It's no secret that Nintendo fans have been asking for new controllers ever since the Switch's Joy-Cons proved to drift after a short amount of time. Luckily for fans, it looks like the company might be working on a new controller type that would be added to the Switch's repertoire.
Twitter user @SamusHunter2 pointed out an FCC ID application that was made by Nintendo earlier today for a new "game controller." While obviously nothing is set in stone until Nintendo officially announces it, the application for an FCC ID looks pretty solid based on past applications for Switch hardware.
FCC ID applications are made to register new hardware that works within the regulations set by the FCC, and the naming convention that Nintendo used for their application falls right in line with other Switch accessories. All Switch hardware use "HAC" as their codenames and the application is for "game controller HAC043" which indicates that something Switch-related is possibly coming.
It's important to note that this isn't confirmation of anything, just that Nintendo may be working on something for the future. Patent applications and FCC ID applications are filed by major gaming companies all the time as they work on solidifying their ideas, but it doesn't necessarily mean that anything is happening with them soon.
Hopefully, this could mean that a new, updated version of the Joy-Cons could be coming in the future, as drift has become a major problem for plenty of players. Many thought that the upcoming Switch OLED model would bring with it a new generation of Joy-Cons that have addressed the controller drift issue, however, the new system isn't updating the controller at all, instead, the main focus of the hardware update is on the screen.
There's a chance that the controller in the FCC ID application is another iteration of the Switch Pro controller. While the fans are certainly calling for updated Joy-Cons, there have been plenty of requests for a new Pro controller also as both Sony and Microsoft have updated their controllers with the newest console generation. Although Nintendo doesn't fall in line with the other companies in terms of when its consoles release, the Switch is nearly five years old and fans are looking for any sort of hardware update that they can get. Hopefully, Nintendo reveals that it's working on something new soon to prevent the controller issues that fans have been experiencing since the Switch's launch.