Not much is currently known about the Nintendo Switch 2, but there are a few features for the console that have been rumored in recent weeks. One such feature is related to the system’s new and revised controllers, known as Joy-Cons. Several reports from early last month suggested that the Nintendo Switch 2‘s Joy-Cons can be turned sideways and used like a PC mouse. These rumors, while initially unsubstantiated, have been given a lot more credence after the release of the official Switch 2 reveal trailer, which showed Joy-Cons being laid on their sides. Nintendo hasn’t officially commented on the existence of this feature yet, but recent patents from the company practically confirm it.
Earlier this month, some fans uncovered a patent for the Nintendo Switch 2, which revealed that the Joy-Cons for the console have mouse-like functionality. In the patent, there are illustrations included that depict a player holding the controllers like a mouse and using the shoulder buttons as if they’re mouse buttons. The illustrations show that the R1 button on the controller has the ability to left-click, while the R2 button has the ability to right-click. The Joy-Cons’ joysticks, meanwhile, seem to serve as a substitute for a mouse’s scroll wheel. If the Switch 2 truly does have this functionality, as this patent suggests, then it may become a lot easier for Nintendo to remake some of the Nintendo DS’s classic Zelda games.
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The Switch 2’s Rumored Joy-Con Mouse Functionality Could Make Zelda DS Remakes Easier
Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks Were the Biggest Zelda Games on the Nintendo DS
Despite being an incredibly successful console, the Nintendo DS had a relatively small library of The Legend of Zelda games, especially compared to the Switch and the 3DS. The dual-screen console had no shortage of Mario games and the like, but for whatever reason, Nintendo seemed hesitant to release Zelda titles on it. Aside from a few obscure spin-offs, like the oddly-named Freshly Picked Tingle’s Ropey Rose Rupeeland, only two notable Zelda games were launched on the console: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.
Released in 2007, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is an action-adventure game that serves as a direct sequel to the critically acclaimed GameCube title, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Although it is two-dimensional, this DS game has the same 3D cel-shaded art style that TWW does, though it, of course, is a bit blurrier. The follow-up to Phantom Hourglass, 2009’s The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, is set in the same timeline as TWW, too. It, however, takes place 100 years after the events of the game.
Remakes of Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks Should Be More Feasible on the Switch 2
Since Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass are Nintendo DS exclusives, they take advantage of the console’s dual-screen functionality and touchscreen support. In both games, players do not use the D-Pad to move Link around; instead, they use the DS’s stylus on the touch screen. Additionally, players can chart a course out for the boat that Link controls in Phantom Hourglass by drawing a route on the game’s map with a stylus. Likewise, in Spirit Tracks, gamers (while playing as ethereal Zelda) can possess enemies known as Phantoms by directing them using said stylus.
Due to their excessive reliance on the Nintendo DS’s stylus and touchscreen, it has become hard for Nintendo to port Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks to modern platforms. Fortunately, though, with the Switch 2, remakes of these two games will be more feasible. If Nintendo intends to rebuild them from the ground up, it will have to make the games playable on a single screen, but it won’t have to shake up their gameplay too much. Assuming the rumors are true, players will be able to use the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons like a mouse to play the games. That, in turn, will make it possible to play Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks on a big screen, without having to use a stylus or touchscreen of any kind.
Nintendo Switch 2
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Original Release Date
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2025