An open-source C++ library for interfacing with Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers (Joy-Con 1 and Joy-Con 2) on Windows.
JoyCon++ provides a foundation for developers and researchers interested in low-level interaction with Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, supporting both Bluetooth Classic (Joy-Con 1) and Bluetooth Low Energy (Joy-Con 2).
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Joy-Con 1 devices require manual Bluetooth pairing to appear as HID devices on Windows. Although full Joy-Con 1 support isn’t the initial focus of the first commit, it is supported through the
JoyConclass injoycon.cpp. This class can be instantiated by passing the vendor ID, product ID, and serial number obtained from HID enumeration, enabling direct reading and writing of input reports. Implementing Joy-Con 1 functionality is straightforward with this approach. -
Joy-Con 2 devices broadcast BLE advertisements when the sync button is held. JoyCon++ scans for these advertisements, allowing users to select and connect to a device and subscribe to the correct BLE characteristics. However, input notifications from Joy-Con 2 have not been successfully received yet despite subscribing, making this the current main focus for further development and experimentation.
- Scans for Joy-Con 1 devices via HID enumeration (requires manual pairing beforehand).
- Scans and detects Joy-Con 2 devices broadcasting BLE advertisements during sync mode.
- Enables connecting and subscribing to BLE characteristics on Joy-Con 2.
- Includes a
JoyConclass for Joy-Con 1 input report handling (not fully integrated yet).
The goal is to provide an open framework for anyone interested in exploring, decoding, or building on Joy-Con input data. JoyCon++ is primarily a developer tool and research project rather than a finished user-facing product.
- Each Joy-Con is treated as an individual device with its own inputs and sensors.
- The library does not combine inputs or provide shared controls out of the box.
- This approach allows developers to build custom logic for combining or processing multiple controllers however they see fit.
- The library supports connecting multiple Joy-Cons independently, which is useful for advanced use cases (e.g., motion-controlled games using several controllers per player, requiring seperate gyro and accelerometer values).
- For Joy-Con 1 (HID), ensure the device is fully paired and connected before scanning. The Joy-Con light should be solid, otherwise the device won't appear in HID enumeration.
- For Joy-Con 2 (BLE), devices show up when broadcasting advertisements such as when pressing buttons, but you must hold the sync button for pairing mode before connecting and subscribing.
- The
joycon.cppfile is included to assist with Joy-Con 1 input decoding and may be useful for Joy-Con 2 research, but it was not the focus of the initial implementation. - Full Joy-Con 1 support through HID input reading is possible with the current codebase but requires additional integration work.
- Tested on Windows 10 64-bit with Visual Studio.
- Relies on Windows Runtime APIs and HIDAPI.
- No external package manager required but developers may need to ensure Windows SDK and appropriate runtime components are installed.
- Experiment freely with the code and your own implementations.
- Document what works and what doesn’t.
- This project focuses on building a foundation to decode and handle Joy-Con 2 inputs; Joy-Con 1 support is secondary but present.
- Raise issues or pull requests on GitHub to share your findings or improvements.
- Open to collaboration for completing and improving this library.
MIT License — fully open source. Use it however you want. The goal is to build a complete and useful library for the community.
Thanks to these researchers whose work inspired and aided this project:
- Guineapigmc: Described efforts writing C# software that successfully subscribes to the correct BLE characteristic to read Joy-Con 2 input data.
- coffincolors: Shared research using nRF Connect app to discover relevant BLE characteristics on Joy-Con 2.
Their insights sparked the motivation to build this C++ library.
JoyCon++ is an experimental and open toolset for working with Joy-Con controllers on Windows at a low level, aimed at developers and hobbyists interested in custom input handling, research, and new ways of interfacing with these devices.