Nintendo Switch 2 will support USB mice for at least one game, as revealed by a Koei Tecmo developer’s commentary video for Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition this week. This will be a relief for those who find the Joy-Con 2’s edge-tilting mouse mode uncomfortable for extended use.
In the video, producer Michi Ryu demonstrates using the Joy-Con 2 as a mouse, then seamlessly switches by plugging in a USB mouse. The Switch 2 acknowledges the mouse connection, and gameplay continues smoothly with both the mouse and left Joy-Con 2, similar to the control options expected in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
The original Switch also supported mouse and keyboard inputs, although few games utilized it. VideoGamesChronicle points out that Nightdive’s Turok port was one of these exceptions. If you missed the “Mouse” setting, try connecting a USB mouse and keyboard for a different gameplay experience that might make it hard to revert.
This time around, Nintendo is embracing mouse support more. For instance, the company published a video to its Nintendo Today app earlier this month, showing that when you put a Joy-Con 2 on its edge for mouse mode, an onscreen pointer appears for navigating the system’s menu.
So does the Nobunaga’s Ambition video, mean a standard mouse works interchangeably with a Joy-Con 2 controller anywhere where mouse control is supported? I sure hope so, but we don’t know that yet. And Nintendo didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s email asking if that was the case.
