Switch 2 Rumored Mouse Functionality: Here's How It Could Be Used
A few pointers for pointing and clicking...
Now that months of speculation and rumors are over, and we finally have seen the Nintendo Switch 2 in action, it's time for what the gaming industry does best: more rumors and speculation!
Specifically, we're interested in the rumored mouse technology embedded in the Switch 2's Joy-Con controllers. Rumors are swirling that the Joy-Cons will feature some kind of point-and-click abilities, which offers some intriguing options for future Switch 2 releases. Here are a few potential uses for that mouse technology, as well as the games that could play host to them.
Mario Kart
The only game confirmed for the Switch 2 so far is a new Mario Kart of some kind--we don't know the name, but we do know it exists thanks to the brief footage we saw during the Switch 2 reveal video. Mouse functionality would work surprisingly well in Mario Kart, and at the very least, we expect the option to be included.
The best use we can think of is a custom track editor--a Mario Kart Maker, perhaps--built into this new Mario Kart. Using the mouse, you'd be able to build your own tracks or edit existing ones and then share them and compete with other players for top times on those custom tracks.
Point-and-click ports
There are a wealth of classic point-and-click adventures that would feel right at home on Switch 2 if this mouse functionality comes to pass. The Switch is already good at hitting those nostalgia notes, and bringing the classic PC adventure scene to life would be a treat.
Monkey Island, Myst, Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle, Maniac Mansion, and more are ripe for the picking if Nintendo really is packing each Joy-Con with a computer-like mouse. Those are just the classics too; recent point-and-click success stories like Norco, Slay The Princess, and Unpacking would fit the bill too. Really, any game that involves directing a cursor around the screen, like A Little to the Left, could benefit from mouse functionality.
Strategy games
One genre that tends to lose some luster when coming from PC to console is the strategy game. XCOM and Civilization, for example, are no strangers to the Switch, but the point-and-click experience on PC is the best way to play massive strategy games like those. Civ 7 should be playable on Switch 2 through backwards compatibility, but if 2K decided to make the jump and create an enhanced Switch 2 version, the mouse tech would be a huge boon.
This concept isn't limited to those franchises either, as any strategy game would benefit from this new Joy-Con feature. Even two of Nintendo's exclusives--Advance Wars and Fire Emblem--could find benefits from a point-and-click control scheme.
First-person shooters
There's an ages-old argument between FPS fans as to what makes for a better control scheme between a console controller and a keyboard-and-mouse setup. Switch 2 could offer a hybrid of sorts, with one Joy-Con becoming the mouse and the other serving as the buttons on a controller.
It would take some adjustment, but the precision aiming offered with a mouse mixed with the simple button scheme of a controller might make a powerful new way to play something like Call Of Duty or Halo. Also, while it's not yet confirmed to receive an enhanced Switch 2 port, Metroid Prime 4 could serve as an intriguing test case if that port does surface.
F-Zero
Mario Kart isn't the only one in Nintendo's portfolio. For many fans, the sci-fi racer F-Zero is long overdue for a new entry, be it a reboot or a sequel, and whatever it is, a mouse-control option for throttling, braking, and turning could be a neat way to set it apart.
In fact, Nintendo would have the creative freedom to design each F-Zero race car's cockpit to fully capitalize on the mouse functions of the Joy-Cons. Imagine thrusting both Joy-Cons in front of you quickly in order to activate a turbo boost; that sounds like a ton of fun.
Star Fox
Sticking with Nintendo and sci-fi, Star Fox would be a prime candidate for a throttle/braking system made possible by a mouse-based control scheme. Some might argue that ships like the Arwing might be better suited for the scheme--which could open the door for plane-based racing in Mario Kart too, now that we think about it… or the revival of Diddy Kong Racing.
As for Star Fox, deftly steering through an on-rails space mission using Joy-Cons on the desk seems like a natural fit. We haven't worked out how to do a barrel roll though, and we don't think people will be keen on spinning in circles on their couches. Also, history shows that new Star Fox games tend to come packaged with some unique control scheme, so using a mouse would continue the trend.
MMORPGs
Look, hear us out on this one: MMOs have worked on consoles before--Final Fantasy XIV is a prime example. However, among the reasons one of the most famous MMORPGs ever made--World Of Warcraft--has never made the jump is that the game simply functions at its best with a keyboard and mouse on PC.
While Switch 2 won't be offering any keyboard (that we know of), bringing the mouse function to the console would go a long way in bridging the gap, and perhaps we could see WoW join the Switch 2 lineup. Heck, if it works well enough, maybe we'll finally see that Pokemon MMO fans have wanted for years.
Star Wars Squadrons
Thinking of Star Fox has us immediately jumping to perhaps the most famous sci-fi franchise out there: Star Wars. 2020's Star Wars Squadrons would make an excellent candidate for a Switch 2 port showing off this new tech; piloting an X-Wing with the new Joy-Con mouse tech would be pretty hard to pass up.
There are other flight sims out there--and we'll get to another big one in a second--but Star Wars Squadrons would make a ton of sense as the franchise's Switch 2 debut. Then again, a remake of Rogue Squadron from the N64 days would be neat too, but Squadrons's modern tech might make for an easier transition.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Phil Spencer and his team are quite keen on getting Xbox first-party games on as many devices as possible, right? While Halo and that new Banjo-Kazooie that we all want to come eventually are great choices, this rumored mouse tech opens the door--or rather, the cockpit--for another Microsoft stalwart: Flight Simulator.
Flight Simulator is a technically intense game, so this would take some wizardry on the part of Xbox and Nintendo, possibly via the cloud. However, being able to take off in a private jet or commercial airliner using the Joy-Cons seems like it would be a good time, and we wouldn't be surprised if Xbox explored the idea.
A new Mario Paint
Finally, many players of the older generation probably read those Switch 2 rumors and thought about the last time Nintendo dabbled with a mouse: Mario Paint on the Super Nintendo. If it was possible in 1992, it's certainly achievable in 2025; a new era of Mario Paint is now in the cards.
Mario Paint is hard to describe; it's Photoshop, Paint, Pro Tools, GarageBand, and a fly-swatting minigame all rolled up into one neat little cartridge. Unleashing that creative energy onto Switch 2 could open up a whole new avenue of gameplay possibility, goofy memes, and who knows what else. If Mario Paint does come back, though, those chanting fellows have to come back too.
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