Let’s Go! Nintendo Switch 2 Gamers Are Getting Good Old USB Mouse Support

If you’ve been keeping up with Nintendo Switch 2 news, you’ve probably already seen that the Joy-Con 2 controllers can be used like mice thanks to optical sensors on the inside edge, where they connect to the Switch 2 console. This is an awesome feature and we’re glad to see it, but apparently, Switch 2 gamers will also be able to use a USB mouse of their choice in at least one game.

Long-lived game studio Koei Tecmo uploaded an official gameplay stream of its upcoming grand strategy title Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening CE, releasing on June 5th for PS5 and Switch 2. You can use a joy-con as an intuitive mouse controller, but during the demo, game director Michi Ryu demonstrated the use of a regular USB mouse as well.

Game director Michi Ryu demonstrates the use of a USB mouse on the Switch 2.

This is obviously a game-changer for strategy game fans who wish to play on consoles, because having to push around the on-screen cursor with an analog stick is a huge pain in the butt. Being able to flick the cursor around with a mouse or trackball is much more convenient. There’s an argument to be made that developers should work on writing custom UI that doesn’t involve a virtual cursor, but that’s neither here nor there.

Support for USB mice on game consoles is much less common, though. Some competitive FPS games, like Fortnite, Wargroove, and the modern Quake port, have been known to add mouse support for more accurate aiming, but support in a title like Nobunaga’s Ambition is pretty unusual. Arguably, the Switch 2 is the platform where this is least-needed; hopefully the PS5 version of the game also supports USB mice.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening CE is a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, releasing along with the console on June 5th. That’s just twelve days away, so make sure you’ve got the funds stashed away if you’re keen to pick up the latest Nintendo hardware.