Nintendo Switch 2 Patent Suggests Joy-Cons Can be Rotated and the Console Played Upside Down

Nintendo has filed a new patent that suggests the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 has Joy-Con controllers that can be attached upside down.

As reported by VGC, the patent suggests the Nintendo Switch 2 will operate with gyro mechanics in a similar way to how phones work without screen lock. Turning the phone different ways will see the screen flip to the correct way round.

The Joy-Cons will work with whatever way is necessary too, likely thanks to their new design. Unlike the original Nintendo Switch, which had rails for the Joy-Cons to attach and lock into place, the new controllers feature magnets that presumably allow them to be attached on either side.

While this won't make much of a difference on the hardware front, it will allow players to essentially choose where they'd like certain buttons, the headphone port, and so on. If it makes it into the final product, the flipping ability may spark interesting gameplay mechanics.

"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," the patent said.

"The user can use the game system so that the upper and lower sides of the main body device are opposite to each other, such that the voice input/output connector on the upper surface of the main body device is located below the main body device. That is, the user can insert the earphone into the voice input/output connector from the preferred direction."

If the Nintendo Switch 2 will work as the patent suggests, Nintendo will likely outline the feature fully at the special Nintendo Direct event. This will take place at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK time on April 2.

The Nintendo Switch 2 likely isn't far from release either, as while Nintendo hasn't confirmed any window yet, some suggest it will be between June and September. This is because hands on events are taking place up until June and Greedfall 2 publisher Nacon said the console will be out before September.

The Nintendo Switch 2 was revealed earlier in January with a brief trailer that confirmed backwards compatibility features and the addition of a second USB-C port. Most details, such as its other games and what the heck the mysterious new Joy-Con button does, were left out, though the Joy-Con mouse theory did gain a traction.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.