Nintendo's quest to create the most bizarre video game controller of all time continues on into the Nintendo Switch era, as the mysterious circular peripheral that was revealed during a recent trailer has been officially announced as the Ring-Con controller, which comes with the Leg Strap.
The Joy-Cons that come with the Nintendo Switch serve a multitude of functions, which was most evident with the different Nintendo Labo sets. It's possible for the Joy-Cons to detect player movements and reflect in-game actions with the help of the HD Rumble feature, which are elements that developers have used to great effect in helping players feel immersed in their Nintendo Switch games.
The next application for the Joy-Cons will involve combining them with a fitness device, as Nintendo has released a trailer for the Ring-Con and Leg Strap accessories, which will work with an upcoming title called Ring Fit Adventure.
The player is expected to connect a Joy-Con to the Ring-Con and to insert the other Joy-Con into the pocket of the Leg Strap. The Ring-Con might look like a cheap piece of plastic, but it's actually an electronic device that can detect how hard the player is pushing the edges together. The Ring-Con can detect how the player is moving it with the aid of the Joy-Con, which is then reflected through in-game actions. These include things such as firing a blast of wind by squeezing the edges of the device together.
The Leg Strap/Joy-Con can detect the movements of the lower body, which is reflected in Ring Fit Adventure requiring the player to jog on the spot in order to move their character.
The Ring-Con and Leg Strap are spiritual successors to the Wii Balance Board, except that they don't require expensive accessories in order to function. Unless, that is, the player only owns a Nintendo Switch Lite and doesn't have any Joy-Cons. Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus were both huge sellers for the Nintendo Wii and it feels as if Nintendo is trying to reach the same market with Ring Fit Adventure, but is also expanding the potential audience by adding elements of party games and RPGs to the experience.
Ring Fit Adventure and the Ring-Con/Leg Strap accessories will be available for the Nintendo Switch on October 18, 2019.
Source: Nintendo/YouTube