Nintendo just filed a patent for a Joy-Con crank accessory — yes, a literal reel you can spin like a fishing rod. At first glance it feels bizarre, but this is classic Nintendo. For decades they’ve tested oddball hardware ideas, shelving some and later reviving them when the timing was right. The Wii Remote, the DS’s touch screen, even the Switch itself all started as strange experiments. So what if this crank is more than a gimmick — what if it’s a glimpse at how the Switch 2 could surprise us?

The Dual Screens of the DS → Wii U → Switch DNA
Back in 2004, the Nintendo DS introduced dual screens, one of them touch-sensitive. At the time, it felt like a gimmick, but it redefined handheld play. Years later, the Wii U’s GamePad was essentially a reworked version of that idea — a “second screen” experience that extended gameplay beyond the TV. While the Wii U stumbled, the Switch ultimately refined the vision: one screen you can dock or take anywhere. Nintendo doesn’t always nail the execution the first time, but they’re masters at recycling concepts until they stick.

Nintendo’s Forgotten Hardware Experiments

The Wii Remote → Joy-Con Motion Controls

When the Wii Remote was first shown, swinging a controller around like a sword seemed laughable. But motion control became one of Nintendo’s biggest successes, selling over 100 million Wiis and opening gaming to a wider audience. That experiment didn’t vanish with the Wii — it evolved into the gyroscopes and HD Rumble of the Joy-Con, quietly shaping Switch gameplay in titles like Splatoon, Mario Odyssey, and Ring Fit Adventure. What started as a gimmick became a permanent part of Nintendo’s design language.

The GameCube–GBA Link Cable → Switch Portability

In the early 2000s, Nintendo experimented with the GameCube–Game Boy Advance link cable, letting handhelds act as extra screens or controllers. Most people ignored it, but in hindsight, it was a proto-Switch idea: bridging home console and handheld play. Today, that once-forgotten cable looks like an early sketch of the hybrid system Nintendo would eventually perfect with the Switch.

3DS Glasses-Free 3D → Possible AR Future

The 3DS promised glasses-free 3D visuals, which was groundbreaking but ultimately underutilized. Nintendo eventually downplayed the feature, but the core ambition — merging physical space with digital depth — hasn’t disappeared. With AR and VR tech maturing, it’s not hard to imagine Nintendo revisiting the spirit of the 3DS in a form that finally delivers on that promise.

The Wii Vitality Sensor → Health and Biometric Play

One of Nintendo’s strangest experiments never even released: the Wii Vitality Sensor. It was designed to clip onto your finger and measure your pulse during gameplay, connecting the player’s body directly to the system. The project quietly disappeared, but the idea shows Nintendo’s ongoing interest in health-focused play. From Wii Fit to Ring Fit Adventure, that theme keeps resurfacing — and biometric tech could one day return in a more natural way on the Switch 2.

The Crank Patent in Context

In August 2025, Nintendo filed a patent that sent fans buzzing: a Joy-Con accessory with a crank and a clickable wheel. On paper it sounds absurd — a fishing reel attachment in the age of high-powered hybrid consoles. But when you look at Nintendo’s history, it makes perfect sense. The company has always loved turning simple, physical movements into playful mechanics, whether it’s blowing into the DS microphone or swinging a Wii Remote like a tennis racket.

The crank patent isn’t entirely new territory. It instantly recalls Nintendo Labo’s cardboard fishing rod, which let players physically reel in digital fish on the Switch. It also echoes the indie Playdate handheld, which made a crank its central input device, proving that players enjoy tactile, analogue controls in a digital world. The difference is that Nintendo’s version could snap directly onto a Joy-Con 2 — making it modular, optional, and far more versatile than a one-off gimmick.

Seen in this light, the crank isn’t random at all. It fits Nintendo’s long pattern of shelving bold ideas, only to revive them later when technology and timing align. The Wii Vitality Sensor never launched, but its spirit lived on in Ring Fit Adventure. The GameCube link cable failed, but its DNA survived in the Switch’s hybrid design. Likewise, the crank might start as a quirky fishing tool, but in a few years it could evolve into a defining feature of Switch 2’s most creative games.

Speculative Gameplay Scenarios

The most obvious use for a crank is fishing, and Nintendo knows it. We’ve seen fishing minigames in everything from Animal Crossing to The Legend of Zelda, but imagine reeling in a digital fish with the tactile resistance of a physical crank. The motion would add tension and satisfaction in a way button presses never could, turning a small side activity into a memorable moment. It’s Nintendo doing what they do best — transforming a simple action into something joyful.

Beyond fishing, the crank could shine in rhythm and music titles. Picture spinning it in time with the beat to control tempo or effects, almost like a DJ scratching vinyl. Games like Rhythm Heaven or even a new WarioWare could experiment with this input, making players twist, spin, and click in rhythm. It would turn music gameplay into a kinetic, physical experience.

A crank also lends itself perfectly to puzzles and strategy games. Imagine slowly winding a crank to rotate a lock, open a vault, or scroll through a timeline of events. In a strategy title, it could let you zoom through menus or cycle options in a tactile, satisfying way. Nintendo has always loved playful UI interactions — the crank could make navigating even menus feel like part of the game.

There’s also potential in Nintendo’s ongoing interest in health and fitness. A crank could act as a form of resistance training, making players spin against tension in exercise-based mini-games. It would connect neatly with Nintendo’s history of fitness-focused experiments, from Wii Fit to Ring Fit Adventure, and extend Switch 2’s reach beyond traditional gameplay.

Nintendo’s history shows that no idea ever truly disappears — it just waits for the right moment to return. What looked like gimmicks in the past often became defining features once the technology and timing aligned. The Joy-Con crank might seem strange today, but so did motion controls before the Wii changed everything. If the Switch 2 continues Nintendo’s tradition of reviving and reinventing its forgotten experiments, this quirky little reel could be more than a novelty — it could be a glimpse at the playful, unexpected future of gaming.