Technologies

The Switch 2’s Mouse Controls Could Make it an FPS-Friendly Console

Nintendo consoles have never had the strongest suite of shooters. The Switch 2 has the power to change that.

The last time Nintendo truly broke ground in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre was with GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64 — and that was in 1997. Since then, other consoles took the lead with better controllers for shooters, with Nintendo’s trailing. Now, the reveal of the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons are giving the publisher a real chance to compete in the shooter market once again.

Nintendo hasn’t strayed from porting major FPS games to the Switch. Classic games Doom and Quake are available alongside contemporary titles like Superhot and Dusk. The hybrid console even runs Overwatch 2 (albeit poorly), allowing gamers to take player-vs-player hero shooter action on-the-go.

But many other major FPS series didn’t make it onto the Switch. Perhaps this is because the family-friendly perception of the console or the hardware limitations compared to more powerful Xbox and PlayStation consoles. What’s equally likely is that the Joy-Con design just doesn’t support an FPS control scheme for long play sessions, making these shooters less desirable on the console.

The Switch 2’s Joy-Cons introduce a mouse control feature that could elevate FPS games past usual console limitations. If these new Joy-Cons can match the aiming precision of a keyboard and mouse — or at the very least, surpass that of joystick-packing controllers like those on rival Xbox and PlayStation consoles — then there’s a chance for the next Nintendo console to become a fan-favorite handheld for shooter aficionados.

We’ll soon see how the mouse controls perform in action. The feature will have an early trial by fire with a returning first-party series that might make or break the hardware’s adoption by third-party developers.

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond could be the FPS trendsetter for the Switch 2

One of the Switch 2 Nintendo Treehouse streams showcased some hands-on gameplay with the newest entry in the Metroid Prime series, which has been dormant since Metroid Prime 3 launched on the Wii in 2007.

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond still uses the series’ signature lock-on aim feature with an outsized focus on other mechanics like Samus’ visor scanner and morph ball modes but now on the Switch 2, players also will have the ability to seamlessly switch to Joy-Con mouse controls as they play the game.

The swap from the gamepad to the mouse controls looks quick and easy — the Treehouse presenter didn’t even have to root around in the game’s menus to transition from controller aim to mouse aim. Whether players will have a desk nearby when playing on their couch is another question.

The accuracy on display afterward certainly wasn’t great but it remains to be seen whether this is because the Joy-Con mouse controls are cumbersome to use or if there’s a higher skill ceiling than what we saw on stream.

If it’s really this easy and intuitive to swap between the different Switch 2 Joy-Con control schemes, this might be a rare Nintendo hardware feature that third-party developers opt to build their ports around.

The performance of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond could be one of the key proverbial battlegrounds that dictate whether mouse controls for FPS games will make the console a serious home for shooters — but it won’t be the true deciding factor.

Mouse controls adoption is in the hands of third-party developers — and players

Nintendo has already made a strong statement about their support for third-party development for their new console. We know the Switch 2 will have ports for some of the biggest AAA games published in the past few years, including Hogwarts Legacy, Split Fiction and even Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition.

That doesn’t mean that every third-party developer is going to want to port their game to Switch 2. Overwatch and Apex Legends are already here but that doesn’t guarantee that other developers will want to expend time and resources creating a Switch 2 port for their shooter.

How audiences choose to engage with the first batch of FPS games on the new console could also change how third-party developers approach the Switch 2 and whether they choose to account for the Joy-Con mouse control scheme.

It’s not a guarantee that the Switch 2’s mouse controls will be a hit for FPS players at this point, because few people have hands-on experience with them. It’s hard to say whether dragging the Joy-Con across the table will truly approximate the fine-motor control of aiming with a mouse. In games that require precision accuracy, the console’s mouse mode has a lot to live up to for shooter enthusiasts.

Do the new Joy-Con sensors smoothly track your physical movements? That’s between Scott Stein and God. We don’t even know if there’s a way to change the dots per inch (DPI) of these controllers to account for different people’s look sensitivity preferences.

Frankly, it’s unclear whether it’ll even be comfortable to use the Joy-Con mouse controls for a prolonged period of time. These are pretty small pieces of equipment, and it looks like it could be uncomfortable to curl your finger up around the trigger to fire weapons — which would be a win for claw grip users, and everyone else will just have to cope.

There are just too many variables at work to say for certain whether the Switch 2’s new hardware feature will revitalize FPS gaming on Nintendo consoles, or if it’ll just be another underused gimmick.

But one thing is certain: The usually family-friendly publisher is primed to take shooters seriously on the console and I’m embracing their experiment with open arms.

Technologies

Google Discover Gains Follow Button and Expands Content Sources

Google’s personalized news feed will feature a wider variety of content in the coming weeks.

Google Discover, Google’s personalized news feed, has largely remained the same since its introduction in 2018, but it’s now receiving some new and helpful features.

On Wednesday, Google announced that Discover will soon expand the type of content found within the feed and allow you to follow publications and creators. You can find Google Discover in the Google app, and it will be built into the home screens of some Android phones.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Instead of just seeing a list of web pages to visit on your feed, you’ll soon see a mix of web articles, YouTube videos and social media posts from X and Instagram, effectively widening the net of content shown in Discover.

Along with expanding content from more sources, Google Discover is allowing users to follow specific publishers and content creators using a «follow» button at the top right of each content card.

Google says that tapping the publication’s or creator’s name will open a new page previewing the content that’s typically shared before you choose to follow the outlet. From our testing across multiple phones so far, it appears the feature is still rolling out.

Your Google Discover feed should now allow you to follow content creators. A more diversified mix of content will roll out over the coming weeks.

Technologies

New Bill Aims to Block Both Online Adult Content and VPNs: How Your VPN Could Be Affected

A proposed bill in Michigan has a broad reach that covers everything from adult AI content to manga and even depictions of transgender people. It includes a VPN ban to avoid workarounds.

If you live in Michigan, you might not be able to legally use a VPN soon if a new bill is passed into law. On Sept. 11, Michigan Republican representatives proposed far-reaching legislation banning adult internet content.

The bill, called the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act and advanced by six Republican representatives, would ban a wide variety of adult content online, ranging from ASMR and adult manga to AI content and any depiction of transgender people. It also seeks to ban all use of VPNs, foreign or US-produced.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

VPNs, or virtual private networks, are software suites often used as workarounds to avoid similar content bans that have passed in states like Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the UK. VPNs can be purchased with subscriptions or downloaded and are also built into some browsers and Wi-Fi routers.

But Michigan’s bill would charge internet service providers with detecting and blocking VPN use, as well as banning the sale of VPNs in the state. Associated fines would be up to $500,000.

What the ban could mean for VPNs

Unlike some laws banning access to adult content, this Michigan bill is comprehensive. It applies to all residents of Michigan, adults or children, targets an extensive range of content and includes language that could ban not only VPNs but any method of bypassing internet filters or restrictions.

That could spell trouble for VPN owners and other internet users who leverage these tools to improve their privacy, protect their identities online, prevent ISPs from gathering data about them or increase their device safety when browsing on public Wi-Fi.

Read more: CNET Survey: 47% of Americans Use VPNs for Privacy. That Number Could Rise. Here’s Why

Bills like these could have unintended side effects. John Perrino, Senior Policy and Advocacy Expert for the nonprofit Internet Society, mentioned to CNET that adult content laws like this could interfere with what kind of music people can stream, the sexual health forums and articles they can access and even important news involving sexual topics that they may want to read.

«Additionally, state age verification laws are difficult for smaller services to comply with, hurting competition and an open internet,» Perrino said.

The Anticorruption of Public Morals Act has not passed the Michigan House of Representatives committee or been voted on by the Michigan Senate, and it’s not clear how much support the bill has beyond the six Republican representatives who have proposed it. As we’ve seen with state legislation in the past, sometimes bills like these can serve as templates for other representatives who may want to propose similar laws in their own states.

Could VPNs still get around bans like these?

Could VPNs still get around this type of ban? That’s a complex question that this bill doesn’t really address.

«From a technical standpoint, ISPs can attempt to distinguish VPN traffic using deep packet inspection, or they can block known VPN IP addresses,» said NordVPN privacy advocate Laura Tyrylyte. «However, deploying them effectively requires big investments and ongoing maintenance, making large-scale VPN blocking both costly and complex.»

Also, VPNs have ways around deep packet inspection and other methods.

«Some VPNs offer obfuscation — which tries to disguise VPN traffic as standard web traffic — using dedicated servers or custom VPN protocols, like NordVPN’s NordWhisper or Proton VPN’s Stealth,» said CNET senior editor Moe Long. «But note that obfuscation isn’t foolproof.»

There are also no-log features offered by many VPNs to guarantee they don’t keep a record of your activity, and no-log audits from third parties like Deloitte that — well, try to guarantee the guarantee. VPNs can even use server tricks, such as RAM-only servers that automatically reboot to erase data after every browsing session.

If you’re seriously concerned about your data privacy, you can look for features like these in a VPN and see if they are right for you. Changes like these, even on the state level, are one reason we pay close attention to how specific VPNs work during our testing, and recommend the right VPNs for the job, from speedy browsing to privacy while traveling.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 19 #565

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Sept. 19, No. 565.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Do you drink your coffee black? If so, today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be a puzzler. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Pour it on.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Wow, no cow.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

NONE, CONE, RICER, SHEW, FAIR, FAIRY, DRAY, YARD, MILK, CASH, DONE, DRAM, MADAM

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: