- Nintendo has finally confirmed the long-rumored mouse mode for the Nintendo Switch 2
- Each Joy Con 2 controller comes with an optical sensor that allows it to be used like a mouse
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct livestream has been and gone, leaving us in a daze of new hardware features, new games, and new ways to play them.
The livestream has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2's Joy-Con 2 controllers will have mouse functionality, allowing users to drag the controller on its side to control cursors and allow for more accurate aiming in games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
During the livestream, we saw the new control mode demonstrated with new games like the wheelchair basketball-focused Drag x Drive and the expanded Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Both Joy-Con 2 controllers can be used in mouse mode at the same time.
It seems that each Joy-Con controller is fitted with an optical sensor on its flatter edge (the side that magnetically snaps onto the side of the Switch 2). The shoulder buttons are used as mouse buttons, creating a somewhat familiar mouse experience, though we can't imagine it'll be ergonomically suitable for long periods of gameplay.
Though the livestream demonstrated the Joy-Con 2’s mouse function on flat surfaces, a press release shared by Nintendo to Business Wire confirms that sliding the Joy-Con 2 controllers over a pair of pants will also work.
Nintendo Switch 2 mouse control games
As mentioned, the livestream demonstrated a handful of games that use the new Joy Con 2 mouse function.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond makes use of the Joy Con 2 mouse mode for precise aiming. Mario Party: Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition uses the mouse mode for cursor control in specific party games, and Drag x Drive uses both Joy Con 2 controllers in mouse mode at the same time, to emulate pushing the wheels of a wheelchair.
What about motion controls?
The addition of a mouse mode for the Joy-Con 2 and Nintendo Switch 2 could represent a shift in direction for Nintendo, echoing the Direct’s focus on games with an older target audience and single-player games.
It seems likely that the Joy-Con 2’s mouse mode will be used most often on a flat surface like a desk with these launch and early titles, whereas earlier games on the original Nintendo Switch – like Arms and 1-2 Switch – focused more on motion controls.
There were relatively few mentions of motion control during the Direct – but the presentation for Drag x Drive suggests that the Joy-Con 2 still supports it.
Let us know what you think of the new Nintendo Switch 2 mouse mode in the comments below.
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