Nintendo's Joy-Con controllers work with the PC, too

We learned heading into the past weekend that the Nintendo Switch Pro controller will work with PCs via a wireless Bluetooth connection. It turns out that the Switch Joy-Con controllers will, too. As discovered by French site Nintendo Actu (via The Verge), they'll pair up with PCs through Bluetooth in basically the same way as the Pro, although you'll need a separate app, like JoyToKey, to map the buttons.   

DreWoof, who demonstrated the Pro controller working on a PC last week, posted a follow-up on YouTube confirming the Joy-Con's similar functionality. He said that only one of the two controllers can be used at a time in single-player mode, although they are usable simultaneously for two-player games. 

The obvious question, to my mind, is whether anyone would actually want to use them in the first place. The Pro controller is apparently a fine piece of equipment, but the Joy-Con looks cramped and cumbersome, like a sawed-off one-quarter of a conventional controller. Which is effectively what it is, really, and so while it's kind of interesting as a novelty, I have a hard time seeing it as something that PC gamers will forgo a regular controller for.

James said last week that we'll be trying the Switch Pro controller for ourselves in the coming weeks to see if it lives up to the hype. With any luck we'll be able to squeeze some Joy-Con time in there too.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.