Genki Claims The ‘Switch 2’ Joy-Con Can Be Removed By ‘Brute Force’ – Nintendo Life
GuestGuestLogin | Sign UpNintendo LifeGuestLogin or Sign UpBut good lord, don’t try itAccessory manufacturer Genki has well and truly stuck its middle finger up to Nintendo in recent days, opting to openly showcase its planned accessories for the as-yet unannounced ‘Switch 2’ during CES 2025.Now, in a new interview with The Verge, Genki’s co-founder and CEO Eddie Tsai divulged a few more details regarding the console itself, including the new magnetic Joy-Con controllers. According to Tsai, pressing the release buttons on the back of the Joy-Con causes a small pin to protrude from the side of the Joy-Con, thus pushing it away from the main body enough to break the magnetic connection.However, Tsai also states that users may be able to pry the Joy-Con away with brute force, though we’ll just recommend right off the bat that you probably shouldn’t even attempt to do this. With the magnets active, the Joy-Con are said to be secure enough for regular use, with the release buttons detaching the controllers from the Switch 2 with ease.Naturally, Tsai wouldn’t specify how he learned of these details, but we’re willing to bet that Nintendo hasn’t given Genki the go-ahead to release so much information to the public. Chances are the company managed to obtain such information by other means; according to Laura Kate Dale, it’s even possible that it was able to purchase a functioning Switch 2 via the black market. Yikes, Genki.When handling Genki’s ‘Switch 2’ mock-up, The Verge claims that its size is overall more comparable to the Steam Deck than the original Switch, though because the new console’s Joy-Con are not as pronounced or ergonomic as the Steam Deck’s grips, it’s still noticably smaller.And so, we continue to wait. Nintendo has promised an announcement before the end of March 2025, but it really feels like something may be just on the horizon. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, folks.4.3 million Switch 2 sales predictedIt’s the notes you don’t playWhat are your thoughts on the new Joy-Con controllers so far? Do you prefer the proposed magnetic functionality over the current slide rails? Let us know with a comment.[source theverge.com]About Ollie ReynoldsNintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.Comments 63Those speculative ‘glide pads’ don’t look so glide-y from this angle.I’m really not sold on the size of the new Switch. It just seems way too big now (so it would be living in its dock 95% of the time). I’ve bought every Nintendo console on launch day since the GameCube, but I might wait it out until the ‘Lite’ equivalent this time around (which at this rate will be the same day as the regular Switch 2 😅)Technically anything can be removed by brute force.This just seems a little fishy to me, there are no logos and no letters on the buttons. Obviously this is not official but the fact that they claim they have an actual one makes me all the more suspicious.Hopefully the magnetic connectors wont cause damage to the screen if the new joycon is placed too close to the screen’s surfaceWell, never mind 😄I wish Kate or someone would do a silly article about a random game they played. These Switch 2 news articles are tiresomeDo Genki not need a license to produce Switch 2 peripherals? If so, I can’t see it lasting too much longer, Nintendo cannot be happy with them. It’s wild how unprofessional they’ve been.I can’t wait to see Jerryrigseverything get one of these things. It’ll be interesting seeing just how sturdy a Switch 2 is.I remember back in the day when putting magnets too close to a TV used to screw up the picture. Hopefully the magnets on the JoyCons wont screw up the screen.I’ll wait for the Switch 2 Lite for my handheld fix anyway, the original will be eternally docked.Theoretically this should be better than the rails as you were forced to use brute force on the latter if you put the straps in reverse while in the former’s case it apparently just depends on people not being smart – certainly hope there won’t be anyone trying to remove them by brute force on purpose at least (and potentially also have the gall to complain if they end up breaking something by doing so), but I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened unfortunately!Ah, yes. Nothing like Switch 2 info to get us excited about the accessories. Jokes aside, the magnetic joy-cons would be a MASSIVE improvement over the originals, as mine constantly disconnect from the console while playing.Genki, I can remove the left half of my Switch from the right half with brute force, but due to not being an idiot I’m not doing it.This takes me back to the warning in the original Xbox manual that said it could seriously injure a child if dropped on them. Duh.@Jack_Goetz Switch Lite can’t be docked though. Who knows if that will also be the case for a hypothetical Switch 2 Lite but assuming it will, that might not suit you so well if you mostly play docked.@Ironcore I like the way you think.@Steve6cupcakes I really hope they drop undocked versions of the console. The whole point of the switch is that it, well, switches.Makes sense that if you have Joycon on both sides of the Switch 2 that if you pulled on both of them hard enough eventually 1 would come off but I’m thinking the other 1 wouldn’t come off so easily b/c it would be hard to get a grip on the Switch 2 body.Do we know for certain there are magnets in the Joycon, Switch body, or both, or is this some electricity magic trick going on when the 2 pieces touch?I’m just wondering if I can store my joycon on a whiteboard on my wall near my couch so I know where they are, always misplacing our current ones. If the magnets are in the Switch 2 body I’m worried some small piece of metal will fall in there, get stuck magnetically, and I’ll never be able to get it out.😩@contractcooker Completly agree. Switch Lite would be my main Switch if it could dock. Love the formfactor for handheld play but removing the namesake of the Switch is a big deal breaker.Almost everything can be removed by brute force.If you Megido +4 a pro controller, you will open itby Mazanma, on the other hand…not sure.I’ve never heard of this company before the other day.I don’t like or trust most third party perhepriral (sp) manufacturers ever since the GameCube days.Mad Cats (z) was the worst! C-sticks never worked, main sticks were loose…I remember a friend complaining the current Joy-Cons were too hard to get off and that they kept breaking when doing so. Then I watched in horror as he proceeded to just pull the things straight off the rail, he didn’t slide them, he didn’t press the release button, he just ripped them straight off like tearing a chunk of bread. It’s honestly a miracle they didn’t break everytime.So yeah people are going to do that with these too.Also, yes I showed him how to do them properly and he never broke a pair that way again.I’m extremely dehydrated from taking so much grains of salt, but all these rumors still excite me nonetheless.Make it official already, Nintendo!Is there anyone else besides Power A that makes a GameCube controller for the Switch?@Steve6cupcakes I should have been clearer. I mean at the new Switch’s speculated size I probably wouldn’t be playing it handheld very often.Let’s hope the new Switch Lite will be ‘dockable’ though.So you’ll telling me the force of someone’s thumb press is enough to prise apart but with the whole hand you need to brute force it off? Something smells.Edit: while I understand grip strength can be very strong this is Nintendo, they would design it so that kids will be able to disconnect the JC without the thumb press strength of an adult.@calbeau I recommend plenty of isotonic drinks and water. While drinking water alone will help, you’ll also dilute all the other natural salts as presumably you’ve been self-medicating with only NaCl. Good luck. Hopefully this BS publicity stunt pandemic will be over soon.What a great news (not) i can remove my own arm by brute force.@Rob3008 As far as I know only companies like Hori are an officially licensed accessory maker and is allowed to ship its alternative Joy-con’s and controllers in Official Nintendo packaging.You can literally buy all kinds of weird stuff for the Nintendo Switch that isn’t officially licensed. Including off-brand controllers and joy-cons, etc that don’t have the officially licensed product logo.That is probably why he can freely open his mouth, since he not under any license contract with Nintendo.If you look at their current catalog, they haven’t got much for the Nintendo Switch. Just some USB wall chargers, a kickstand and some bluetooth micro controller.All not officially licensed products.And we thought a talking AI Mario with a part vampire, part Russian spy voice from last year was scandalous. This whole affair has been so absurd. Removing console parts by brute force should never be OK, especially with kids…You can remove original Switch joycons with brute force, but I wouldn’t recommend it!Apparently, Switch 2 also has a hidden feature; when you immerse it in salt water, it turns off permanently.I really do NOT like the idea of using magnets for the joycons. This is a bad idea and seems like it will result in many problems for this new switch.I really hope Nintendo does the actual reveal very soon. I have a feeling it wont be made until after their next financial report though which is likely to be early February.Genki, in a way, is destroying the mystique of the next system reveal by Nintendo. While much of the info isn’t necessarily a surprise, if some of the feature speculation ends up not being true, it could lead to disappointment by those who follow gaming news.Genki are sounding more and more stupid black market embargo breaks brute force@Kiyata because a company clearly who do not care said so@Citano Maybe the electromagnets in them only turn on when they’re close to the sides of the system, and the optical sensor is just there to detect when it’s close to being attached and turns on the magnets accordinglyThat’s good to hear. I can’t remember how many right joycons I’ve ripped apart (damaging the joycon rails and ribbon) from the Switch tablet while playing ARMS. At least I can go back playing ARMS “safely” on the Switch 2. 😅So does pushing the release button also un-power the electromagnets? Are they electromagnets? Or just some kind of strong rare-earth type magnet? Seems like using an electromagnet that has to be powered up all the time whenever playing handheld would potentially have a pretty significant impact on battery life. What happens if the battery is completely drained, do they just fall off?I mean I realize we don’t really know the answers to these questions yet, but I’ll be curious to know some more specifics about how the magnetic Joy Con work when we do get an official announcement from Nintendo.I didn’t want a bigger Switch. I’m beginning to think the sensible thing for me to do would be to await a smaller SKU.But who said I’m sensible?I’ll still waiting to see anything that truly justifies the “2” label on this “next generation” Nintendo console. So far, how is this not just a Switch Pro or Switch 1.5?@Ironcore Username checks out 😎@Citano I think magnets only afected old crt screens, not lcd…Just announce the damn thing alreadyFinally a controller worthy to go full Wolverine mode on then.So what the comments are really saying is joy con drift may we’ll be a think of the past for the S2 but joy con magwave could be the next best thing?All these “leaks” gonna really set people up for surprise for when Nintendo announces the Wii U 2.Apparently they also make great fridge magnets.Genki made it sound like they are the ones making the console.@Bunkerneath …of course they won’t, who uses CRTs for their modern systems?!@Citano This is a long gone issue. LCD and OLED panels aren’t affected by magnetic fields like CRTs were back then.Only old HDDs… and those are vanishing as well.Ok….what can’t be messed up by brute force?I can brute force rip off my console disk tray, but I wouldn’t recommend it!@WheresWaveRace The docking rim is quite chunky. So it is not like breaking a chocolate bar. It is pulling sideways, which is 90° angled compared to any button press.You can compare it like USB-C, which is not friction fit, but held in by a magnet (magsafe++).” but good lord don’t try it”That sub heading gave me a little chuckle.You can also do that with the regular Switch Joy Cons. Doesn’t mean that you should@Megas75 but with these there is no harm done.A lot of users seem to be misunderstanding the nature of the magnetic connectors rumored for the Switch 2. These are not traditional magnets, they are electromagnets and will only work when attached to the console. Some have correctly pointed out that we no longer have to worry about magnetic fields messing with our screens anymore now that we’re no longer using CRTs. Now, lets briefly address the “electro” part of electromagnetism! Electromagnets work by creating a field that can be turned on and off. This field only uses power when it’s on, and only loses energy to resistance, so it will use an almost negligible amount of energy. Hypothetically they would probably cease functioning if the unit completely runs out of power, but there are likely safeguards to prevent this. I hope this helps!Bizarre how unprofessional Genki is behaving the past weeks. They do anything to make the news.Forcing Joy-Cons out is a sure fire way to void your warranty fast.Hooooo boy are Genki’s days numbered@Xenoblade-Fan at this point it’s fair to say these are a legitimate. Too many people have gotten their hands on it for these to be fake. It’s just a matter of when Nintendo will officially announce. Sounds like it’s happening soon.What’s the issue with how Joycons attach on the current Switch? I’ve had zero issues with them and I find the rails to be quite satisfying when you slide them in and get that ‘click’. While magnets seem a more elegant solution on the surface, I just struggle to imagine they’d be strong enough for there to never be any accidental removals during gameplay. Happy to be proven wrong though.@GravyThief If it’s a track again but slightly different you’d have thousands of people getting switch 1 cons stuck to their switch 2 and vice versa. A magnet eliminates confusion and lots of repairs that could have been avoided. For a guesscan’t wait to brush one of these magnet joycons across the switch storage unit and wipe all my game saves Show CommentsLeave A CommentHold on there, you need to login to post a comment…Rumour: New ‘Switch 2’ Photos Show Off A Very Legit-Looking Joy-ConBlack and blue, not white and goldNintendo Highlights Multiple Switch Games Launching In 2025It’s going to be an action-packed yearIs This Our Best Look Yet At ‘Switch 2’?Update: Genki’s website now shows a new videoDigital Foundry Weighs In On ‘Switch 2’ Motherboard – Just How Powerful Is It?Expect lots of PS4 portsZelda: Breath Of The Wild Tops Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Games Of All TimeOf course it does! 0Rumour Insider Claims That Halo: Master Chief Collection Will Come To ‘Switch 2’ 21Reminder Splatoon 3’s ‘Frosty Fest’ Splatfest Kicks Off This Weekend 11Review LEGO Animal Crossing – Stargazing With Celeste – A Cute Little Set, Though Not Quite Stellar 38News House Of The Dead 2: Remake Blasts Onto Switch This Spring 217News Is This Our Best Look Yet At ‘Switch 2’?Rumour New ‘Switch 2’ Photos Show Off A Very Legit-Looking Joy-ConNews Nintendo Breaks Silence On ‘Switch 2’ Image And Video LeaksNews Is This Our Best Look Yet At ‘Switch 2’?News Nintendo Highlights Multiple Switch Games Launching In 2025News Digital Foundry Weighs In On ‘Switch 2’ Motherboard – Just How Powerful …News Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Tops Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Games Of All TimeNews Switch’s First ‘Rebootless Update’ Of 2025 Is Now Live, Here Are The Det…News Tech Fans Have Gone Full ‘Layton’ In Analysing The ‘Switch 2’ MotherboardRumour New ‘Switch 2’ Leak Suggests Console Will Require A 60W ChargerGuide Best Nintendo Switch RPGsPopular Right NowShow More Join 1,468,160 people following Nintendo Life:© 2025 Hookshot Media, partner of IGN Entertainment | Hosted by 44 Bytes | AdChoices | Do Not Sell My Personal Information
