We finally know what the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons are hiding

We’re still months away from the full Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, but one of its biggest mysteries was just solved. A patent published on Thursday (via Wario64) shows the full scope of what the new Joy-Cons are capable of, including an optical sensor that turns them into mice.

Speculation around the feature started well before the January reveal, when the Joy-Cons could clearly be seen gliding across a surface like mice. The patent finally confirms this: “The sensor for mouse operation detects reflected light from a detected surface, the light changing by moving over the detected surface in a state in which either the first side surface or the second side surface is placed on the detected surface.”