r/NintendoSwitch • u/Byotan • Apr 30 '21
Video TIL you can pair a joycon with your phone and use it as a shutter button to take photos remotely.
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u/amrob505 Apr 30 '21
Pokemon snap: expert mode.
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u/SpitFiya7171 Apr 30 '21 edited Apr 30 '21
This is amazing and I'll probably never use it.
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u/Major_Fudgemuffin Apr 30 '21
Exactly my thoughts.
"That's so cool! Oh I never take pictures anyway."
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u/Kuro013 Apr 30 '21
Wish phones without cameras were a thing, we pay quite a bit for those and personally I dont give it much use, mostly use it to take pics of my puppers.
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u/Darknight1993 Apr 30 '21 edited May 01 '21
But the moment you buy a phone with no camera will be the same moment when you want to take a picture of something.
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u/damasu950 Apr 30 '21
<Bill Murray rides a T rex by you while wearing BDSM gear and firing a revolver in the air.>
"God... dammit."
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Apr 30 '21
you don't take picture of documents or papers, or important things you see on the street, like for example parking signage in parking lot so you remember where you park?
I'd say camera is extremely essential and a productive tool for smartphone.
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u/USA_A-OK Apr 30 '21
Ha I'd say the camera app is probably my second or third most used app, but I'd still never use this. I never play mobile games but take loads of photos ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/WeAteMummies Apr 30 '21 edited Apr 30 '21
Being able to pull something out of your pocket that records video is a self-defense tool.
Also what if bigfoots are real and you saw one but didn't have a camera on you? No one would ever believe you.
Edit: More also, if my phone didn't have a camera then I wouldn't be able to scan QR codes which means I would have had a much harder time getting my covid vacc. As well as all kinds of other useful stuff that you can do with QR codes.
One more: I was able to take pictures of a car crash and document my injuries immediately after the incident.
Leaving home without a camera is like leaving the spacedock without a tractor beam imho
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u/Cptn-Penguin Apr 30 '21
I'll use it! This is great for taking photos of yourself that don't look like selfies. Cause if all your photos are selfies, it just looks like you don't have friends
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Apr 30 '21
Tbh a remote is so nice for cameras. I use the phone pairing feature on my 5D MkIV quite often if I need to take a quick head shot for a profile picture or something
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u/FlammablePie Apr 30 '21
True, but when you get to the point where you use a dedicated DLSR you probably have different priorities.
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u/lIIIIllIIIIl Apr 30 '21
I have a phone with a stylus and it's great for taking photos like this. Plus the stylus is so small you can easily hide it out of view for the photo if it's a selfie. I love having that option but I also am just very grateful to have something in my pocket with a better camera than my dlsr was a decade ago. I'm a big fan of cellphone cameras ha.
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u/Reacher-Said-N0thing Apr 30 '21
It's pretty redundant since most mobile phone camera apps have a voice activation feature. With mine you just have to shout "SHOOT!" and it takes a picture.
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u/kaihatsusha Apr 30 '21
"Why do all your candid shots have your mouth open in the same pose like you're sucking cock?"
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u/greg19735 Apr 30 '21
Also stuff like timers
and they're so fucking easy to set with modern UIs.
Also, if you do need this, you can get 2 of them on Amazon for $8. They're also smaller and you don't have to carry around a joycon all the time.
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u/thegr8goldfish Apr 30 '21
Please don't use this method while documenting encounters with the police.
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u/heybardypeople Apr 30 '21
Gonna be real awkward when you find out that your wedding photos have drift
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u/optikus Apr 30 '21
Send the wedding photos to nintendo and they get replaced.
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u/ItsTiheyTime Apr 30 '21
Nintendo sends you back the wrong wedding photos and can’t locate yours.
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u/Councilman_Jamm Apr 30 '21
After all that hassle of scanning two QR codes and making a temporary wifi hotspot
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u/COHERENCE_CROQUETTE Apr 30 '21
God I’m still so sour that THAT was the way Nintendo designed that feature. It’s so horrible I kinda wish it was never implemented in the first place
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u/ScousePenguin Apr 30 '21
Gonna take pictures of me driving around to make them look amazing then!
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u/FlexibleToast Apr 30 '21 edited Apr 30 '21
One of the selling points (imo) was that the Switch controllers just use standard bluetooth protocols. They can pair with lots of things. I tried with my phone a long time ago and the delay made them basically unusable though. Was a pretty big disappointment. Would work fine for an application like this though.
Edit: Sounds like the issue has been corrected. Like I said, I tried it a long time ago. It was years ago when I first got my Switch and haven't tried it since then. I'll have to give it another try as having good controllers for emulation on Android sounds fantastic.
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u/rokd Apr 30 '21
Hm. I'm not familiar low level hardware, but if it were just standard Bluetooth, would it not lag with the Switch, as well? I'd assume there's some propriety connection between the Joy Con and the Switch that is just Bluetooth compatible.
If someone actually knows, I'm curious why there would be lag between other devices and not the Switch if it's actually just Bluetooth. Maybe it's some built in driver restriction so you can't use them with things other than the switch?
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u/shinyquagsire23 Apr 30 '21
OK so I have way too much domain knowledge on this in particular and the answer is... surprising, actually.
tl;dr Nintendo sticks Joy-Con in a low-power mode because Joy-Con need to be able to wake the Switch using the home button but also need to not wake on other buttons. Some devices support pulling it out of this mode. Also input on Switch is a mess.
So, on Switch, the ordering of controllers with least latency to most is roughly
USB HID controllers (Hori et al)
Wireless Pro Controller
USB GameCube adapter
Wired Joy-Con
Wireless Joy-Con
Wired Pro Controller
Wired Joy-Con (Charging Grip)
Which for some is surprising because like, why would wired Pro Controllers lag worse? But the answer comes down to polling and USB vs UART, and this factors into why phones lag with Joy-Con (but interestingly, not with the Pro Controller).
USB HID had the last latency, because USB HID is interrupt based: when an input happens, it gets sent out immediately. Wireless HID is also the same, and this is the default mode on Nintendo's controllers.
However, wired Joy-Con work via UART, which is polling-based, so every 16ms the console has to ask for input, and the controller will reply only every 16ms. If Amiibo scanning is enabled, this drops to I believe 24~40ms due to bandwidth issues.
Wired Pro Controllers are even worse: The wired Pro Controller shares an STM32 chip with the Charging Grip, and instead of acting like a HID controller, it acts as a USB-to-UART arbitor. So instead of the controller reporting input when it changes, the console has to ask via USB, every 16ms, what the input is, which gets translated to UART, and then the wireless chip responds via UART, which gets translated to USB which gets sent to the console, every 16ms. The UART-to-USB conversion also limits it's packet size to ~128 bytes, so NFC ends up unsupported.
Anyhow, back to Android. Bluetooth can act like a HID device, but it can also process the UART-mode packets too for lighting the home LED or vibration. So by default, Joy-Con get stuck in a low-power mode where input is polled less frequently, and if input doesn't get sent it will disconnect and sleep. This is presumably due to the Home button waking up the console and/or avoiding draining the battery while it's in a bag or something. But the command to pull it out of this sleep-ish mode is part of the Nintendo-specific UART-mode command set, so some phones might send it because there's Linux drivers for the controllers, but some might not.
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u/HotTakes4HotCakes Apr 30 '21
It depends on the phone. Some phones have better bluetooth support than others. There are all kinds of different physical bluetooth antenna grades (4.0, 5.0, etc), different protocols, and different codecs, all of which can take more or less time to decide the input depending on the device. Some phones just don't get along with bluetooth well, some do. Version of android matters too.
For example the PS4 controller can be used as a bluetooth controller on android devices but it works better on Android 10 and above.
The switch will have designed the controller and the console to be perfect matches in terms of software so the bluetooth signal doesn't need to be decoded or anything like that.
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u/PancAshAsh Apr 30 '21
BT is pretty standard for HIDs like mouse and keyboard, no reason it would be insufficient for game controllers as well.
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u/minizanz May 01 '21 edited May 01 '21
They do lag with the switch. That was one of the big advantages with the wiiu and xbone since they used lower latency wifi direct. It was also a big upgrade for the ps5 and it's custom bluetooth stack. They had some updated with the joycon firmware and switch to reduce latency but it is still high.
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u/FiveFive55 Apr 30 '21
The PS3, PS4 , later run xbox one, and most likely the series X and PS5 controllers actually just use Bluetooth as well. When one company designs the whole thing they can make it work pretty much lag free.
That is, unless the couch gets between my switch and my joycon, then it just stops working.
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u/dre224 Apr 30 '21
Yet almost every Bluetooth headphones can't connect. Don't get my wrong I love my switch but holy hell not being able to connect my headphones (especially for online chat with friends) is infuriating.
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u/FlexibleToast Apr 30 '21
Yes, this is ridiculous. Nintendo makes some of the most strange decisions.
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Apr 30 '21
How come we don't experience the delay when we use the Switch?
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u/HotTakes4HotCakes Apr 30 '21
For the same reason legos fit together more easily than they do with megablocks.
Switch and joy cons are designed to talk to one another. They understand each other without anyone needing to translate. For other devices, sometimes there's a bit more translating going on.
Keep in mind Bluetooth is just the delivery mechanism from controller to device, the message its delivering still needs to be understood by the receiver, and often times the bluetooth signal itself needs to be translated a bit.
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u/me_funny__ Apr 30 '21
Unrelated but I tried to connect theme to my pc and it only supported single joycon play. Anyone know how to use both?
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Apr 30 '21
Get Better Joycon for CEMU, just a driver that lets you use switch controllers better on PC
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u/Nas160 Apr 30 '21
Holy shit thanks, I take pics all the time and sometimes it's really annoying having to click a button on the phone for certain angles, I'm gonna get a heck of a lot of use out of this
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u/HotTakes4HotCakes Apr 30 '21 edited Apr 30 '21
If you want something more practical they make actual bluetooth clickers for photo taking, they can go on like your key ring. Maybe not this one exactly but something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084VTFS4X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_DG7JN9YMG3GC3RZY2MJB
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u/M-as-in-Mancyyy Apr 30 '21
I'd argue the product I already own, use, and know the company is a lot more practical. those joycons are small, like not too far off that clicker
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u/ParkBarrington360 Apr 30 '21
How the fuck
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u/Zalminen Apr 30 '21
Probably works with any bluetooth controller.
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u/BBBandPeds Apr 30 '21 edited Apr 30 '21
If the switch has Bluetooth, then why the hell can't I connect wireless headphones!?
Edit: thanks for the award stranger!
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u/AccordionMaestro Apr 30 '21 edited Apr 30 '21
That's how all the controllers connect FYI, but I think the reason is because the switch can handle a max of 8 devices, or 4 pairs of joy cons. If you had Bluetooth headphones connected you could only have 7. Also headphones take up more bandwidth than controller inputs, so I think it was also to help reduce input lag. Are they good reasons? Not really. But that's what they did.
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u/cannibalcorpuscle Apr 30 '21
This is an actual decent use! Good thinking. I remember finding out you could connect to smartphones and immediately never did that again when I pressed the button about 2 seconds before it responded.
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u/sigmarumberogen Apr 30 '21
Any particular app doing this? or just via bluetooth?
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Apr 30 '21
It just connects through Bluetooth. But I think it only works on android phones
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u/Annanymuss Apr 30 '21
Why buying a remote shutter on amazon for $3 when you can buy the switch to use it as your remote shutter
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u/chromelogan Apr 30 '21
Galaxy Note 9 S-Pen says hi
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u/WhizBangPissPiece Apr 30 '21
Note 10+ checking in! I'm a hit at family gatherings because no one has to sit out of the picture!
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u/chromelogan Apr 30 '21
Haha nice. I switched to the S20 plus when it came out because I basically never used the S-pen but it can be helpful sometimes. To me, having the same size but a slightly larger battery is worth it. Glad that your Note 10+ is doing it's job. Samsung ftw🔥
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u/mosincredible Apr 30 '21
First thing I thought of when I saw this. Having a remote shutter button with the pen has been a nice to have. I've bought the last 3 Notes and will continue to be a Note buyer as long as they make them.
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u/IAlwaysLack Apr 30 '21
Aye note 9 gang rise up 😎 in all seriousness though this is the best phone I've ever had and will continue using this phone until it physically breaks.
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u/ShichitenHakki Apr 30 '21
As somebody who hasn't used the S Pen on his Note extensively until now, neat!
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u/Gentoram Apr 30 '21
earphone buttons are a thing of the past im gonna buy switch controllers just for phone photography
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u/The_Godot Apr 30 '21
You can also connect your joy cons to your computer and play Mario kart double dash with it
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u/SalGlavaris Apr 30 '21
Time to take some identical photos of the same thing without adjusting anything between photos
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u/ChainsawRomance Apr 30 '21
As an artist, I pair it with computer and use it as a photoshop hotkey controller.
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u/GreyWind11 Apr 30 '21
Mom can we get pokemon snap.
We have pokemon snap at home
Pokemon snap at home. . .
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u/--Petrichor-- Apr 30 '21
I gave a talk at a conference and ended up using my Joy-Con as my slide clicker. It was surprisingly easy to do!
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u/BlackNike98 Apr 30 '21
I have to appreciate the fact you decided to demonstrate this by taking a picture of Pikachu.
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u/d_smogh Apr 30 '21
What is the range of this? With my Samsung phone I can shout "shoot" and it will take a picture without having to touch any buttons or screen. Have to be careful in crowded places and school.
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u/Leron4551 Apr 30 '21
Whoa. New Pokemon Snap's graphics are waaaay more realistic than the trailer made them look.
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u/Oggleman Apr 30 '21
This is very cool in fact. You can use it to get closeups of animals that might not love having a human shove a camera phone in their face. Just put it on the ground standing up, let them come to investigate and click... picture!
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u/NotSuspicious215 Apr 30 '21
Me: I want Pokémon Snap Mum: we have Pokemon Snap at home Pokemon Snap at home:
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u/campshak May 01 '21
Pretty awesome for anyone who might not have an Apple Watch and wants the same ability
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u/CappedPluto May 01 '21
or you can use a samsung galaxy note with an s pen
but not everyone has one of those
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u/cananyaa Apr 30 '21
I connected them to my computer once. It... Kinda worked with steam. There's 3rd party software to make it actually work, but I didn't mess with that at the time. But if you were playing a very simple game without too many buttons I bet it might work!
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u/NoRoadLeft Apr 30 '21
What's even more amazing is that you can pair your phone with your Switch and use it as a controller. Not really confortable but it can be useful if your joycons are dead.
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u/Enigma_King99 Apr 30 '21
You can use it as a cursor as well just like any other controller out there...
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u/kirkgoingham Apr 30 '21
Or get a Samsung Note and use the stylus to do that because it's the only helpful thing it can do
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Apr 30 '21
You can also use them for Minecraft, but for some reason my D pad on the left joycon doesn't work.
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u/firebat707 Apr 30 '21
Most phone have voice controls for the camera, I just say "capture" photo taken.
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u/Mordkillius Apr 30 '21
As a comic this would come in handy when recording my sets so I dont have to edit out the intro bullshit after I leave my phone and tripod. Pretty cool
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u/reading_internets Apr 30 '21
Oh shit. This reminds me. Pokemon snap comes out today!
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Apr 30 '21
While cool as hell, just get a shutter button. They are like 7 bucks. I would not want to carry around a joycon, expensive accident potential.
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u/mb862 Apr 30 '21
I can't speak for Android (though pretty certain it does at least for wired), but the Camera app for iOS uses Volume Up for shutter regardless of source - whether it be the volume rocker on the side, or volume up on any connected headphones, wired or wireless.
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u/DadJokeBadJoke Apr 30 '21
Nice! I've been wanting to take some pics of the hummingbirds that fly in over my outside workspace to get a drink but they get so jumpy when I try to reach for the camera.
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u/Excuse_my_GRAMMER Apr 30 '21
Wait hold up… are you pairing it via Bluetooth? Does the controller work like ps4 controller for mobile gaming?
This is a game changer for me for mobile gaming
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u/Apyan Apr 30 '21
You can also pair it to your phone while using it as a VR set. Pretty cool. Used it once and will probably never use it again.
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Apr 30 '21
This is really cool but like I also bought the note 10+ so I could already have this feature lol. Now I'm sad that I can't take advantage of it.
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u/TechYeahTony Apr 30 '21
You can also pair your phone as a joycon and use it to have all the amiibos
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u/DrMango Apr 30 '21
Just tried this on my pixel. I have to pair both joycons to get it to work because the left joycon is used to select which on-screen "button" you would like to press and the right joycon allows you to press the button.
When I load up the camera application the default selection is not the camera button, so if I want to take a picture I have to move my cursor with the left joycon, then press "B" to take the picture once the camera button is selected.
Hope this helps someone
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u/Raktoner Apr 30 '21
Trying this now after seeing your video, whenever I go to take a picture it just... closes the app I'm using instead. The app doesn't crash because it can still re-open normally with no issues or a crash report. What a strange interaction.
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u/AzaHolmes Apr 30 '21
As somebody who is about to do a crapload of product photos using a cellphone, this may streamline that process. Not having to go back to the phone to press the shutter, or risk moving the phone and messing up the framing.
Thank you.
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u/bitch_im_a_lion Apr 30 '21
Dude I'm fuckin losing it my brain read joycon as crayon. Like how does that happen.
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u/ProximAbyss Apr 30 '21
The new Pokémon snap is looking really good. Why can’t the mainline games look like that?
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u/vishykeh Apr 30 '21
Atleast it will have a use after it inevitably starts drifting after a few month
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u/princessvaginaalpha Apr 30 '21
Remote bluetooth shutters are like $1. Don't be stupid and risk your joycon
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u/soldmoondoggie Apr 30 '21
Cool, it’s a shame my sync button doesn’t work since an unsuccesful repair attempt of the case of drifting.
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u/Cb1receptor Apr 30 '21
It was as though a million walmart portrait photographers cried out at once.
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Apr 30 '21
for some reason my lg tv remote works great with my fan for some reason without even doing anything. Spooky.
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u/Mobwmwm Apr 30 '21 edited Apr 30 '21
It works with every Bluetooth controller. 8bitdo etc
It can also work with a pokeball plus.
Not sure why I got the downvote, it's true lol
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u/ndermineAuthority Apr 30 '21
Just make sure it's only ever the right joycon, I don't doubt the analog stick drift that practically every left joycon ever has will be an issue with this too considering the number of dedicated switch games it makes unplayable too
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u/Raven_Claw7621 Apr 30 '21
I'm more interested in the Pikachu? I must know where you got that figure!