Firaxis Teases Civilization 7 on Nintendo Switch 2 'Mouse' Joy-Con

If you caught the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal video, you might have noticed a glimpse of what seems to be a 'mouse' mode for the Joy-Cons. During the trailer, there's a striking moment where a pair of detached Joy-Cons are placed onto a surface, attachment side down. They connect to a set of connectors with relatively flat bottoms, then glide across the surface, much like a mouse on a mouse pad. Upon closer inspection, you can spot what appears to be a slider pad on the bottom of one of these connectors, further fueling speculation about this new feature.

Leading up to the reveal, rumors swirled about the possibility of this functionality, thanks to a sensor inside the Joy-Cons, similar to those found in computer mice. However, Nintendo has yet to officially confirm these speculations or elaborate on what this could mean for gamers.

Nintendo Switch 2 - First Look

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Following the reveal, one game that immediately came to mind was Firaxis’ Civilization 7. Already confirmed for the original Switch, it's set to work on the Switch 2 through backward compatibility. But the big question remains: will there be a version tailored for the Switch 2 that leverages the new Joy-Con's mouse-like functionality, allowing players to experience Civilization 7 with the precision of a mouse?

IGN touched on this topic in an interview with Civilization 7's lead designer Ed Beach and executive producer Dennis Shirk. While Beach stayed quiet, Shirk's response was intriguingly vague, stoking further speculation.

“It is definitely intriguing,” Shirk said. “You always make some trade-offs when dealing with pure console controls. The announcement has some great elements. 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.”

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Of course, Firaxis won't be announcing a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Civilization 7 directly—that's up to publisher 2K Games. But with a Switch 2 Direct scheduled for April, we might not have to wait long to find out.

While we're still in the dark about potential mouse support for the Switch 2 and the function of the mysterious new Joy-Con button, we do know that Nintendo's next-gen console is slated for a 2025 release (likely between June and September), and there's a new Mario Kart game in development for it. You can catch up on all our Nintendo Switch 2 coverage right here.