The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con Mouse Theory is looking pretty good right now

After the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal this morning, rumors that you might be able to use your Joy-Con as a mouse are looking really good.

During the reveal trailer, there’s a moment where a pair of detached Joy-Cons are lowered onto a surface, attachment side down. They connect to a pair of connectors that appear to have relatively flat bottoms, and then slide across the surface like a mouse on a mouse pad. If you look closely, you can even see what looks like a slider pad at the bottom of one of the connectors, lending further credence to the theory.

Rumors have been flying in the run-up to the Nintendo Switch 2 revealing that this would be possible due to a sensor on the inside of the Joy-Cons, similar to the sensor on the bottom of a computer mouse. But so far, Nintendo hasn’t officially confirmed that this is true, or what it would mean if it is. Fans have speculated that this could be used for games like Civilization, which are traditionally better played with a mouse and keyboard, but others have suggested that given Nintendo’s history, it could also be used in new and innovative ways with Nintendo’s first-party software. It’s all still up in the air.

For all that we don’t know about potential mouse support for the Switch 2 (as well as what the mysterious new Joy-Con button does), we actually do know a decent amount. We know it’s called Nintendo Switch 2, it’s coming out in 2025, and there’s a new Mario Kart coming to it. It will be backwards compatible with the Switch 1, and we’ll learn more about other software coming to the system at a Direct in April. You can catch up on all our Nintendo Switch 2 coverage right here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posts on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].