Drag x Drive

Drag x Drive is the most unusual of Nintendo's first in-house games for Switch 2, launching in August 2025 as a purely digital title. It's a sports game featuring wheelchair basketball played in three-on-three teams, though the main draw isn't so much the sport itself as the control scheme. Both Joy-Con 2 controllers are set down on a table and used in mouse mode, so each hand corresponds to one wheel. Moving forward requires pushing both together, turning uses just one, and a sharp spin comes from moving them in opposite directions — so play physically mimics actually spinning wheels.

Getting used to it takes a while, and that's exactly where the charm lies. The first few minutes are clumsy; after an hour, a player can smoothly change direction, build up speed before a ramp jump, block opponents, and land shots with demanding timing. Matches are short, arenas include ramps and obstacles that push the sport from realistic toward arcade, and there are training challenges and smaller single-player events on offer as well. The real focus, though, is online play and the fast exchange of the ball among three teammates, where the difference between a beginner and someone who's already got a feel for the controls shows the most.

Visually the game goes for a clean, modern, mildly graffiti-inspired style with bold colors and a simple environment that doesn't distract. Performance is very smooth, which is essential given controls that depend on precisely reading hand movement. The music is upbeat, electronic, and keeps pace with the match. Reception was mixed: praise went to how inventively the game uses the new controllers, while criticism targeted the modest amount of content and the fact that it plays poorly without a suitable flat surface under your hands. Today Drag x Drive is more of an interesting experiment than a major title, but as a demonstration of what Joy-Con 2 can really do, it stands alone on the console. It's worth trying especially when you have two friends on hand and the appetite to learn something completely different from scratch.