Hori Announces Nintendo Switch D-pad Left Joy-Con, Just In Time For Bayonetta 3

Exciting news for all Nintendo Switch fans. If you've been complaining about your Switch not having a D-Pad on your Joy-Cons, Hori has got you covered.

Exciting news for all Nintendo Switch fans. If you’ve been complaining about your Switch not having a D-Pad on your Joy-Cons, Hori has got you covered. An unofficial Nintendo Switch D-pad Left Joy-Con will be arriving in Japan this year.

As revealed by Famitsu, the Nintendo Switch D-pad Left Joy-Con will be a peripheral device for the Switch, the L side controller dedicated to the portable mode equipped with a cross button. Its color is slightly different than the original but we hope it will get more options when it finally releases in July.

While it’s functional in handheld mode, it won’t be usable in TV and table modes. It also loses some of the official features, which can be read below:

With this product, the following functions installed in Joy – Con (L) can not be used.
Player lamp, synchro button, SL button, SR button, HD vibration · This product is not equipped with “acceleration sensor” and “gyro sensor”. During the game, “acceleration sensor” and “gyro sensor” on Joy – Con (R) side will function.

Because this product is dedicated to the portable mode, wireless communication is not performed in “TV mode” and “table mode”.

PlatinumGames’ Hideki Kamiya has recently warned Nintendo that the studio might lose motivation for developing Bayonetta 3 if a D-Pad wasn’t released. Nintendo may not have responded but his timing was perfect. At least we know that Bayonetta 3 development is now safe.

Let’s hope that the Nintendo Switch D-pad Left Joy-Con will be working as expected with the Switch and won’t cause damage to the console, as it happened with an unofficial dock some time back.

In related news, Nintendo Switch has a record set of most sales for a gaming console ever during the first 12 months in the United States. The NPD, an American Research Group recently released a report confirming that its sales have increased incredibly over the last year.

Always looking for a deep story, empathetic characters, and a great soundtrack in video games. Hardcore game hoarder and a strong believer that one day Xbox will win the console war.