Nintendo Switch 2 Rumored To Have Magnetic Joy-Cons

Nintendo Switch 2 Rumored To Have Magnetic Joy-Cons

Nintendo plans to use magnets in a fun new way with its upcoming Switch 2 video game console, according to a new report. Magnets will apparently be used to attach the Switch 2’s Joy-Con controllers to the device, rather than relying on the rail attachment system that the current Switch has used since its launch in 2016.

The new report, which comes via the Spanish website Vandal and has been translated by Eurogamer, says that accessory manufacturers have the opportunity to interact with the pre-release version of the new Nintendo console, which is widely expected to be released within the next year.

Nintendo representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

New details about the Switch 2’s purported magnetic controller underscore how Nintendo may be aiming to improve and refine the popular Switch console’s design, rather than creating a new gaming device altogether. Previous reports have also claimed that Nintendo’s next-generation Switch will have a more powerful processing chip, a better screen and possibly even a replaceable battery.

Nintendo has long been known as one of the most innovative developers in the technology world. It launched its virtual reality headset in 1995, two decades before Meta released the Oculus Rift. His motion controller for the Wii in 2005 touched off a wave of investment in motion control technology. And the Game Boy handheld game console from 1989 is still so popular that people are clamoring for emulator apps that can play its games on today’s smartphones.

Compared to those innovations, Nintendo adding magnets to its controllers might not seem like a big deal. But magnets have proven to be a popular feature for consumer electronics.

Apple’s MagSafe charging cord for its laptops is widely praised, for example. And the company’s move to add MagSafe magnets to the back of its iPhones has become so popular that a variation of that approach has been adopted as part of the tech industry’s broader Qi2 wireless charging standard.

It’s unclear if Nintendo will expand the use of its new magnets beyond its controllers, but we’ll likely find out sometime next year.