Civilization 7 Dev Firaxis Remains Coy on Nintendo Switch 2 ‘Mouse’ Joy-Con

If you caught the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, you likely noticed a curious detail: what appears to be a "mouse" mode for the Joy-Cons. The trailer shows detached Joy-Cons placed attachment-side down on a surface, connecting to what look like flat-bottomed connectors. They then slide across the surface, mimicking mouse movement. A slider pad is even visible on one connector, fueling speculation.

Pre-reveal rumors hinted at this possibility, suggesting a sensor inside the Joy-Cons similar to those in computer mice. However, Nintendo remains officially mum on the feature and its implications.

Nintendo Switch 2 - First Look

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The reveal immediately brought to mind Civilization 7. Already confirmed for the original Switch (and guaranteed to work on the Switch 2 via backward compatibility), a bespoke Switch 2 version leveraging this potential mouse functionality is intriguing.

IGN recently posed this question to Civilization 7 lead designer Ed Beach and executive producer Dennis Shirk. While Beach remained tight-lipped, Shirk offered a cryptic response: “It is definitely intriguing…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.”

While Firaxis won't announce a dedicated Switch 2 version of Civilization 7 (that's 2K Games' domain), a Switch 2 Direct is scheduled for April, potentially revealing more.

Despite the mystery surrounding mouse support and the new Joy-Con button, we know the Switch 2 launches in 2025 (likely between June and September), and a new Mario Kart is in the works. You can find more of our Nintendo Switch 2 coverage here.