“It is definitely intriguing,” Shirk said. “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.”
IGN characterized Shirk’s response as both “coy” and “teasing,” possibly insinuating some implied subtext that doesn’t translate through text alone. If any studio were to test out this potential Switch 2 functionality, Civilization developer Firaxis would be a good choice. Civ is commonly played on PC, like many grand strategy games, but always comes out on console, too, despite controllers being widely considered less efficient for this style of game. Civilization 7 will be launched on PC and consoles, including the Switch, on Feb. 11, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if it ends up being compatible with Switch 2, too, which Nintendo has promised to launch within 2025.
This is the exact scenario that makes the possibility of the Switch 2 Joy-Con doubling as a mouse so exciting. Although strategy games can translate well to consoles, rectifying the relative imprecision of gamepad controls could be a boon for the genre. As worldnetgames deputy editor Maddy Myers pointed out last month, the potential benefits also extend to point-and-click games like Rise of the Golden Idol and even more hardcore, real-time simulators in the vein of Starcraft.
Regardless of the potential for a mouse, it’s probably unlikely that the Switch 2 will have the processing power to keep up with the most technically hefty PC games — but this one addition to the already-versatile Joy-Con controller opens up a whole new world of possibilities for gaming on the upcoming Nintendo console. That said, only time will tell if this rumored gimmick goes the way of the Wii’s motion controls or the Wii U’s second screen.
