There are so many reasons to love the Nintendo Switch 2, but perhaps its most interesting gimmick is also the most overlooked. Getting to use the new Joy-Cons as mice opens up all sorts of interesting gameplay options, but so few games take advantage of this feature. Sure there are titles like Drag x Drive and the Bravely Default HD minigames that explore dual mouse gameplay, but I can’t deny it feels a little awkward to do so with the tiny controllers. Now thanks to the Imp Tech LED mouse adapter though, mousing on Switch 2 is better than ever before – and I’m going to try and grab all the compatible games I can.
The LED mouse adapter duo pack is an incredibly simple product, but one that completely changes the feel of Joy-Con mouse time. The box comes with two plastic shells that you can slot the Joy-Cons into, which add the perfect ergonomic grip to them when you hold them sensor side down on a surface. I cannot overstate how much more comfortable this makes them to use, and is especially perfect for longer sessions.
To test this new hardware, I did what any self respecting reviewer would do. I jumped onto the SNES classics and started up Mario Paint. The very first time I used a mouse was playing this game, and a massive chunk of my childhood was spent making music, colouring in and of course swatting flies in this charming Mario title. When it was added to Switch Online a few months ago I had a little play around for nostalgia’s sake, and was somewhat let down by the Joy-Cons in their naked form. With the Imp Tech LED mouse adapter though I was transported back to those lazy arty weekends.
For a less relaxed test Metroid Prime 4 seemed like a better fit, especially since I hadn’t yet tried the game in mouse mode. The precision shooting made for a totally different experience, and without the help of the LED mouse adapter I really struggled. It’s honestly hard to imagine playing any Switch 2 mouse-based game without it now, so I’m glad I’ll never have to.
I suppose I should talk about the other feature of the Imp Tech adapter too, the LED lighting. By inserting a double A battery into each adapter you can turn on the lights, which shine with that traditional RGB glow. Your own personal taste will dictate if you find this badass or tacky, and ultimately I decided I’d rather save the batteries than bother with the visual flair.
As much as I love having the LED mouse adapter in my collection, it has one big issue that means it’s unusable for certain games. For more traditional mouse controls it’s great, but for games where you have to lift the Joy-Cons up and down it simply doesn’t work. Nothing holds the Joy-Cons in the plastic shell other than gravity, and so when throwing a shot in Drag x Drive for example it will come loose entirely. Perhaps the creators couldn’t find a way to make this particular product work for that setup, but regardless it’s a massive shame.
The Imp Tech LED mouse adapter is a piece of Switch 2 hardware I now can’t imagine living without. It may not work in some situations (and there may also be a bit of a lack of software for mouse gaming in general right now) but for certain games it’s just magic. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to have to buy some games with mouse support that are on sale.