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Nintendo patents a stylus attachment for the Joy-Con


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It seems Nintendo was toying around with this idea during the development of Super Mario Maker 2, but for what ever reason just decided to just give people a standard stylus as a pre-order bonus for the game (while excluding NA) and then released an official standard stylus with Brain Age on Switch (still waiting for a NA announcement). Who knows if they will actually end up releasing this with a new Art Academy, Mario Paint, or something, or just sell the stylus from Brain Age separately (seem they already are in EUR and JPN)...? 

 

I know this is literally just a stylus nub attached to one of the Joy-Con straps that come with the Switch, but this is a pretty clever way to easily and cheaply get the features of high-end modern-day styli on Switch. :)  IDK if I'd actually want to use a Joy-Con as a stylus (I'd rather have the one from Brain Age), but like I said, this is a pretty clever way to go about this. 

Edited by alienboyva
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Nintendo's decision to exclude NA from more available stylus options seems odd to me. A large portion of Super Mario Maker 2 would have been made bearable with a stylus, so it's unfortunate that they withheld that option. I get the feeling that they might think that this market doesn't want touch screen interaction within their Switch game experiences. 

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Having it on the Joycon railing is pretty convenient if you need something quickly. But it's best to get a stylus pen. I have an old Brookstone stylus pen that's similar to what I found in Amazon in terms of form factor that I use from time to time (Though the one I have is maybe twice the length of a typical pen), it's comfortable to use and work with if you plan on using it on SMM2 for an extended amount of time.

Edited by avalonknight
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17 minutes ago, avalonknight said:

Having it on the Joycon railing is pretty convenient if you need something quickly. But it's best to get a stylus pen. I have an old Brookstone stylus pen that's similar to what I found in Amazon in terms of form factor that I use from time to time (Though the one I have is maybe twice the length of a typical pen), it's comfortable to use and work with if you plan on using it on SMM2 for an extended amount of time.

Attaching a stylus to a joy-con railing would actually be less convenient. In addition to widening the controller, you wouldn't be able to reattach the joy-con to the system. Totally inferior to something like a stylus with a strap/hook that can be tethered elsewhere.

 

This thing's only purpose would be as @alienboyva theorized--cheaply replicating the features of an advanced stylus with buttons for different types of input (tapping prompts vs doodling notes on a layer above). But what's the point? The Switch, like the DS, already has physical buttons you can access with your non-stylus hand, which is what these advanced styli are meant to add on. They're a solution to a form-over-function compromise that Nintendo never took in the first place.

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7 hours ago, Destiny Hero said:

 

Attaching a stylus to a joy-con railing would actually be less convenient. In addition to widening the controller, you wouldn't be able to reattach the joy-con to the system. Totally inferior to something like a stylus with a strap/hook that can be tethered elsewhere.

 

This thing's only purpose would be as @alienboyva theorized--cheaply replicating the features of an advanced stylus with buttons for different types of input (tapping prompts vs doodling notes on a layer above). But what's the point? The Switch, like the DS, already has physical buttons you can access with your non-stylus hand, which is what these advanced styli are meant to add on. They're a solution to a form-over-function compromise that Nintendo never took in the first place.

It's still pretty possible, but that's assuming you'll be using this contraption for an extended amount of time. Depending on how you hold it, rail/stylus side up or down, left or right handed, it can be intuitive or cumbersome in terms of access to the face button for something like the forementioned changing of the virtual brushes.

 

Unfortuantely I cannot really think of anything for gaming outside of more "tool" centric games to make the most use out of it. Art games where you can use it as a brush. Or something like a game where you play as a mechanic, fixing cars and stuff.

 

Or hey, you can always have the stylus railing hang off your wrist.

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A lot of Nintendo's patents tend to have some kind of crude drawing/diagram to show how it might be useful in a game.  I'm assuming that's what that little box opening activity in the image is supposed to convey.  I don't think Nintendo would even implement something like this as an additive to the joy con if they didn't have some idea in mind beyond simply being a stylus for the system.  Just looking at the box there are clearly other functions they have in mind insofar as having interactions between some element within a game and the feedback of the joycon/stylus.

 

Just off the top of my head I could easily see a contraption like this finding a lot of use in those "hidden object" style games or adventure games in the style of Shadowgate or even games that are more along the lines of being interactive visual novels.

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