Drag x Drive is a wheelchair basketball game coming to Switch 2 this week. Fans finally got to play online in a free beta test over the weekend, and it turns out the multiplayer tech demo for the new Joy-Con mouse controls feels surprisingly good to play. Just watch out that you’re not playing on brand new jeans.
Out August 14, Drag x Drive is a 3v3 sports game where you use the mouse controls on the new Joy-Con to simulate rolling the wheels on a wheelchair. The $20 game was revealed during the Switch 2’s debut Nintendo Direct, but lacks the flashy presentation or iconic characters of other Nintendo-developed exclusives for the platform. A Drag x Drive: Global Jam demo test over the weekend let fans go hands-on with the game itself. I played a bit, and while I don’t see it booting Rocket League from my weekly rotation, it’s a fun showcase for the new hardware with some very satisfying haptic feedback that makes you feel like you’re actually zooming yourself around a skatepark-like basketball court.
You can play Drag x Drive at a table, but most of us will probably be sitting at our couches, using our legs as mouse pads. “Fair warning if you use jeans when playing Drag x Drive,” one player posted on the Switch 2 subreddit over the weekend. “Didn’t expect the fabric of my jeans to rub off onto my Joy-Con (and my fingers too). Thankfully it cleans off easily with electronic wipes, so just a heads up if you’re playing the same way I did.” A picture accompanying the thread showed the sides of the Joy-Con where the optical sensors are all smudged up with blue dye. Remember to wash those new Levi’s on cold before you wear them, folks.
Like Arms in the Switch 1’s first year, Drag x Drive can be surprisingly exhausting. “I played my first three matches had severe hand pain. Took a 45 minute break, 1 match and my hands hurt. Am I the only one?” wrote another player on Reddit. “Other than that it’s a fun game.” Some fans are already debating what the best way to play Drag x Drive is. Pants or side tables? Cushions or chair arms? Some have recommended custom attachments for the Joy-Con that make the mouse controls more ergonomic. Stiff pants also seem to do better than sweats or pajamas that can easily bunch up.
Or you can raw dog it. “I tried it pantsless,” wrote one Switch 2 owner. “Now have Joy-Con burn on my thighs.” Better than screen burn I guess!
