TheNintendo Switch ’s Joy - Con controllers are capable of more than just gaming . IfJoy - Con drifthasn’t made you bananas , then you may detach the controllers ( on the with child , non - Lite Switch ) and use them in a variety show of different way . Here are three of the most useful ones we ’ve found .

Spy Alarm

TheSpy Alarmapp for the Nintendo Switch will set you back $ 2 ( at the time of written material ) and utilise the infrared beams emitted by the right - hired man Joy - Con on your permutation as invisible tripwires . You target the controller toward the area you want to supervise , and the twist sounds an alarm and lumber an entry every time the infrared beam gets break .

There ’s a range of up to a measure ( 39 in ) , so it ’s best used next to a door or a similar minor space , rather than as a guard for an entire way ( you do n’t have to detach the Joy - Con , but you ’ve got more tractableness if you do ) . The Nintendo Switch itself needs to be on to log what ’s happening , though you wo n’t find out about any intruders until you get back and see to it the leaning of qui vive that the app has recorded .

Inside the app you may pick between four dissimilar dismay sound ( you ’ll need to mute the Switch if you want it to manoeuver silently ) , and there ’s also a sensitiveness yellow-bellied terrapin for tweaking how much movement is need to fix off an alarm .

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Image:Andrew M/Unsplash

manifestly this is n’t a professional - level security system system , but in our experience , Spy Alarm works reasonably well . As the Switch is battery - power , you could use Spy Alarm just about anywhere you wish , and it ’ll pose you back less than a right gesture sensing element .

Android Camera Remote Shutter

Another handy exercise for your Joy - Cons ( via Reddit ) is as remote control for the camera app on your Android phone . If you ’re struggling to get a slam perfectly framed while you ’re physically take for your smartphone , you could connect one of the Switch controllers to take the snap from a distance .

First you need to pair one of your Joy - Cons to your Android telephone . Press and deem the small sync button on the side of the controller until the LED next to it start flash , then add it as a Bluetooth equipment on your smartphone . On standard stock Android , you could do that by choosing attached devices and Pair new gadget from preferences . Pick the Joy - Con when it show up in the list to originate the link .

On Pixel phone , you should be able to take ginger snap with A on the proper - deal controller . On Samsung phones , X and Y zoom out and zoom in , and B takes a picture . These methods do seem to be a piddling bang and miss for some users , so you might need to do some experimenting to get everything work .

Image: Spy Alarm

Image: Spy Alarm

None of the buttons on the left - handwriting Joy - Con will work on Android , but you could employ the joystick on this comptroller to pilot and prime ( with a press ) . With the Android app open , you’re able to foreground the shutter clitoris and then pick out it to take a word picture that way .

Gaming Controllers for Your PC

In addition to gaming on your Nintendo Switch , your Joy - Cons can also work with games on aWindows 10computer . you may either use them individually or together as a span , and the latter option works best for modern - Clarence Day games that want two analog sticks as stimulus .

You need to pair your Joy - Cons with your microcomputer first , which you could do by go to Windows configurations then opt Devices , Bluetooth & other devices , and then Add Bluetooth or other gimmick . To get the Nintendo Switch controllers into pairing mode , you necessitate to weigh and hold the diminished sync button on the side until the lights begin flashing .

Your Joy - Con controller will crop right off , to some extent , but it depends on the game that you ’re playing and how your system is configure — it ’s potential that you ’ll have to delve into the control option for your games and do some tinkering there to get everything working properly .

Screenshot: Android

Screenshot: Android

You may get improved results by installing theBetterJoyutility , which includes equipment driver to get the Joy - Cons working nicely with Windows , and can get the operating system to see them as a exclusive controller , too . It also include number one wood that will enable you to turn on controller support in Steam , though there are a few extra pace to go through to get everything go down up . See theBetterJoy wikifor details .

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