I did not anticipate dedicating today to writing about a gaming console, yet here we find ourselves. The Nintendo Switch 2 has been formally revealed in a provocatively slow-paced video, and wait, did those Joy-Cons just begin to slide and glide like the critters we, as PC gamers, are so accustomed to?
Indeed, they appeared to do so. In the teaser footage, around one minute and ten seconds in, a Joy-Con slides into its… connector and begins to skate around. This certainly shouts “mouse mode”, doesn’t it?
A mouse mode for the Switch 2 wouldn’t be entirely unexpected, considering there have been whispers for some time that the Joy-Cons could potentially function as a mouse owing to a sensor located inside them, similar to that on the underside of a mouse.
Who can say what such a capability might facilitate? Certainly for navigating the operating system, but that doesn’t seem like an overwhelming requirement given the Nintendo Switch interface. There could be certain games where mouse control would be advantageous, such as Civilization VI or design modes such as Super Mario Maker.
Beyond that, though, I would wager Nintendo has some applications in mind that we cannot yet conceive, which is a thrilling notion.
Presuming the slip-n-slide feature showcased in the video is, indeed, mouse functionality, we’ll have yet another tick in the “influenced by handheld gaming PCs” category that I playfully hinted at earlier today. This is because the Lenovo Legion Go already possesses this feature.
Regarding this, even though I initially thought I would utilize it extensively and still find it somewhat impressive, I must confess that I perceive the Legion Go controller’s ‘FPS mode’ (i.e., mouse mode) to be somewhat of a novelty and not entirely essential.
I utilize the Legion Go quite frequently, and there are many features about it that I adore, yet I can’t recall the last instance when I detached its right-side controller to function as a mouse. The touchscreen or trackpad adequately fulfills my requirements in nearly all situations, and I’m not engaging in competitive shooters on my handheld anyway.
And talking about trackpads, there has been considerable curiosity regarding the mysterious blank “button” on the right Switch 2 Joy-Con. But—hear me out—doesn’t that somewhat resemble a trackpad nub, similar to what you observe on the new Lenovo Legion Go S? If that’s what that “button” is, then I firmly adhere to my “inspired by handheld PC” assertion.
We’ll need to see how all these functionalities ultimately play out, of course. I can’t help but ponder how stable a Joy-Con would feel to use in mouse mode, whether attached underneath or not.