Summary
TheSwitch 2Joy-Cons almost missed out on the release button, senior Nintendo officials have revealed. Although the company eventually found a way to include this helpful feature in theSwitch 2controllers, it took many iterations to get it right.
Nintendo had already wanted to implement magnetic Joy-Cons in the original Switch. However, the prototype controllers kept falling out during handheld use, prompting the company to abandon the idea. The Switch thus launched with two side rails used to attach the controllers, which can slide back out while the user is holding a release button located on the back of each Joy-Con.
Thanks to technological advancements, Nintendo was able to revisit the idea of magnetic attachments with its upcoming console—theSwitch 2 Joy-Cons now snap onto the consoleusing magnets. But in the process of ditching the old rail mechanism, the company almost did away with the Joy-Con release button as well. That’s according to Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto, who said as much in a recent interview withMobileSyrup. “Originally, we didn’t have the button that would release the magnet—and so you had to pull,” Kawamoto recalled.
Switch 2 Producer Gave Conflicting Joy-Con Instructions to Engineers
Given the lack of a button-based release mechanism and reliance on magnets, Kawamoto was concerned that children would be able to pull the console apart too easily. Following that train of thought, he instructed Nintendo’s hardware engineers to use a “strong magnet” in theSwitch 2 Joy-Cons. At the same time, he wanted the magnetic connection to be weak enough so that the controllers could still be pulled apart by an adult. Kawamoto acknowledged that this was a “conflicting request,” but noted that his team still had ideas on how to fulfill it. Some of those options were ruled out because the necessary technology “wasn’t quite available,” the executive explained.
Originally, we didn’t have the button that would release the magnet—and so you had to pull.
Nintendo eventually settled on a solution that retains the essence of the original Switch Joy-Con release button, but with modifications to make it suitable for detaching a magnetic accessory. Instead of disengaging a physical lock, the new release button extends a small plunger that physically pushes the controller away from the console, assisting in detachment. Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta said “a lot” of work went into getting this mechanism just right, highlighting the highly iterative nature of consumer electronics design.
Nintendo’s next console is scheduled to hit the store shelves on June 5. Following a two-week delay, theSwitch 2 pre-orders will open in the U.S. on April 24. Nintendo decided to honor the originally announced $449.99 price despite the looming threat of Trump administration tariffs, which are currently paused but set to resume in mid-July 2025—unless new trade deals are reached before then. However, most Switch 2 accessories will be between 5% and 25% more expensive than initially announced stateside.
