Which Nintendo Switch controller includes an infrared motion camera?

The right Joy-Con includes the Nintendo Switch’s infrared motion camera.

Nintendo placed the sensor on the underside of the right Joy-Con. It can detect the shape, motion, and distance of nearby objects, allowing compatible software to use gesture-based interactions. 1-2-Switch’s “Ball Count” is a well-known example of software using the right Joy-Con’s infrared camera.

The feature is easy to confuse with the Joy-Con controllers’ motion sensors. Both Joy-Con units contain accelerometers and gyroscopes, but the infrared camera is specific to the right controller. The left Joy-Con instead includes the system’s capture button, while the right one includes the Home button and camera.

The camera is not a conventional photographic camera for taking ordinary pictures. It is an infrared sensing component designed for detecting objects and movement at close range, and only selected games make meaningful use of it.