For as unbelievably popular as the Switch turned out to be, Nintendo’s newest console doesn’t exactly have the best primary controllers. The Joy-Con (L) and Joy-Con (R) serve their purpose by detaching from the Switch for on-the-go multiplayer, but the process of detaching them is not super smooth. They’re also incredibly small and they frequently suffer from stick drift. Thankfully, it sounds like the Switch 2 Joy-Cons are getting a significant upgrade.
Spanish video game site Vandal reports that the Switch 2 will come equipped with new Joy-Con controllers that attach to the console with magnets. Rather than having to slide the controllers in and out of a railway, you should be able to just snap them on and off.
This casts some doubt on the original Joy-Cons being compatible with the Switch 2. While they could potentially connect to the console wirelessly, you would still need a Switch or a third-party accessory like the PowerA Joy-Con Charging Dock to charge them.
So, your old Joy-Cons might be incompatible, but the report also suggests that the Switch 2 will support the Pro Controller. The Pro Controller was a significant improvement over the Joy-Cons for me, so even if the new Joy-Cons are an upgrade over the old models, I’ll probably still use my Pro Controller to play games when the Switch 2 is docked.
Finally, the report claims that accessory manufacturers who have been able to feel the next-gen console (but not see it) to understand its dimensions without spoiling its design say the Switch 2 is larger than its predecessor but smaller than a Steam Deck.
Adding to the intrigue, Business Korea published an article this week that says the Switch 2 “is expected to incorporate a significant amount of technology from Samsung Electronics.” Some of the components that Samsung is reportedly producing for the new console include displays, memory, and chips. Notably, the Switch OLED Model uses a Samsung display.
