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Is the Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse mode real? Here’s what the Civ 7 devs had to say about it

There, of course, is still a ton of questions regarding what secrets Nintendo’s new Switch 2 might still carry. Speculation has naturally run rampant across the interwebs since Nintendo’s officially revealed its next-generation console, but one topic that has consistently topped the list of debate has been those Mouse-Con – the potential of mouse-like functionality on the new Switch 2 Joy-Con. 

Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse mode?

Nintendo’s first-look trailer for the new Switch 2 console gave us a good look at the new machine, some light details in backwards compatibility, what was almost certainly a new Mario Kart game, and what appeared to be the new Joy-Con racing across the surface – just about everyone has speculated the new controllers might very well feature some kind mouse-like functionality because of this. 

During the first-look trailer, the Joy-Con pop off the side of the console itself, just like they always have, and begin to race along a flat surface side ways (on the edge that connects to the console) – it makes them look like there are, or can be used, like a mouse. 

This Mouse-Con functionality on Switch 2 was in fact already makes the rounds in the lead up to the official reveal, with some suggesting a new sensor on the edge that connects to the console supporting the mouse action. 


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Some have even suggested the mysterious new “C” button (the unlabelled square button on the front face of the Joy-Con) could enable mouse mode. 

None of this, of course, has been confirmed by Nintendo in any way as of yet, and might very well just be some sort of internet pipe dream. 

But in a recent interview with IGN, some Firaxis devs responsible for the new Civilization 7 – a game typically and historically tied to PC gamers and gaming mice – had a potentially intriguing reaction when asked about Joy-Con mouse mode. 


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In this interview, Ed Beach, the Civ 7 lead designer, and the game’s executive producer, Dennis Shirk, were queried regarding the potential Mouse-Con functionality.  

Mr. Beach remained entirely silent on the matter, which might very well be far more telling than not, while Shirk had a few things to say about it:

You always do some trade-offs when you have to deal with pure console controls. And the announcement has some great stuff in it. I love what they’re doing with the controllers. It’s all very cool. That’s about all I can say about it in terms of an opinion. I think it looks awesome and they’re not wrong, so it would be cool for something like that.

Okay, so this isn’t saying much, but it also isn’t specifically saying Firaxis hasn’t heard anything about the feature either. And it very much seems like they know something they can’t talk about just yet to me too. 

We know Civ 7 is slated to launch on the existing Switch console, and will presumably also work on Switch 2, the question is will we be playing with Joy-Con in mouse mode or not?

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Avatar for Justin Kahn Justin Kahn

Justin is a senior deal Jedi over at 9to5Toys where he heads up our game/app coverage and more. He also covers all things music for 9to5Mac, including the weekly Logic Pros series exploring music production on Mac and iOS devices