Unlike other Nintendo IPs Super Smash Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, I honed the skills needed for Mario Kart quite quickly. After a brief introduction to the racer on Mario Kart DS, I took my shot at Mario Kart 8, initially overwhelmed by the vibrant and near psychedelic tracks on offer. Now, there’s confidence in saying I’m a decent contender in the latest entry, but something that does hold me back from turning god-tier is the dexterity of the single Nintendo Switch Joy-Con.

Without fail, Shy Guy is my one and only character to race with. The cute, masked entity – and all his colored hoodies – is an excellent companion and doesn’t blast any annoying sound bites like other characters – Toad and Daisy, I’m looking at you. While my short friend is laser-focused on the track ahead, sweating to keep Bowser and the infuriating villagers off our tail, I’m doing my part with the steering, and just about everything else. However, first place has been compromised a few times due to hand cramps, and I can only hope the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons are more ergonomic.

Joy-Con Hand Cramps Are The Bane Of My Racing Life

Rumors relating to Nintendo’s new and improved handheld have been circulating for years, but we’re finally narrowing in on a release window with hardware features and demos now being tested at exclusive events. One of these whispers suggests the Switch 2 will have “magnetic Joy-Cons”, meaning instead of attaching each controller to the supplied grip, the Joy-Cons will presumably snap together to make one controller. While this is a handy, progressive feature, it doesn’t address my problem with the solo Joy-Cons, unless the entire Switch 2 console is bigger in size.

If you play Mario Kart 8 with anyone other than yourself, you’ll know each player has to have one Joy-Con each, and its size leaves something to be desired. Continuously holding the A button to accelerate while often pressing the right bumper down to hold a banana or other useful items behind your vehicle is a surefire recipe for hand cramps. Even after one race, I can feel the annoying niggle in the palm of my hand, and if you’re caught in no man’s land with the bulk of angry racers, being able to shake off the cramp isn’t an option. Frequenters of the game will know taking your thumb off the accelerator, even when you’re in first place, isn’t an option. Therefore, I usually bear the discomfort and carry on.

It often makes playing against friends or family a nuisance and has knocked me off rhythm while drifting several times before, or it’s caused me to deploy a shell before I intended. I’ve even tried different techniques for holding the Joy-Con by gripping it lighter or even investing in a separate Switch Pro controller just for my benefit. The point being, however, Nintendo’s built-in controller should be comfortable enough to make even one tournament light work, and not prompt the need for a massage after one spin around Thwomp Ruins.

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Joy-Con Drift Is An Easy Fix Compared To Ergonomic Issues

Understandably, I realize this is a petty problem that only affects a minority or the big-hand community (even though I don’t have, what I would consider, large hands), but I’d love to see the Switch 2 improve the button layout. I’m no device designer, but having the right bumper behind the controller instead of on top or spacing out the core buttons may remove the need to lock my hand in a strained position.

In my opinion, something feels off when it comes to the Switch’s comfort, explaining why there are so many grips and comfort accessories out there from Hori and Satisfye, for example, and the fact that these racers can be stressful means worrying about discomfort while playing shouldn’t be an issue. Even the Joy-Con strap accessory seems like a band-aid over a more glaring ergonomic issue, and there appears to be several long-term Nintendo players who struggled with the publisher’s handheld ergonomics even back during the DS days.

Despite the annoyance of the tiny Joy-Con controller threatening to sabotage my Mario Kart win streak, I still enjoy playing the racer frequently as a solo player. However, it has put me off playing the game in groups or 1v1 challenges because of the Joy-Cons’ design. Luckily, I decided to send my Joy-Cons away to get the drift fixed, as managing hand cramps and drift was virtually unbearable. With drift being an easy fix, I’m hoping Nintendo improves on the controllers’ design in the device’s successor because it would kill me to see Shy Guy, my partner in crime, hang his head in shame at the finish line due to my involuntary hand spasms.

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