As Nintendo gears up to release its long-awaited new console, the Switch 2, fans wonder how its new Joy-Con system and its built-in mouse controls will work – a system that might just help more games make their way off of PC.
Speaking in a recent interview with IGN, Nintendo of America vice president of product and player experience Bill Trinen explains how the new Joy-Con mouse controls are something "you can't do with any other console, you can't do on PC" – and why they could bridge the gap between the two different platforms while also allowing for more innovative gameplay, "like dual mouse control or a combination of mouse plus motion control."
Trinen goes on to share his hope that more PC developers are able to branch out to consoles with tools like the new Joy-Con mouse controls, as porting games to fit "button controls" as they are currently is no easy feat. "I also do hope that when you look at PC developers, for example, if they want to bring a PC-based game to console, they have to spend a lot of time revamping the control scheme and adapting it to button controls."
The lead concludes that "having the freedom of mouse control with the Joy-Con hopefully makes PC developers a lot more eager to want to bring their games to Nintendo Switch 2." It's certainly a sentiment I share myself – after all, being able to properly play games like Baldur's Gate 3 on the go with a device like the Switch 2 sounds like a dream come true. It's not as though the new console will be lacking in power, either.
It's already impressing developers who say they're "extremely happy" with its capabilities and likening it to a "mid-tier PC," so I'm choosing to remain hopeful myself. With Switch 2 pre-orders already going live worldwide (except for in the United States, where they've been delayed), there's not long left to wait until we find out just how powerful the new console truly is when it releases on June 5.
Here are some of the most exciting upcoming Switch 2 games to look forward to.
