It looks like Nintendo has been experimenting with bendable Joy-Con. A recent US patent shows off what appears to be a hinged Joy-Con docked to the Switch itself. After an extremely busy end-of-summer with new SNES controllers, Switch Online Super Nintendo games, new Star Wars remakes, Switch Lite, and new cases, Nintendo might not be done just yet. All the details are down below.
Bendable Joy-Con Patent:
As you can see in the patent imagery below, the bendable Joy-Con can still be affixed to the side of the Switch if the user chooses. They appear to have a sort of hinged top, allowing the bottom half to remain static and attached while the top half can bend to what could be a more ergonomic position.
Outside of that, the bendable Joy-Con appears to be essentially the same controllers as we have now. Although one would have to assume Nintendo has some work to do internally to support the new design. Likely bendable circuit boards and things of that nature.
The bendable Joy-Con comes by way of a recent patent filing at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Although, according to reports, it is essentially the US version of a patent Nintendo filed back in 2018 internationally. So, as always with these trademark/patent-related findings, it is hard to say what Nintendo plans to do with the pliable Switch controllers if anything at all.
9to5Toys’ Take:
A patent was spotted on the new Super Nintendo Joy-Con almost a month ahead of them becoming official. So while we can’t say for sure, bendable Joy-Con could very well end up being a thing. Is this a part of what could be that rumored Nintendo Switch Pro we have been hearing about for way too long? Generation 2 Joy-Con for existing console hardware? Or just some patent non-sense Nintendo never planned to bring to market anyway? Only time will tell now.
Outside of the new bendable Joy-Con patent, we also found out more about the new Switch motion controller. Some two days after last week’s massive Nintendo Direct where the big N launched Switch Online SNES games, a mysterious new controller was teased as well. The Switch ring/fitness tracking motion controller is also scheduled for a full unveil on September 12th.
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