Nintendo Switch Could Have Had Magnetic JoyCons Like Switch

The original Nintendo Switch's now iconic detachable Joy-Con controllers could have attached to the console magnetically like the Switch 2 Joy-Con 2s, but the idea was shelved during development after late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata was presented with a prototype.

Information about the origin of the idea behind the Switch 2's newly revealed magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers come from a four-part developer interview posted on Nintendo's website diving into the Switch 2's creation. In part two of the interview, Kouichi Kawamoto, a producer at Nintendo's entertainment planning and development department, shared why the magnetic Joy-Con idea didn't work out for the original Switch.

"I took the prototypes to Iwata-san, the company's President at the time, for feedback," Kawamoto said. "But unfortunately, the Joy-Con controllers would wobble when attached to the console using magnets due to the weak connection. We decided to scrap the idea as we were concerned it would make customers uneasy about using the console."