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Details on Joy-Con controllers/Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch

I'd be surprised if nobody else has done this, but I haven't seen it so: visual comparison of sideways wiimote and joy-con at what should be near accurate scale going by Ars Technica's Switch calculations. I tried to put things at 100 pixels/inch, but I'm sure things aren't totally perfect. Like I'm not sure if Ars's length measurement is for the main body plastic or includes the slight extra of the shoulder button. Buuuut pretty close.
hoF7pEC.jpg

These little controllers look uncomfortable to me. For one, because the buttons aren't centered, but also because half the controller is rounded while the other half has sharp corners.

My biggest problem is how one of those controllers has the analog stick dead center. Why couldn't they have both been symmetrically identical? Why not both be more like NES controllers. How important is it to have the analog stick below the buttons on the right side?

Ick.
 

_Ryo_

Member
So for local split screen multiplayer how do you control the camera with only one analog stick?

I think the joy cons will at least need gyroscopes.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
I'm not sold on those teeny tiny looking controllers that slide off. They don't exactly say "comfort" or "ergonomic" to me.

The Pro style pad looks nice and I see they put the right stick in the correct place, unlike the Wii U's Pro controller.
 
How many iterations of Joycon do you think they'll have to make to please most players?

They should just cut out the middle-man and say "Fuck it. Send us your MS Paint images of controllers that you think are the only possible way it will work. We'll make them to order."

Seriously though, I do really like the potential for different types of Joy-Cons that incorporate different buttons/layouts.
 

Kneefoil

Member
I like the versatility and I'm especially looking forward to playing in nunchuck mode again now that they won't even have a cord connecting the two parts. Too bad they didn't go back to octagonal gates for the sticks though.
 

daakusedo

Member
For this horizontal control type to work there had to be compromise, i'm at least glad it's not the main use that paid for it.
Was there talk how the stand for the controllers could be also tactile?
 

Matbtz

Member
I think I noticed when the women were playing on the rooftop that there are top buttons on two player mode. Can you guys see it too or am I just imagining it?

Yes I was wondering if that was me or not, same on the MK8 footage the player in the right-hand side seems to click on some hidden shoulder buttons.
 

KAL2006

Banned
We all know there are hidden L and R buttons on the Joy Con controllers. Just a thought what if they were scrollers. Atleast you can have horizontal camera controls and weapon selection which would give the controllers more functionality.
 
They should just cut out the middle-man and say "Fuck it. Send us your MS Paint images of controllers that you think are the only possible way it will work. We'll make them to order."

Seriously though, I do really like the potential for different types of Joy-Cons that incorporate different buttons/layouts.

I was thinking of a create-a-joycon service. That'd be neat.
 

tapedeck

Do I win a prize for talking about my penis on the Internet???
Obviously I have to hold it to know for sure but those detachable controllers look way too small for me to use without getting instant hand cramps.
 
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that NBA 2k won't work like it did in the promo video due to lack of inputs.

Games like Mario Kart likely will though.
 
These little controllers look uncomfortable to me. For one, because the buttons aren't centered, but also because half the controller is rounded while the other half has sharp corners.

My biggest problem is how one of those controllers has the analog stick dead center. Why couldn't they have both been symmetrically identical? Why not both be more like NES controllers. How important is it to have the analog stick below the buttons on the right side?

Ick.


This is my biggest point of confusion with the controllers. If you're really supposed to take them off and use one each for impromptu multiplayer, why the heck aren't they symmetric?

Even more confusing when you consider that the Wii u pro and gamepad controllers were symmetric.
 

Branduil

Member
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that NBA 2k won't work like it did in the promo video due to lack of inputs.

Games like Mario Kart likely will though.

There could well be a "simple" mode for games like 2K in multiplayer mode.

This is my biggest point of confusion with the controllers. If you're really supposed to take them off and use one each for impromptu multiplayer, why the heck aren't they symmetric?

Even more confusing when you consider that the Wii u pro and gamepad controllers were symmetric.

Because in order for the joy cons to work both ways compromises are necessary. Making the lesser-used mode more uncomfortable is the right decision. It will probably already be uncomfortable enough that the sticks and buttons aren't aligned at an angle in normal play.
 

Pif

Banned
The local multiplayer games with the joycons (what a name ffs) are gonna be slimmed down and simplified gameplay wise.

- TV MP with 2 grip or pro controllers: normal gameplay

- Tablet MP with Joycons(jesus fuck): auto drifting in Mario Kart for example.

Local tablet mp is gonna be a cute extra, and not all games are gonna support it.

Doesn't make sense to force devs to use all the gimmicks.
 

efyu_lemonardo

May I have a cookie?
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that NBA 2k won't work like it did in the promo video due to lack of inputs.

Games like Mario Kart likely will though.

Just a thought: this version could have an "arcade mode" with simplified controls where the CPU essentially automates some of the more complex inputs for a more accessible experience. Smash had something similar with the C stick and the Wiimote back in the day.
When playing with the full controller you could have the option to use more advanced controls. If Nintendo made it mandatory for all games to have a "simplified control" option it would go hand in hand with what Ubisoft's head mentioned about NX helping bring back the casuals.
 

Darkangel

Member
I think they look uncomfortable, but it's basically a bonus feature so I'm not going to complain. I wonder how well the 4-button C-pad thing works as a D-pad.
 
I hope that companies like Capcom are able to make a fighting d-pad joy-con that comes with the Nintendo Switch exclusive game 'Street Fighter Alpha 4' ;D . Yes, I am doing some wishful thinking here.
 
Hate that they sacrificed their great d-pad on the Joy-con just so they can let 2 people with baby hands turn the controllers sideways and use it like an NES controller.
 

Ran rp

Member
These little controllers look uncomfortable to me. For one, because the buttons aren't centered, but also because half the controller is rounded while the other half has sharp corners.

My biggest problem is how one of those controllers has the analog stick dead center. Why couldn't they have both been symmetrically identical? Why not both be more like NES controllers. How important is it to have the analog stick below the buttons on the right side?

Ick.

This is my biggest point of confusion with the controllers. If you're really supposed to take them off and use one each for impromptu multiplayer, why the heck aren't they symmetric?

Even more confusing when you consider that the Wii u pro and gamepad controllers were symmetric.

so player 2 also has the stick on the left and face buttons on the right

hoF7pEC.jpg


my guess is they felt it was more comfortable in the default setup to have the face buttons above the stick on JCR because the controller is so short and the face buttons are used more often in most games. they're trying to reduce cramping for the average player.

fn1ivMB.jpg
 
Yes I was wondering if that was me or not, same on the MK8 footage the player in the right-hand side seems to click on some hidden shoulder buttons.

I believe so but not totally sure, looks like there could be buttons built into the slide rail, maybe one even doubles as a locking mechanism, lol.
 
I'd be surprised if nobody else has done this, but I haven't seen it so: visual comparison of sideways wiimote and joy-con at what should be near accurate scale going by Ars Technica's Switch calculations. I tried to put things at 100 pixels/inch, but I'm sure things aren't totally perfect. Like I'm not sure if Ars's length measurement is for the main body plastic or includes the slight extra of the shoulder button. Buuuut pretty close.
hoF7pEC.jpg

I'd imagine they are slightly smaller and the 6.2" screen rumour from the devkit will be correct. Relying on average analog stick size to base the scale from is a bit silly tbh.
 

R-User!

Member
The pro controller looks great.

The detachable controllers look like a total mess and, IMO, are a bad decision. I hope there will be a revision down the line that totally abandons that. I think Nintendo is wildly overestimating the "party on the go" appeal of the Switch. The guy on the plane in the video, why did he even detach the controllers? Why wouldn't you just keep them connected to the screen?

Because it may be more comfortable and less tiresome on a 3 hour flight to prop it up and use the joycon's than to hold a (potentially) "heavy" handheld over an extended period of time.

Trade off for that though might be difficulty reaching lower buttons/analogs on the joycon's. But perhaps some games won't need those lower options as much, so it might not be a bad trade off.

What doesn't make much sense to me, is why didn't he bring his joycon grip and use that (outside of motion controls)?
 
So for local split screen multiplayer how do you control the camera with only one analog stick?
You probably don't. This is basically the successor to wiimote-only multiplayer in the previous two consoles. If everything controlled great with one of them, having the standard control set be two of them would be pretty pointless.
KAL2006 said:
We all know there are hidden L and R buttons on the Joy Con controllers. Just a thought what if they were scrollers. Atleast you can have horizontal camera controls and weapon selection which would give the controllers more functionality.
I think it would be pretty weird if the "single con" mode introduced new types of input not available during regular two-con or pro controller play.
Linkstrikesback said:
This is my biggest point of confusion with the controllers. If you're really supposed to take them off and use one each for impromptu multiplayer, why the heck aren't they symmetric?

Even more confusing when you consider that the Wii u pro and gamepad controllers were symmetric.
If they were symmetric when attached to the main Switch unit, once detached the person using Joy-con R would have the analog stick on the right and buttons on the left.

I also think the Wii U's symmetric upper sticks had a lot to do with trying to get the sticks as far from the touch screen as possible so they didn't interfere with accessing that. Though I guess if that's true, it's maybe another indication that they don't consider touch a big deal this time.
I'd imagine they are slightly smaller and the 6.2" screen rumour from the devkit will be correct. Relying on average analog stick size to base the scale from is a bit silly tbh.
To be honest I went straight for joy-con sizes there and didn't even see that they'd concluded the screen was 6.56". Here's an alternate take, where I've scaled the joy-cons from my previous image to 94.5% width and height, which would fit with a 6.2" screen.
hG5YtxP.jpg

R-User! said:
What doesn't make much sense to me, is why didn't he bring his joycon grip and use that (outside of motion controls)?
Probably to demonstrate that the Grip is optional.
 

Caelus

Member
Saw this cool reddit post

https://m.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/58legs/imagine_the_possibilities/

Makes ya wonder what they could do with this joycon idea:

l37vhf8jsnsx.png


Apologies if already posted.

I think is 100% what they're going for with the JoyCon branding and everything, so we'll probably see different colors / d-pads / analog-sticks / features, with the ability to mix and match for different types of games, and since the JoyCon grip can be used in docked mode it'll even add to the home experience. Awesome.
 
Given that there seems to be so much damn confusion over button layouts, I went and drew a diagram of what we know (and a few things we don't.)

MwpjyK5.png
 

sn0man

Member
Thank god for this thing, because those base controllers look like an ergonomic mess to me. I don't understand how the analogue stick can be directly below the buttons on the right side of the controller. How is that not a huge pain in the ass to play with.

Yeah I agree completely. Hopefully Nintendo adds some horizontal distance to the right joycon and moves to offset the right analog. This is my only big gripe based on what I'm seeing.

The extra width might also benefit people trying to hold onto the thing when using the right joycon as it's own controller.
 
Given that there seems to be so much damn confusion over button layouts, I went and drew a diagram of what we know (and a few things we don't.)

1G12y0g.png


Your Right one is wrong they both have the slide rail at the top when in 2 player mode, probably part of the reason why they have asymmetric sticks.
 

Nerrel

Member
Splatoon already had dual-analog controls :p


The Wii U gamepad didn't have a magnetometer, did it?

It did, and according to to the company that made it it supposedly was more advanced than what the Sony Move had because of the gamepad allowing a larger magnetometer.
 

sn0man

Member
If he is using it with Joy cons detached on a plane, presumably the joycons don't communicate with the main unit via wireless of any kind? Could they be IR like the frankenstick for the old 3ds?

IR is also wireless. Regardless I'm sure some short-range RF (prolly Bluetooth) is what it the joycons are using.
 
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