Nintendo quietly filed a patent for a new controller earlier this year

A new Nintendo controller patent has been discovered but it probably doesn’t mean much at this stage. 

As spotted by Nintendo Life, a Twitter user found a recent-ish patent for a controller filed by Nintendo. By the looks of it, it appears Nintendo filed for the patent originally back in July 2021, and it was published in January 2022. 

The controller resembles a mix of the classic Nintendo 64 controllers and the much more recent Nintendo Switch Pro controller. Unfortunately, the abstract for the patent doesn’t actually give us much more information about the controller and honestly, is just a load of jargon about the controller and its housing.

It’s tempting to start speculating about what this patent means and what it could be used for - the usual Nintendo Switch Pro theories have already been thrown out there - but realistically, it probably doesn’t mean much as it doesn’t look like this controller offers much more than your standard JoyCon. 

Due to its design, it’s possible that the controller could perhaps be linked to Nintendo Switch Online and the Nintendo 64/Megadrive games but as we already know, Nintendo has previously already released a Nintendo 64 controller for the Nintendo Switch so that theory is also looking unlikely. It’s also possible that this idea could end up going nowhere as Nintendo could have filed it 'just in case'.  

Speaking of Nintendo patents, late last year a new Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 patent surfaced online and fans were able to find hints of the new mechanics filed in the latest trailer for the highly anticipated sequel. 

Want to know what’s definitely in the pipeline for Nintendo? Take a look at our list of all the upcoming Switch games.