Not much is currently known about theNintendo 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 theNintendo 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 thatthe 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 classicZeldagames.
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 beingan incredibly successful console, the Nintendo DS had a relatively small library ofThe Legend of Zeldagames, especially compared to the Switch and the 3DS. The dual-screen console had no shortage ofMariogames and the like, but for whatever reason, Nintendo seemed hesitant to releaseZeldatitles on it. Aside from a few obscure spin-offs, like the oddly-namedFreshly Picked Tingle’s Ropey Rose Rupeeland, only two notableZeldagames were launched on the console:The Legend of Zelda: Phantom HourglassandThe Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.
Released in 2007,The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassis 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 same3D cel-shaded art style thatTWWdoes, though it, of course, is a bit blurrier. The follow-up toPhantom Hourglass, 2009’sThe Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, is set in the same timeline asTWW, 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
SinceSpirit TracksandPhantom HourglassareNintendo 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 inPhantom Hourglassby drawing a route on the game’s map with a stylus. Likewise, inSpirit 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 portPhantom HourglassandSpirit Tracksto 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 touse the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons like a mouseto play the games. That, in turn, will make it possible to playPhantom HourglassandSpirit Trackson a big screen, without having to use a stylus or touchscreen of any kind.
