Joy-Con To The World: Our First Look At Nintendo Switch's Immersive Controller
The Nintendo Switch Joy-Con is a mesmerizing piece of equipment that has us seeing gaming and all its possibilities in a whole new light.
Game controllers. One of the most important elements of console and PC gaming. These handheld devices allow us to play games with ease and to interact with games in ways we never imagined. They also offer up a level of gameplay that mouse and keyboard do not. The #NintendoSwitch Joy-Con is a mesmerizing piece of equipment that has us seeing gaming and all its possibilities in a whole new light. Let's take a peek at this controller that's piqued the world's interest.
Features Wii-Like Motion Controllers
The #JoyCon controller will have features similar to that of the Nintendo Wii's MotionPlus and the Nunchuk, with a thumbstick and standardized face buttons. Looking at the controller flat, it's reminiscent of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo controllers. This allows the Joy-Con to adapt to non-motion-based and motion-based gaming, as both controllers have built-in gyroscopes — a function that is sure to delight fans of #MarioKart.
Go Social With Joy-Con's Capture Button
Just as we'd hoped, the Joy-Con boasts a square capture button to allow for screenshots that are shareable on social media — perfect for those awesome bragging rights in your gaming experience.
Nintendo's confirmed this button will eventually allow us to grab video of our gameplay. As for streaming services, not much has been revealed on that front, which is a bit of a bummer considering the #PlayStation4 has managed this aspect so well with its Share Button on the #DualShock4.
Shoulder Buttons' Awesome Capabilities
The Nintendo Switch makes it so that both Joy-Con devices feature shoulder buttons for when playing competitively against friends. And it sure seems that Nintendo may just be preparing players to enjoy those classic Nintendo titles in a cooperative manner. After all, who doesn't want to knock someone off the walls in Battletoads on Stage 2?
Strap Accessory Offers Larger Buttons
If shoulder buttons weren't already becoming a big thing in modern gaming, then the Switch seems hellbent on making it happen. The strap accessory's larger shoulder buttons are perfect for those frenetic moments in motion-based games, especially 1-2-Switch and Arms when they launch later this year. Remember, the straps go around your wrists, not dangling beside them.
More Than A Standard Gray Color
The Joy-Con is also getting a bold paint job. You'll be able to choose from neon blue or neon red instead of just standard gray. I suspect Nintendo will give us more color options in the future. I'm sure we're all begging for a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild-themed Joy-Con setup. I sure as heck am.
Advanced Rumble Effects, Anyone?
Nintendo is fully immersing us gamers in haptic technology. This futuristic style of gameplay will put both the Xbox One Standard and Elite controllers to shame. Even #Sony's DualShock 4 won't hold a candle to this.
The HD Rumble will simulate for gamers what on-screen characters are feeling. This could be something as minuscule as the exact number of ice cubes tumbling into the glass, or the sensation of water being poured. Want to feel the sensation of your character drawing out a sword from its scabbard? Nintendo's definitely getting the edge over its console competition with this piece of hardware.
Groundbreaking IR Camera
If being able to have a controller that determines shapes as well as the distance of objects is up your alley, then Nintendo has your gaming immersion dreams covered. And this isn't just limited to what kind of games we are playing when the controllers are clipped together.
We can only hope this means one day we'll be able to scan #amiibos in order to see how the console brings them to life. I must admit, I do hope that I'll get to see Kirby dashing across my screen before sucking up a Jigglypuff, and merging the two into one.
Nintendo Will Continue Innovating And Shaping
After the console's March 3 launch, Nintendo will continue to revolutionize the hardware. This means the Switch's Joy-Con will continue to evolve to allow for more enjoyable experiences unlike anything we've experienced before.
We can only wonder what launch games the Joy-Con will be fully utilized for, especially with the console's $299 price tag, which will feature this piece of important hardware when it releases.
About the Creator
Dustin Murphy
A video games journalist and Content Creator. He has been featured on sites such as AppTrigger and MoviePilot. He's the president and editor-in-chief of the independent news publisher Blast Away the Game Review.
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