The recent Nintendo Switch 2 reveal video sparked considerable excitement, particularly with a glimpse of 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 looks like a pair of flat-bottomed connectors. These then slide across the surface, mimicking mouse movement. A potential slider pad is even visible on one connector, further fueling speculation. Pre-reveal rumors hinted at this possibility, suggesting a sensor within the Joy-Cons, similar to those found in computer mice. However, Nintendo remains officially silent on this 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 expected to be backward compatible with the Switch 2. The question is: will a dedicated Switch 2 version leverage this potential mouse functionality? In a recent IGN interview, *Civilization 7* Executive Producer Dennis Shirk offered a tantalizingly vague response to this question, stating, “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 itself won't announce a dedicated Switch 2 version (that's 2K Games' purview), the April Switch 2 Direct might shed light on this. Despite the uncertainty surrounding mouse support and the function of a new Joy-Con button, we know the Switch 2 is slated for a 2025 release (likely between June and September), and a new *Mario Kart* title is in the works. You can find more detailed Nintendo Switch 2 coverage [here](link-to-coverage).