Peripheral firm claims Switch 2 Joy-Cons use ‘electromagnetic suction’, have extra buttons

Switch peripheral maker Mobapad claims to have new information on the Switch 2, particularly with regards to its controllers.

The Chinese company, which specialises in making Switch controllers, claims to have “acquired a lot of first-hand information about the Switch 2” as it makes preparations to start creating third-party controllers for Nintendo‘s next system.

According to a new post on Mobapad’s blog, the Joy-Cons on the new system will be larger than those on the current Switch, and will use magnetic suction instead the existing sliding rail technology.

This follows similar claims from Spanish games website Vandal last week, claiming that the controllers would attach to the console magnetically, though not providing information on how this would work.

However, Mobapad says it will be achieved using “electromagnetic suction technology, controlled by electric current”.

This may refer to electro-permanent magnet technology, which is a form of suction in which an extremely powerful magnet is controlled with a single electrical pulse. A single pulse can turn the magnet on, creating a very strong ‘latch’, and another pulse can then turn it off, releasing the grip.

Crucially, because this technology only requires single pulses to turn the magnet on and off, if Mobapad’s claims are accurate then this method requires practically no power and will therefore not drain the Switch 2’s battery, and means the Joy-Cons will theoretically remain attached until the magnetic grip is deactivated.

Mobapad’s report also claims that existing Joy-Cons will still be able to connect to the Switch 2 wirelessly, suggesting that even if they can’t be attached to the device, they can still connect as extra controllers (in multiplayer games, for example).

It also says the Joy-Cons will have extra buttons. Joining the L / R and ZL / ZR buttons will be a third pair of buttons, while the right Joy-Con will feature an extra function button below the Home button.

Finally, it suggests the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with physical and digital Switch games, that the new handheld will support 1080p resolution, and that the new dock will support 4K resolution.

VGC reported in February that Nintendo had internally delayed the launch of its next-gen console from this year to early 2025.

One publishing source suggested the delay was so that it could prepare stronger first-party software for the console, while others have claimed the move was made to avoid potential hardware supply issues.

VGC also reported last summer that development kits for Switch 2 were in the hands of key partner studios.

Two sources VGC spoke to at the time suggested that the console could launch with an LCD screen, instead of the more premium OLED, in order to bring down costs, especially considering the increased storage needed for higher fidelity games.