ones discovered highlights a feature I’m not sure many of us expected: the ability to flip both the console and the Joy-Con upside down if you so choose.
Now, first off, this doesn’t mean physically sitting upside down or having the screen in the wrong orientation. The patent, which VGC discovered, shows how the Joy-Con can be plugged into whichever side of the device the user wants and the screen can then be reoriented by flipping the device. While that normally wouldn’t matter much, this allows users to have the headphone jack on either the top or bottom of the console. It would also move the volume and power buttons to the top or bottom, as well.
As the patent states, “The user can use the game system by mounting the right controller and the left controller on the opposite side to the main body device. According to this . . . the user can use the game system in such a manner that . . . the component becomes a favorable arrangement.” This also follows with the device having two USB-C ports now, though the one on top is actually in a different position relative to the bottom one. In essence, you can only dock the console in one fashion.
This does track as the Joy-Con no longer connect to the console via a rail. Using a magnetic lock and a centralized pin connecter, it stands to reason that you could orient the controllers however you’d like. What this means in terms of gameplay is anyone’s guess, but this was likely done simply to give people more ergonomic options. I can’t imagine any title will utilize physically rotating the console, though it would hearken back to the DS days of closing the lid in specific games.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
