NINTENDO NEWS – The next-generation controller from the big N could feature an innovation that will make it easier to control more games.

There have been rumors that the Joy-Con controller on the Switch 2, the Japanese company’s new hybrid console, will double as a mouse. This makes sense, because if a strategy game were to get a port, it would still be easier to move the cursor around if you had a mouse controller in your hand. (There have been examples of connecting a mouse to a console in the past, with the PS1 and even the SNES having such an accessory).

Nintendo’s plans were hinted at in a patent. This was just released on February 6th and shows the schematics of the Joy-Con and Pro controllers. The Pro controller is a bit different from the previous ones, as it is cut in half (i.e. one half in one hand and the other half in the other) and has an optical sensor in each side. Again, this is for use as a mouse: you place the controller on the mouse pad (or desk) and it works like an optical mouse.

If you had a Joy-Con in one hand and this “mouse” in the other, it would be great for an FPS game. You could even have two mice, which could be interesting in many genres. By the way, the mouse functionality was recently hinted at by Dennis Shirk, Executive Producer of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII: He thinks the big N does something great with the controller, and it would be cool if it could be used as a PC mouse. Especially in the case of Civ VII, it would be much more useful to use it as a mouse because it would give the developers the ability to port a PC control scheme to a console game.

The big N will reveal more about Nintendo Switch 2 on April 2nd, when there will be a Nintendo Direct dedicated to the new console. Hopefully they’ll touch on the “mouse” as well.

Source: VGC