Nintendo Has Filed A Strange New Patent

Joy-Cons are about to get even more powerful. Right now, they can be used for motion controls, they have an impressive proprietary HD rumble, and they're pretty cute, too. But have you ever considered drawing with a Joy-Con? Probably not, but it's apparently something that's been on Nintendo's mind.

The folks at IGN discovered that Nintendo had filed a patent back in June of last year for a sort of touch pen attachment that would work in tandem with a Joy-Con. From the looks of it, players would be able to slide a stylus — maybe the recently announced official Nintendo Switch Stylus — into a Joy-Con and use it as a pen. Using buttons, players could then control the thickness of the line they are drawing. As shown in the rudimentary illustrations in the patent, this stylus/Joy-Con amalgam could also be used as a pointer. The famous HD rumble would be activated when players point to certain items.

Recently we welcomed the addition of an official Nintendo Switch Stylus. Super Mario Maker 2 players found that without a stylus, precise placement of items in their level designs was a chore. The Switch's touchscreen isn't the most sensitive touchscreen out there, making it difficult for fingers to do delicate work. A stylus was the answer, and now there's an officially approved stylus for in the official Nintendo shop for purchase.

Perhaps the release of the official Nintendo Switch Stylus was the first step toward making this mysterious patent real. We're not sure how exactly the stylus would be attached to a Joy-Con, or if players will need to purchase yet another stylus to make use of these new mechanics. What we do know is that there are clear applications for this in games like Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training.

We'll have to wait and see if this new Nintendo stylus comes to life.