I 3D‑Printed a Joy‑Con Mouse Shell — It Finally Fixes the Nintendo Switch 2’s Biggest Annoyance
I’ve been using a Nintendo Switch 2 for about two months and found a recurring, practical issue: using the Joy‑Cons as mouse-style controllers can be uncomfortable for longer play sessions. I tried a 3D-printed solution and tested it across several games to see how well it solved the problem.
- What I tested: a 3D-printed Joy‑Con half‑mouse shell by Rewolf, printed by a colleague.
- Where I tested it: Drag x Drive, the Switch 2 Welcome Tour minigames, and Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV.
- Findings in brief: it reduced palm strain in light mouse-style games, but it made large gestures louder and didn’t work well with motion‑heavy moments or Joy‑Con mouse slides.
Background and how people fixed it
The Switch 2 adds a mouse-style input that uses each Joy‑Con. However, Nintendo kept the Joy‑Con shape mostly unchanged, so using one as a mouse can force users to palm a thin strip of plastic. Consequently, community members started making 3D-printed accessories shortly after launch. For example, people have shared printed carrying cases and unusual holders, including a printed french fry holder covered in this piece on IGN.
One popular approach is a half‑mouse shell that slots a Joy‑Con into a curved grip, giving the palm a thicker surface. I tested a design by Rewolf. A colleague 3D‑printed a white set so I could try it firsthand.
How the 3D-printed shell performed
Short gestures and light mouse use: In the Welcome Tour minigames, where actions are smaller and less forceful, the shell helped. My palm rested on a curved surface rather than a thin strip, and that reduced discomfort during hour‑long sessions of balloon‑popping and similar minigames.
Larger gestures and motion combos: In Drag x Drive, which requires sweeping, forceful swipes and frequent motion inputs, the shell highlighted limitations. The printed halves made big gestures feel more awkward and they produced more noise when dragged across a table. Also, the Joy‑Con only loosely slots into the printed shell, so quickly picking it up for motion‑based actions was unreliable.
In Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV, the shell made aiming in some minigames feel more natural, but again, moments that required lifting the Joy‑Con for motion controls remained awkward. In other words, the accessory helped with sustained, traditional mouse use (like shooters or strategy inputs) but was less useful in titles that mix mouse swipes with motion gestures.
Compatibility and caveats
Not compatible with Joy‑Con mouse slides: The Rewolf design I used doesn’t work with the small mouse slides that help controllers glide across surfaces more smoothly, so players who rely on those will lose that function.
Loose fit and motion play: Because the Joy‑Con can sit loosely in the printed shell, motion commands that require grabbing and moving the controller quickly can be disrupted.
Noise and surface interaction: The printed shells increased scraping noise on hard surfaces during wide swipes, so the solution is noisier than using bare Joy‑Cons for the same gestures.
Community context and availability
Players have shared many 3D‑printed Joy‑Con projects, from practical holders to novelty items. Some experiments are purely for fun, like a printed beverage holder available on Etsy. Other prints aim to improve ergonomics or accessibility, and designs are circulating on maker sites.
Bottom line
In short, a 3D‑printed half‑mouse shell can reduce palm strain during light, traditional mouse use on Switch 2 titles. However, it doesn’t fully replace the Joy‑Con’s native shape for motion‑heavy or large‑gesture games, and it can introduce noise plus fit issues. Therefore, the accessory is a practical partial fix for some players, but not a complete solution for all Switch 2 mouse control use cases.
