How rumored mouse support could change Nintendo Switch 2

Though not yet officially confirmed, one heavily-rumored feature of the Nintendo Switch 2 involves its supposed ability to use the Joy-Con’s infrared sensor as a mouse. We’ll absolutely find out if this is true when the upcoming Nintendo Direct airs on April 2, but in the meantime, all we can do is speculate. And speculate we shall, because Switch 2’s rumored mouse support could be a game-changer for some of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. Today, we’re looking into games that would benefit most from this feature – both existing titles as well as potential new ones.

If you haven’t heard of mouse support for Nintendo Switch 2 yet, here’s a quick explanation. At first, it sounds absolutely crazy. But if you were to detach your Switch’s right Joy-Con and put the side that slides into the console against a hard surface, it actually makes some sense. Clicking the R and especially ZR buttons is very easy when you hold it in this manner. The Switch 2’s Joy-Cons presumably have an infrared sensor just like a real mouse, and that’s what will ultimately enable this functionality. If you take a look at the Switch 2 trailer published recently, you’ll see that Nintendo interestingly chose to show the Joy-Con sliding across the ground. They didn’t specifically reveal mouse functionality just yet – but it’s very possible this could be a look at what’s to come. We’ll definitely know by the time the Nintendo Switch 2 presentation airs.

The question becomes, then: how would mouse support change Nintendo Switch games? We think there are three main games that would see potential improvements. First up is Splatoon, which would absolutely benefit from a more precise aiming option. Right now, players can choose between stick controls and motion controls when it comes to aiming. Top-level players often go with the latter, as it’s easier to be both precise and quick – but there are still some who choose stick controls and perform well in competitive matches. Mouse support could add a potential third option to the mix, though we’re not sure exactly how it would work. With the current control scheme, you need two joysticks to play Splatoon. The left one moves you around, and the right one moves the camera. You could hold a standard left Joy-Con and then hold the right Joy-Con as a mouse, but would you need to move the cursor to the side of the screen in order to turn around? That might get awkward. Or maybe we’ll see the official Nintendo Keyboard as a brand-new accessory – the right Joy-Con has a lot of crucial buttons in Splatoon gameplay, including firing your main weapon, firing your sub weapon, firing your special weapon, and re-centering your camera. The control scheme would need a significant rework, but we could definitely see it happening.

Mouse support would also carry over to other Nintendo Switch shooting-genre games, like Fortnite or Overwatch. People playing these games on their system are often at a disadvantage compared to players using a standard PC; this is because of the more imprecise aiming as well as the lower frame rate. We’re assuming the Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to run these games at a higher frame rate, and with mouse support added, players joining matches from the console could receive a noticeable boost in their arsenals compared to ones playing on the existing Nintendo Switch system. You could also see mouse functionality applied to things like rhythm games – could we finally get a new Rhythm Heaven entry?

One game that would hugely benefit from mouse support is Super Mario Maker. We’re bound to see a Super Mario Maker 3 on Nintendo Switch 2 somewhere down the line, though of course nothing’s been confirmed just yet. On Wii U, the original Super Mario Maker worked well because you always had the Wii U GamePad handy. On Nintendo Switch, you’re not necessarily guaranteed to be playing in handheld mode. Nintendo Switch 2 could fix this, however, with mouse support – if you’re playing in docked mode, you could use your controller as a mouse to seamlessly navigate through menus and place level elements with ease. This is probably the most convincing case for mouse support yet, as this would give Super Mario Maker a viable way to create levels in both docked and portable modes. It worked well enough on Switch in Super Mario Maker 2, but this would make things so much easier for a potential sequel.

If we’re to receive mouse support on Nintendo Switch 2, we will absolutely get a new WarioWare game centered around it at some point. WarioWare games almost always take advantage of its console’s gimmicks, which we’ve seen in the past several times (such as the games including motion controls, etc.). Mouse support could also be added for system menus, and even for a potential internet browser. The current Nintendo Switch does have an internet browser, but it isn’t accessible through normal means. If Nintendo Switch 2 decides to bring it back for normal use, mouse support could go a long way. We’re also wondering if the console will support regular mice in addition to “Joy-Con in mouse mode”. That could mean that you’d be able to play games like Minecraft or Terraria on Switch with a real mouse! We’re not sure why you wouldn’t just play them on a PC at that point, but the more options available, the better. On that note, you could also play Stardew Valley on Nintendo Switch 2 with mouse support. Of course, it’s not confirmed if indie games will receive updates that add Switch 2 features – that’d be a lot of work and it wouldn’t be good to set expectations for this kind of thing – but it’s still an interesting idea nonetheless.

There’s plenty of potential for mouse support on Nintendo Switch 2, and we’ve no doubt only scratched the surface. At the end of the day, Nintendo will almost certainly capitalize on any unrevealed gimmicks with unique software. We could even get brand new IPs, which of course aren’t easy to predict or speculate about.

If the rumored mouse support for Nintendo Switch 2 does wind up being true, what would you like to see from it? Which games would you most look forward to playing with this new control scheme? Let us know in the comments down below.