Rumor: Nintendo Switch 2 Could Have Magnetic Joy-Cons

gamerant.com:

According to a new leak, the long-rumored Nintendo Switch successor could replace the original’s rail-based Joy-Con joysticks with magnetic ones. The Nintendo Switch has been one of the Big N’s most profitable systems for over 6 years, but insider discussions have shifted toward the inevitable follow-up. Nintendo itself has yet to make any official announcements about its future hardware plans, but major studios have supposedly been given development kits for the new console and are already making titles for it.

Much of the focus surrounding the next Nintendo system has to do with its graphical capabilities. However, some spectators are interested to see how the tentatively named Switch 2 console will address the original Switch’s Joy-Con drifting issue, which causes players to suddenly lose control during a game due to wear and tear on the directional joysticks. This problem has persisted over the past several years, to the point where Nintendo faced legal action from upset customers.

A recent report from Spanish gaming website Vandal (as translated by VGC) claims that the next Nintendo console will replace the Switch’s rail-connected joysticks with magnetic ones. This lines up with a Nintendo patent filing from back in September that spoke of a new joystick system that uses magnetic fields instead of physical contact, with the joystick transmitting a signal to the console based on the strength of the joystick’s magnetic connection. As a trade-off, it isn’t clear if the old Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers will be compatible with the new console, though it’s believed that the more traditional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller will work just fine.

Joysticks aside, there have been plenty of rumors regarding the Switch successor’s hardware and features, which are said to continue the Switch’s design ethos of providing players with both portable and standard gameplay modes. Earlier this year, it was reported that the next Nintendo system will be powered by a custom