Nintendo Switch 2 will feature better Bluetooth connectivity for its Joy-Con 2 controllers and other devices, the company has said.
Speaking during a developer roundtable event attended by Eurogamer, Nintendo Switch 2 hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki responded to questions asking how the company had improved the wireless connection between its next console and controllers, after years of complaints of Joy-Con drift with Switch 1.
“As you may have witnessed and felt, the new Joy-Con 2 controllers for the Nintendo Switch 2 have really been designed from the ground up, from scratch, to have bigger movement and smoother movement,” Sasaki said.
In response to another question on whether Bluetooth connections would be better in Switch 2 than in Switch 1, Sasaki then went into more detail – suggesting Nintendo’s next console had bigger wireless antennas.
“If I were to go into it I feel like it’s going to take forever,” Sasaki said, “so I will start with: yes, it has improved.
“And if I were to add a little bit more: wireless features really depend on… the size has a big impact, so the bigger the antenna, the better the connection. And as we’ve been able to do that, I think you’ll find the connection is improved.
“The number of antennas has increased, a lot of other adjustments have been made to improve it.”
Joy-Con connectivity, particularly in aging controllers, has been a continued issue for the Switch 1 throughout its life, and the cause of headache and replacement controllers for countless Switch owners.
In 2020, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa apologised “for any trouble caused to our customers” regarding Joy-Con issues, and said the company would continue to improve its products. Over the years, Joy-Con drift has prompted calls for action from UK consumer group Which?, which estimated that the problem had plagued two in five Switch owners. Legal action has been threatened by the European Commission, and there have been several attempts at litigation in the US.