Nintendo Should Copy This Feature For Switch 2, But It Probably Won't

Not convinced. Less moving parts is generally better for the durability of the device.

What they need to do is fix the voice chat so it’s built in like the Wii u era.

Yeah, seems kinda pointless to me. This kind of excessive customization is stuff I associate with PC gaming and, like, esports stuff or whatever. It seems exhausting to me. It’s easier for me to get used to whatever the default button layout is than to expend mental energy thinking about what the “perfect” layout would be for me.

While this is cool, I disagree on whether Nintendo should want to adopt the idea.

As soon as any part of the input/output funtionality of any console hardware becomes optional, 50%+ of the users can be expected not to have it available, and as such will not be interested in games that require it. Even on the Wii, where everyone got a Nunchuck with the system, games that required it sold noticably worse. Merely because you could detach the nuchuck and lose it / leave it in a drawer and forget about it.

If the switch 2 rumours are true the only difference from the switch original controllers are they are slightly bigger, magnetic snap mechanism and one extra button. We still don’t know if they will be Hall effect or not, but we for sure know they won’t be customisable like these controllers. Instead, Nintendo would swap the whole joy con for a different configuration if they were going that route.
I like the idea of not having to unscrew my device to replacing failing buttons and sticks on my steam deck, so this appeals, especially if ayaneo adopts streamos. But replacing with different configurations is unlikely

They needed to be doing this on Switch 1. Absolutely shocked we never ever had a joy-con with a D-Pad, or at least ones which replicate retro button layouts from past consoles. Seems like such a Nintendo thing to do, but that was the Nintendo of the past, not present. Same as we didn't get any sort of menu theme update. Simplicity seems to be the strategy now, but I hope they take a more creative outlook with Switch 2 now that they've established themselves again.

I WOULD LOVE IT
but I wouldn’t use it. It would be fun for “challenges”, like to swap them for fun and have a challenge to play a match or something with the buttons in different places, otherwise, it’s a bit pointless.
I’m sure there’s someone in the world who would use it straightaway thougj.

Or they could just install normal, functioning sticks instead of used thrift store ones

I'm still not convinced the rumors around what Switch 2 will look like are accurate. Nintendo has NEVER done such a small, iterative change between console generations before. It's always something remarkably new.

It’s a n interesting feature. These handheld PCs are finally getting powerful enough to almost entice me to buy one. Just another generation or two, along with the ability to choose SteamOS as default and we will be there.

Is there a battery in each of these modules?

And by “increasingly convincing leaks” you mean “literally nothing”

Remember the xbox 360 controller that you rotated to change from an awful xbox d-pad to a true d-pad? That was cool

Its not a feature that necessarily interests me personally. But if its something that's there for those who are interested in changing button layouts, I don't see how it can hurt. Never a bad thing to have more options.

Imagine buying a controller and then found out you still need to buy stuffs (d-pad, sticks, buttons, bumpers, triggers, etc.) to attach to it in able to use it. That's like buying a console and still had to buy a cartridge slot or a disc drive to run physical games. No thanks. These stuff should come with a controller and console always and must not be easily fall apart. I don't want to play a heated moment in a game only to found out my d-pad or stick got loose from a crappy design.

Nintendo life loves one thing more than everything: Hidden Sponsorship.

Anyway, who is on retro game gadgets for long time already saw this great totally not sponsor idea fail 3 or 4 times.

Also, devices nowadays have bluetooth conection, if you love a certain layout, just buy a bluetooth controller with that layout... China have many cheap options (maybe they are cheap just because they not spend money paying jounalists)

I kinda wanna get that ayaneo 3 now

I imagine they already patented the concept. They'd be stupid not to.

When the Switch was announced and I saw the controller design I figured we would see many different colors and configurations; especially a dedicated d-pad option from The Big N themselves. I eventually bought many of the Hori D-Pad joy-cons here in the States (Two Mario, Two Zelda, and Pokemon). However, they all got the dreaded drift really bad. Ordered the Japanese exclusive Blue edition from PlayAsia and it's been amazing. That and my Green right Joy-Con make up my "Luigi" style Switch and I love it. The rumble in the right con is usually enough for most games so no biggie there. Also have sets of the BinBok controllers that are better than the Hori Split-Pad IMO. I hope Nintendo gives us more interesting options in terms of JoyCon this time around. Or at least let third parties go wild!

Didn't someone already make such a controller for the Switch?
Though it was designed as a specialty controller for physically disabled gamers and was consequently priced way too high for most gamers to consider.

@Serpenterror Imagine having to buy the disc drive separately from the console.
I can't say I've heard of another console maker doing that recently.

Also, I do find funny this article suggesting Nintendo arbitrarily copy a feature of another device, just as we recently discuss Nintendo patent-trolling again.

No way would Nintendo do this. The Switch was already at the low end of their famous durability and family friendly designs. Introducing more points of fragility to the already prone to drift & damage joycons would be a mess. And the audience of people who would actually use this is too tiny to invest those kind of resources towards.

Ninty will never go that way.
Too bad though as I would love it. Allow me to swap the positions of the dpad and the L-stick, and also swap buttons and R-stick, to have the ones I want in primary position. Allow me to have octogonal stick basis instead of the now unfortunately default circle one. Give us options.

But yeah I really don't think they will.

I'd like to have an octagonal analogue stick, like on Nintendo GameCube controller...

Sounds like a form factor, cost, durability, and functionality nightmare (also a potential choking hazard for kids), Nintendo would be better to simply sell additional JoyCons with different button configurations or arrangements.

It would be pretty cool but kinda not Nintendo's style to give us options (other than color)
They didn't even provide any official Joy-con with a D-pad option.
Seems like low hanging fruit.
I really thought this would happen at some point since they basically invented the D-pad. but we had to turn to third party controllers or mods for that.

@Lord I agree with that part. Like also give the Switch 2 Pro Controller a headphone jack so we can connect a headset to do voice chat through the dock

Except we don’t know if Nintendo wants to do that or just keep voice chat restricted to the NSO app. Hopefully the former

@Baker1000 Maybe the Switch 2 UI will remain the simplicity of the Switch UI but have some sort of update that also brings more color themes and even UI music

I also want a motion sensor bar again (WII, WIIU) and the IR pointer (WII, SWITCH)
So I can get some guns games on the go again…..

Nintendo filed a patent for something like this a while ago, so they definitely thought about the prospect, but I doubt we’d see anything from them with tech like this soon

I’m only interested if it works absolutely flawlessly

I don’t want any of these chunky pieces to swap in and out. I’d love some bigger buttons but most importantly better non drifting sticks and a d-pad better than the one on the pro controller. I’ve never had an issue with a Nintendo controller until they rushed out the Switch. My Nes ones would wear down after time but that was from extreme button smashing.

Nintendo charge stupid amounts for a simple docking station
How much would each of these “modular” parts end up costing?
Wont happen

Not sure about this one

Although I would think something more of like the Xbox Elite Controller is likely fast ds a variant of the Switch 2 Pro Controller

This looks really fiddly and inconvenient to be honest…

Too modular for its own good.

The only feature Nintendo should copy is something called a 'D-pad'. It is the long lost predecessor of the 'directional buttons' that very few modern Nintendo fans have heard of.

While cool, the software side already offers button remapping, so unless you really care for repainting/swapping a button it's still just a software action/contacts being different and swappable at the end of the day besides whatever is there.

If were talking like different stuff for triggers/buttons then sure the positioning is fine there as it actually changes things but otherwise, swapping the Nintendo layout to Xbox layout is pointless for a bunch of letter changes. XD

Unless it's for like the contacts or something then sure that's totally fine, among other possibilities. But just X and Y or A and B swapped who really cares. Software remapping already solves this.

Unless it's like analogue buttons or truly something different to change things up (which would barely be supported anyway if they did beacuse it's a third party one that only few would support, like seeing the Xbox screen controller was cool but I can see why it was how it turned out as a third party peripheral won't be supported, wheels and other such do have enough spread of relevance to offer such support compared to a fishing controller or analogue buttons/other types of features and games adapting to them or different sticks and tweaking them to suit which devs could do but players would have to work around a lot for it to feel right).

Modular can have a place but they also besides replacing could have issues and more wear wouldn't they?

But I don't hate the idea. It's also just getting rid of stock too not just replace and repair and all that which I am totally fine with modular Laptops and things but yeah for consoles not sure. Lots of factors because they are supposed to be so static unless peripherals not too much to the core other than minor adjustments. Like PC games are still the same besides when players offer a guitar controller input. On console is way different of offering such stuff due to the way the environment works.

Folks still complaining about drift. This would be a nightmare for Nintendo. They didn’t even have enough demand for the dpad to make the dpad joycon in house. They let hori do it. All this would do is raise the standard price of joycons.

I just want official dpad joycons from nintendo, I never played switch 2 player with 1 small joycons. Yes there's switch lite but that console dpad kind of sucked (it's too hard compared to wii u dpad) and the dpad position suck too 😕