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Nintendo Joy-Cons

Joy-Cons connect to a Mac as separate controllers, one per Joy-Con. macOS 13 and later can also combine them into a pair. Either way works in InputConfig; pick one and build the preset for it.

Steps

Detach the Joy-Cons from the Switch.
Hold the small Sync button on the rail side of a Joy-Con until its LEDs run back and forth.
Open System Settings, Bluetooth on the Mac.
Click Connect on Joy-Con (L) or Joy-Con (R) when it appears, then repeat for the other one.
Both appear separately in InputConfig's sidebar.

One Joy-Con on its own

Held sideways, a single Joy-Con has four face buttons, two shoulder buttons, a stick, and a couple of system buttons. InputConfig treats it as a small extended gamepad. The left Joy-Con's directional buttons appear as the four face buttons; the right one keeps A, B, X, Y. It is a surprisingly good one-handed controller for reading, presentations, and media, and there are presets for exactly those jobs.

Both as a pair

When both are connected, macOS 13 and later may also show a combined Joy-Con Pair that behaves like a full-size gamepad. Bindings made on the pair do not transfer to a single Joy-Con and vice versa, so pick one mode for each preset and stay with it.

What is not exposed

The IR camera, NFC reader, accelerometer, and gyroscope are not passed through by macOS. Buttons and the analog sticks are, which covers most desktop and game uses.

Questions

Can two people use one Joy-Con each?

Yes. Each is its own controller slot, so a preset can bind the two differently, or two presets can share the Mac.

Why does a single Joy-Con's stick feel odd?

Sideways, the stick's axes are rotated a quarter turn relative to a normal pad. Bind directions with Scan by pushing the stick the way you want, and it comes out right.