A Joy-Con is one of the two slim controllers that slide off the sides of a Nintendo Switch. There is a left one and a right one, they work either attached to the console or detached with one in each hand, and a pair comes with every Switch. That last point is the one a gift buyer needs: buying Joy-Con is always about adding players or replacing a worn pair, never about completing something that arrived incomplete.
The word is confusing because it describes a controller that behaves like three different things. Clipped to the console it is part of a handheld. Clipped into the plastic Grip that comes in the box it is an ordinary gamepad. Held one in each hand it is a motion controller. One accessory, three jobs — which is clever engineering and terrible shop-floor explanation.
Nintendo’s own box-contents list for a Switch 2 spells out what arrives: the console, “Joy-Con 2 (L) in Light Blue, Joy-Con 2 (R) in Light Red”, the AC adapter and cable, the dock, a “Joy-Con 2 Grip”, two straps and an HDMI cable. No game. Two controller halves, one grip, two straps — that is the baseline everything below is measured against.
What is in each half
Every figure here is Nintendo’s own published specification. The asymmetry is deliberate and it explains several things that otherwise look random — including why amiibo get tapped on the right stick specifically.
| | Joy-Con [L] | Joy-Con [R] |
|---|
| Weight | 1.7 oz | 1.8 oz |
|---|
| Sticks and buttons | Left Stick, Control Pad directions, L, ZL, SL, SR, minus, Capture | Right Stick, A, B, X, Y, R, ZR, SL, SR, plus, HOME |
|---|
| Wireless | Bluetooth 3.0 | Bluetooth 3.0 / NFC |
|---|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope | Accelerometer, gyroscope, IR Motion Camera |
|---|
| Vibration | HD Rumble | HD Rumble |
|---|
| Battery life | Approximately 20 hours | Approximately 20 hours |
|---|
| Charging time | Approximately 3 hours 30 minutes | Approximately 3 hours 30 minutes |
|---|
The NFC chip in the right Joy-Con is why Nintendo tells you to tap an amiibo on the right control stick. If somebody in the house collects those figures, our what is an amiibo guide covers what they actually do — including Nintendo’s own confirmation that no game needs one.
The Grip, the Charging Grip, and the strap
A plain Joy-Con Grip comes in the box. It is a piece of plastic, about .21 lbs, that the two halves slide into so they feel like one controller. It contains nothing electrical and it charges nothing.
The Charging Grip is the paid version and the useful small present. In Nintendo’s words you “attach the Joy-Con 2 controllers to the Joy-Con 2 charging grip to use as a classic-style controller—or a handy charging station”, and it “includes USB-C charging cable”. That solves a real annoyance, because Nintendo’s own note is that Joy-Con “are charged by attaching them to a console or charging grip connected to a power supply” — so without one, a player who always plays on the TV has to keep putting the controllers back on the console to charge them.
The straps are the little rails with wrist loops, about .66 oz each, two of which come in the box. They exist for motion games and for not throwing a controller across a room. Nobody needs to buy extras unless one has gone missing.
What changed on the Switch 2
Joy-Con 2 attach differently. Nintendo says “strong magnets keep the controllers firmly attached to the system”, in place of the slide-on rails of the original. The right Joy-Con 2 also carries a new C Button: pressing it starts the console’s chat feature, where players can voice chat, share a screen and video chat — the last of which needs “a compatible USB-C camera, like the Nintendo Switch 2 camera (sold separately)”. Nintendo also states that “internet, Nintendo Switch Online membership and Nintendo Account required for online features, including GameChat”.
For a gift buyer the practical consequence is simple: if the household has a Switch 2, buy Switch 2 controllers; if it has an original Switch, buy original ones. The one controller Nintendo publishes as crossing the gap is the old Pro Controller, which its compatibility table lists as “Compatible — Can be used by pairing wirelessly to Nintendo Switch 2”. Our Pro Controller comparison lays out that trap properly, because the two pads look almost identical.
So do you need to buy any?
- One person plays, alone. No. They already have a pair. If you want to upgrade their comfort, a Pro Controller is the better buy — Nintendo lists the original with “motion controls, HD rumble, built-in amiibo functionality, and more”.
- Two people play together, often. Yes. A second pair means two proper controllers instead of two people sharing one pair.
- Four people play at Christmas. Do the maths first — how many controllers you need for Mario Party works through the most common version of this, and the answer is often fewer than people assume.
- Their current pair is worn out. Yes, and it is a better present than it sounds. Controllers are the part of a console that wears, and nobody enjoys buying their own replacements.