Nintendo looks as if they may be introducing a new Nintendo Switch Joy-Con attachment after news has surfaced of a new patent that has been published. The patent seems to indicate that Nintendo is to be adding a stylus onto the Joy-Con straps.

Siliconera reported that the patent was published on January 16, 2020, by Nintendo in the US Patent Office. It seems to take the current style of the Joy-Con strap attachment and updates it to include a simple rounded tip at the top of the right-hand attachment.

nintendo switch joy-con stylus

The patent includes a range of detailed examples of what the Joy-Con attachment would be capable of, meaning that it's not simply just something they've whacked onto the top. As the patent suggests, the stylus seems to work in conjunction with the Joy-Con, capable of triggering HD rumble. It also shows examples of a button being held to change the input of the stylus, as shown below. (Yes, I know I put a and b the wrong way round. Please laugh at me.)

Nintendo Switch

We've recently seen Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training hit the Nintendo Switch which uses the touchscreen to complete tasks. The tailers also tease an official separate stylus which is similar to a pen but has a similar tip to the stylus being shown in the patent. The Brain Training stylus also has no buttons, so the possibility of adding a stylus to the Joy-Con opens the player up to different ways of playing.

Nintendo Switch

It's worth noting, the patent itself was originally filed back in June last year, so despite the standalone stylus being revealed in December 2019, Nintendo has had ideas surrounding this attachment.

Of course, with patents, it may not mean that anything official is going to come from Nintendo, but let's say that the company puts these into production, would you find it worthwhile to have? I've personally been stumped as to why an official stylus wasn't available at launch, or shortly after, and if I got one of these, it'd mean less poking at the screen with greasy fingers, and instead with an elegantly rounded tip.

nintendo switch joy-con stylus