The last time Nintendo truly broke ground in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre was with GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64 — and that was in 1997. Since then, other consoles took the lead with better controllers for shooters, with Nintendo’s trailing. Now, the reveal of the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons are giving the publisher a real chance to compete in the shooter market once again.
Nintendo hasn’t strayed from porting major FPS games to the Switch. Classic games Doom and Quake are available alongside contemporary titles like Superhot and Dusk. The hybrid console even runs Overwatch 2 (albeit poorly), allowing gamers to take player-vs-player hero shooter action on-the-go.
But many other major FPS series didn’t make it onto the Switch. Perhaps this is because the family-friendly perception of the console or the hardware limitations compared to more powerful Xbox and PlayStation consoles. What’s equally likely is that the Joy-Con design just doesn’t support an FPS control scheme for long play sessions, making these shooters less desirable on the console.
The Switch 2’s Joy-Cons introduce a mouse control feature that could elevate FPS games past usual console limitations. If these new Joy-Cons can match the aiming precision of a keyboard and mouse — or at the very least, surpass that of joystick-packing controllers like those on rival Xbox and PlayStation consoles — then there’s a chance for the next Nintendo console to become a fan-favorite handheld for shooter aficionados.
We’ll soon see how the mouse controls perform in action. The feature will have an early trial by fire with a returning first-party series that might make or break the hardware’s adoption by third-party developers.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond could be the FPS trendsetter for the Switch 2
One of the Switch 2 Nintendo Treehouse streams showcased some hands-on gameplay with the newest entry in the Metroid Prime series, which has been dormant since Metroid Prime 3 launched on the Wii in 2007.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond still uses the series’ signature lock-on aim feature with an outsized focus on other mechanics like Samus’ visor scanner and morph ball modes but now on the Switch 2, players also will have the ability to seamlessly switch to Joy-Con mouse controls as they play the game.
The swap from the gamepad to the mouse controls looks quick and easy — the Treehouse presenter didn’t even have to root around in the game’s menus to transition from controller aim to mouse aim. Whether players will have a desk nearby when playing on their couch is another question.
The accuracy on display afterward certainly wasn’t great but it remains to be seen whether this is because the Joy-Con mouse controls are cumbersome to use or if there’s a higher skill ceiling than what we saw on stream.
If it’s really this easy and intuitive to swap between the different Switch 2 Joy-Con control schemes, this might be a rare Nintendo hardware feature that third-party developers opt to build their ports around.
The performance of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond could be one of the key proverbial battlegrounds that dictate whether mouse controls for FPS games will make the console a serious home for shooters — but it won’t be the true deciding factor.
Mouse controls adoption is in the hands of third-party developers — and players
Nintendo has already made a strong statement about their support for third-party development for their new console. We know the Switch 2 will have ports for some of the biggest AAA games published in the past few years, including Hogwarts Legacy, Split Fiction and even Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition.
That doesn’t mean that every third-party developer is going to want to port their game to Switch 2. Overwatch and Apex Legends are already here but that doesn’t guarantee that other developers will want to expend time and resources creating a Switch 2 port for their shooter.
How audiences choose to engage with the first batch of FPS games on the new console could also change how third-party developers approach the Switch 2 and whether they choose to account for the Joy-Con mouse control scheme.
It’s not a guarantee that the Switch 2’s mouse controls will be a hit for FPS players at this point, because few people have hands-on experience with them. It’s hard to say whether dragging the Joy-Con across the table will truly approximate the fine-motor control of aiming with a mouse. In games that require precision accuracy, the console’s mouse mode has a lot to live up to for shooter enthusiasts.
Do the new Joy-Con sensors smoothly track your physical movements? That’s between Scott Stein and God. We don’t even know if there’s a way to change the dots per inch (DPI) of these controllers to account for different people’s look sensitivity preferences.
Frankly, it’s unclear whether it’ll even be comfortable to use the Joy-Con mouse controls for a prolonged period of time. These are pretty small pieces of equipment, and it looks like it could be uncomfortable to curl your finger up around the trigger to fire weapons — which would be a win for claw grip users, and everyone else will just have to cope.
There are just too many variables at work to say for certain whether the Switch 2’s new hardware feature will revitalize FPS gaming on Nintendo consoles, or if it’ll just be another underused gimmick.
But one thing is certain: The usually family-friendly publisher is primed to take shooters seriously on the console and I’m embracing their experiment with open arms.
