Mouse Controls on Switch 2 – the Most Interesting From Nintendo
Yesterday, Nintendo finally announced its successor to the Nintendo Switch, appropriately named Switch 2. I already wrote about my overall impressions of the console , where I said that for the most part it was boring, but it was probably the right move on Nintendo’s part. However, I would like to highlight one part of the console that is definitely not boring: the mouse controls.
When you take one of the Switch 2’s controllers, the Joy-Con 2, off the console and lay it on its side, it becomes a mouse—that’s all. If you’re playing a compatible game, you’ll immediately see a cursor pop up on your screen and start playing right away, just as if you were on PC. Rotate the controller to return it to the vertical position and you’re back to a more traditional setup.
It’s like a magic trick. While consoles are generally easier to set up than PCs and are more likely to be played from more comfortable locations like the living room, certain genres have eluded them for a while. These include shooters, strategy games, and other games that benefit from moving the pointer quickly and accurately. There have been attempts to fix this in the past, such as using motion controls, but after experiencing the Switch 2’s mouse mode, it has become my favorite so far.
Suddenly, the comfort of consoles and the precision of PC control no longer have to be at odds with each other. There are a few downsides that I’ll get into in a moment, but I was surprised at how well it worked overall.
Take Metroid Prime 4 . The series began on the GameCube, where shooting was almost entirely relegated to an archaic lock-on system. It was then re-released on the Wii and then the original Switch with better motion controls, but it could get boring after a while. Now, with Metroid Prime 4 , it plays just like any other shooter (okay, the hook is still there if that’s what you want, but you get my point).
It’s huge. Of course, an exploration-based series like Metroid doesn’t necessarily have to cross that threshold, but it worked almost perfectly in my time and presents so many possibilities for the Switch 2. Now, a Nintendo port of Call of Duty or similar games isn’t some compromised alternative unless you have other systems; It’s probably the best way to play outside of PC. And this goes doubly true for genres like strategy games, which often ignore consoles altogether. Civilization VIII on Switch 2 felt exactly the same as if I were playing it at my desk.
But even if those more traditional uses elude you, the mouse controls are the only place in the Switch 2’s design where you can see classic Nintendo playfulness in action. About a month after the console’s launch, the company is set to re-release its latest Mario Party game with an improved Switch 2 port, and as I saw with my own eyes, it’s taking the opportunity to put its money where its mouth is on the mouse.
In my early hands-on with the Switch 2 version of the game, I had to use mouse controls to play a compelling replacement for air hockey, the classic mouse-dodge game, as well as two mini-games that actually do things you can’t do with a regular mouse.
The first involved me spray painting objects using the Joy-Con and then quickly shaking it to fill the paint canister. It wasn’t the most robust experience, but it did demonstrate one benefit of simply adding mouse functionality to an existing controller – you can use other controller features, like motion controls, in tandem with it.
This was more noticeable in a minigame I played where I had to use the mouse pointer in conjunction with the Joy-Con gyroscope to build a tower of blocks taller than my competitors without knocking it over. Add some unusual shapes, like a stuffed Yoshi toy, and it will be a lot of fun.
But perhaps the most notable example of Nintendo doing something new with a mouse was Drag X Drive , a basketball game where you control a player in a wheelchair. With its crude graphics and mock-up-like animation, it definitely had a techno-demo vibe, and I’ll leave talking to the disabled athletes’ representatives to others more knowledgeable about the topic than I am. But I will say that this may be the only game I’ve seen that was played with two mice at the same time.
In the game, you put both Joy-Con 2 controllers in mouse mode, then use your left hand to control the left wheel and your right hand to control the right wheel. To be honest, it got boring pretty quickly, but on the few occasions when I was in a wheelchair, it seemed amazingly accurate (though, again, I’ll leave the real judgment to the experts).
It’s also another good example of combining mouse controls with another Joy-Con feature, in this case rumble. The controllers did a great job of simulating the drag of my wheels on the ground as I turned them, which helped me figure out what to move where, and made controlling my character smooth enough that yes, I could dunk.
Despite all this, this playfulness makes me equal parts excited and anxious. As much as I’m glad to see that new gaming experiences aren’t completely dead on the Switch 2, mouse control will only thrive as long as developers embrace it. Given Nintendo’s past history with accessories like the Wii MotionPlus, I fear they’ll quickly fall by the wayside after a few of the company’s own releases.
Some physical discomfort must also be acknowledged here. Yes, the Joy-Con 2 technically has capabilities that regular mice don’t have, but they also suffer in ergonomics. They’re much thinner so I have to grip them with really tight claws, which doesn’t come naturally to me, and pressing the face buttons on them when using them as mice can be a challenge at first. I’d like to see the ability to map the right stick to face buttons instead, but we’ll see.
However, this is one feature I can’t be mad at – if only because I’m still holding out hope that it might eventually lead to Nintendo DS and Wii U emulation on Switch Online. Playing games made for these consoles on other devices has always been a bit difficult due to their unique touch controls, even on mobile devices. But thanks to a big-screen TV and a mouse pointer instead of a stylus, we may finally have the perfect answer to this long-standing problem. I’m beaming, as I’m sure a dozen other fans of The World Ends With You are .