One of the most interesting rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2's Joy-Cons was that you could use them like computer mice. Now that the feature has been confirmed in the April 2 Nintendo Direct, and we've seen it used for action and strategy games, it's pretty clear: The most-needed accessory for the new Switch 2 is a lap desk.
Given its rich history of introducing wacky new ways to control games, Nintendo can perhaps be forgiven for introducing a novel control function in a console that is otherwise largely identical to its predecessor. But the Switch 2 is a couch console when docked and freely roaming otherwise -- rarely near a flat surface to use the Joy-Cons' mouse functionality.
As a lap desk owner, fan and evangelizer, lap desks are the obvious answer to the mouse problem: portable around the house, multipurpose for work or play and somewhat affordable. Or at least, there are reasonable options that aren't any pricier than the $90 Nintendo is asking for Switch 2 Joy-Cons.
While yes, any flat surface will technically do, just look at the gameplay for Drag x Drive, where players are shown running their dual Joy-Cons up and back in rapid succession. That seems hard to do on a makeshift surface like a clipboard or container lid. And for strategy games like Civilization 7, imagine not having a wide surface to move around the map and click in and out of menus.
During the Nintendo Treehouse showcase for Switch 2 games, presenters playing Drag x Drive all played seated at desks to use the Joy-Cons in mouse mode.
Nintendo's Treehouse stream for the launch game Drag x Drive showed how to use both Joy-Cons in mouse mode to move around. The presenter -- playing on a desk, along with all of his colleagues -- noted that players could run the controllers flat on their legs as alternative surfaces.
As CNET Editor at Large Scott Stein noted in his hands-on with the Switch 2 at a preview event in New York City, using the Joy-Cons on his legs was "a little less tiring" than on a desk -- but presumably this only works well for a game like Drag x Drive, which relies on forward-and-back motion rather than side-to-side (unless you get really good at wrapping around your legs).
Stein attended the event with CNET Editor-at-Large Bridget Carey, who noted that Nintendo developers at the event designed the Joy-Con's mouse functionality to be used on legs, knowing that a lot of people won't have tables when they play on the couch. At the event, the Joy-Cons they used had a color-coded cap that clips on to the inner edge, which presents a flat surface that's easier to slide back and forth. Even so, after playing Drag x Drive, Carey wondered how tiring it would be to rub the Joy-Con edge on your legs for prolonged periods -- and heaven help the person who's wearing shorts and playing on exposed thighs.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond showed how mouse control functionality (in the upper-left corner) works in a first-person shooter.
It's worth pointing out how few of the Switch 2's launch games and those coming later have mouse functionality -- right now, only Drag x Drive requires it, while Civ 7 and Metroid Prime 4 Beyond optionally use Joy-Cons in mouse mode. Mario Party Jamboree will have also added mouse functionality in its Switch 2 version. We'll wait to see how many games truly take advantage of this control potential.
Admittedly, the $450 Switch 2 and $80 Mario Kart World prices are already ruffling feathers, so expecting gamers to pay more for furniture just to get basic functionality for certain games is a big ask. But for all those couch crusaders planning their most relaxing way to play, a lap desk is the best way to have your Switch 2 and mouse with it, too.