Nintendo Switch 2 Could Feature Huge Couch Co-Op QoL Feature

Nintendo is experimenting with a technology that could help the Switch 2 deliver a significantly improved couch co-op experience over its predecessor by personalizing screen elements for every player based on their physical position, The Best War Games has learned. And while there are no guarantees that this solution will actually make its way to the company's new console, its overall requirements do seem to call for something more different than the Switch.

The Nintendo Switch and a number 2 set against a red background.

Nintendo Manufacturing Partner Hints at Switch 2

A major manufacturing partner for Nintendo could potentially be hinting at the upcoming reveal for the highly-anticipated follow-up to the Switch.

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By Michael Brandon Ingram

And while this radio silence continues, Nintendo has now secured a patent describing one unconventional technology that could make its way to the Switch 2. According to regulatory documentation reviewed by The Best War Games, the company envisioned a console hardware-software combo that could generate images based on the direction of an arbitrary number of connected controllers relative to itself. This could be used to dynamically change the orientation of parts of the HUD or entire screen segments depending on where each player is sitting. It could also support an external display like a TV, the patent reads.

How Nintendo's New Patent Could Benefit the Switch 2

The overall technology could deliver a substantial quality-of-life improvement to the Switch 2 couch co-op experience by having the console react to, e.g., players moving around or exchanging controllers. It could also help pave the way for seamless co-op on Nintendo's next gaming system, allowing users to easily switch between single-player and multiplayer modes in supported games. Another potential application could be in mixed reality experiences, which might be able to leverage the fact that the hardware they're running on tracks where its users are located in real time.

Nintendo's Improved Co-Op Concept Most Likely Wouldn't Work on the Original Switch

While the recently patented concept doesn't necessarily require cutting-edge hardware, the chances of something like this ever being implemented into the Switch are slim. This is largely because the solution hinges on a multi-antenna setup specifically configured for detecting controller positions. The original Switch communicates with Joy-Cons via Bluetooth rather than multiple antennas. Furthermore, the gyroscopes and accelerometers in the current-gen Joy-Cons may not be enough for performing precise calculations required for determining their direction based on antenna signal phase differences that the patent describes.

So, although there are no guarantees that this solution will be part of the Switch 2 feature set, the overall concept does appear to call for purpose-built hardware that Nintendo has yet to commercialize. Time will tell whether this ever happens, especially since Nintendo has plenty of patents that it secured without ever implementing them into consumer-grade products.