Super Mario Party On Switch Won't Include Pro Controller Support

Oh, Nintendo...

I would be playing this with the joycons anyway as would assume majority of the minigames would require the features of them.

I thought pretty much everything was included in the Pro Controller however? Though not looked too deep into it.

Day one skip for me.

This honestly isn't too surprising based on how the Joycon is used in game. It seems like this will be a good demonstration on the Joycon's full functionality.

Makes sense.

It’s cuz a lot of the mini games use specific joycon features

Not surprised at all. A ton of the minigames utilize the JoyCon's specific capabilities ala 1-2 Switch.

Seems uncommonly lazy by Nintendo. But I do suppose it's one way to keep things simple too.

I mean, I have 4 full sets of joycons so it's not a big deal for me. But I imagine it could be annoying for people who aren't as obsessive as I am.

The Pro can do everything the Joy Cons can....it .....just seems so odd lol. I wonder if you can use two Joy Cons in the JC grip and play that way?

Kind of a bummer as I have 4 pro controllers and love playing Mario Kart this way, but I trust the thought process here if they say so

Not my flavour anyway, get on with mk 8 paid DLC please and take my 💰!

Serious? I have 2 Pro Controller for me and my wife and the 2 Joycons for the kids. I dont want to buy another pair just for 1 game (which I honestly wanted to buy first day). The Cons are too small for many adults.

I was worried they'd Nintendo this up.

I only have the one set of joycons that came with the system and don't really feel a need to buy another set(I already have 2 pro controllers)... thinking I'm gonna pass on this one for now.

I was never going to buy this so ... eh? Seems a little inconvenient but I guess I get that the game uses JoyCons in interesting ways.

@USWITCH64: I agree. I'm begging them to take my money for more MK8 tracks.

Well seeing how most, if not all, minigames use motion controls...and apparently use joycon-specific stuff.

Well it's either they don't use the joy-cons to their fullest, or restrict the gameplay to joy-cons. Honestly, this is probably the right route here.

considering the boards themselves don't have online play...this was a pass for me right from the get go.

It’s just like the mp games on wii/wii u. Wii remote only, no pro controllers.

I have the original set of joy cons, a pro controller, and an 8bitdo Sf30 pro. I thought I was all set. Luckily, those I plan to play with have their own switch consoles.

Maybe if we get the option to play with our friends online (not everyone, friends) I'd buy it...

Coz my friends aren't exactly neighbours, they live across the city and I'd love to play the authentic Mario Party experience with them, not just minigames

1. It kinda makes sense
2. That is so typical of the mario party devs of late

What the heck. The pro controller is the most comfortable video game controller I've ever used, and the only one I can comfortably play for long times. The joy cons otoh are awful for my arthritis. This definitely makes me not want to play, while I was looking forward to this before.

No single player mode then?

Not surprised. I have a second set of joycons already because the Splatoon-Switch-Bundle just had the blue/red combination and that made me frustrated, so I already bought the green/pink set...

That makes sense since the joycons have features the pro controllers don't have.

Not that big of deal, but kinda bummed that we can't use a pro controller.
Wonder if there will be future updates that will allow pro controller, along with DLC of old Mario Party Boards and minigames.

What are the joycon specific features?

It's a con job.
A Joycon job.

A joy to play or just a joycon to play.

I mean duh? It is clearly designed for use with the joycons in mind and would probably be cumbersome/impossible to use the pro controller for lots of its games so why even bother?

This is a party game where it is just meant to be fun and not a serious gaming session. But of course it can GET serious depending on how competitve you are haha.

Idiots!

I’m good to go, but I can see how this is a big roadblock to many customers.

I wonder why there aren't Red and Green (Mario & Luigi) and Yellow and Purple (Wario and Waluigi) Joy-Con bundles yet. Mario Odyssey had Switches with non-neon red Joy-Cons already...

Asking a game designed around joy-cons, to make joy-cons optional is the most ludicrous thing I have read in a while lol.

Kind of obvious.

Joy-Cons are included with every Switch. Why would one need the Pro Controller to move around and pick a menu item? And the mini games are all designed for the Joy-Con anyway so...

Anyone know if you can play this online? I have no real life friends

@Spoony_Tech no need for common sense around here

Getting the feeling they are going to lose a lot of sales cause of this decision.

@Bunkerneath You can play certain mini games online, but not the core game itself.

@zool Single player like all Mario Party games will be playing against the AI. It would still require the use of the joycon functions regardless of how many players. As it is all focused around the mini games.

@XenoShaun That's a shame, missing a trick there I feel

@Bunkerneath Yeah its a shame. With the Nintendo Online you would think they would be able to sustain a game board online. Sure games usually take hours to complete, but strategy games (Civilisation series comes to mind) have had work arounds for ages now, allowing hosts to save and load with same player IDs.

@Emperor-Palpsy You misunderstand. People are not thinking the game would or should need a Pro-controller at all. People were hoping they could use one in place of a regular Joy-Con controller as an option.

@GrailUK I depends how they are used. The only thing the Joy-Cons has that the Pro-Controller doesn't is the camera, but that is only on one of a pair of Joy-Cons so seems unlikely to be being used. I guess it might seem weird for mini-games that involve more motion control to be waving about a Pro-controller, but if people are happy to do so why not let them?

I don't know, it may become apparent later why, but I can understand why people who have spare Pro-controllers are reluctant to buy more Joy-Cons for this. They're not cheap!

@Ogbert Surely, a party game is fairer if everyone is using the same controller. It's not fun once people start moaning 'aw but you're using the pro controller...'. I fear folk are talking this to heart too much.

Colour choice of the joy cons is a bit odd. Guess they must have a larger surplus of Splatoon 2 Green & Pink than Mario Red & Blue.

And why no affiliate link NL?

Guys. You can't hold a Pro controller vertically for Wii remote style motion control. It's literally that simple. You can use the Joy Cons sideways or upright, and minigames were designed around this

Wouldn’t stop me from playing becuase the only people I’d play with have Switches. But pro controller support should be included.

Hardly surprising.

You gotta know what tech people have in their hands when developing the minigames.

I mean there hasn't been a good Mario Party game in years anyway but I don't see why giving people the option to play how they want is unfair.

And I also notice that no one can answer what exact joycon features it uses that the procontroller doesn't have? Is it really only a camera?

My problem with this is that joycon are not sturdy enough. This is going to be another analog stick breaking Mario Party game and I'm not keen on having to buy another pair of joycon for 4-player.

Well, that sucks!

Ugh. My fear came through. I hate the Joycons, I find the analogue sticks are super unreliable when compared to the pro controller and it lacks a dpad, I only use them in handheld mode and for me thats 1% of the time.

Most Minigames look to be played held on its side so Im puzzled why Pro Controller has been left out.

Makes sense. The game seems built around the Joy-Cons similar to how Wii games were built around the Wiimote.

Not sure why people are complaining to be honest. It's a party game and you've got 2 controllers to use right off the bat.

@SteveF Same here. I totally hate the single joy-con's as my hands are simply too big! Even bought the tiny grips for these and it still uncomfortable!

So a no buy for me if Pro controller support is not included or dual joy-con in the large grip.

The joy cons are tiny for me but the worst thing Nintendo did here is that the bundle is not ready for launch. I mean, it's not as the bundle includes a brand-new accessory, not even the colour. They are making two wrong decisions in one.

@XenoShaun but I would rather use a pro controller?

@NickOfTime90 This teaches you how much people hate joy cons. Besides, the Wii and Wii U classic controllers didn't have motion controls included.

"We'll make controller hugely over priced at £70 and we will make sure some games do not support the controller that people spend 1/4 of a new Switch price on and instead people will have to buy more joy cons that also cost £70"

I like it Nintendo, very smooth, certainly not showing any corporate greed here.

I'm not too bothered anyway, but clearly many are. This isn't a popular decision.

One of the most anti consumer things a company can do is sell a product for a premium price, then limit the products use.

The pro controller is way to expensive to not be supported on alllllll Switch games. That is a defo must.

Options are always nice......but pro controllers dont have the camera functionality, and most/all 3rd party controllers lack most of the joycon functions. This isn't surprising.

@Razer Nintendo are masters of limited use

Wii Speak, Wii Zapper, 3DS Circle Pad Pro, GameCube Wii U Adapter etc, etc.

Although admittedly these are accessories rather than controllers and weren't anywhere as expensive as the Switch Pro Controller.

@Julien yeah you can't charge people £70 for a pro controller than not include support in every single game.

That price is waaaay too high to pay for a controller that isn't supported 100%.

Now i won't be buying Mario Party for many reasons and this wasn't included anyway.

But now i also will not be buying a pro controller because im not spending that kinda money on a controller that i won't be able to use on every game.

Who knows what other games Nintendo plan to release that will not support the over priced pro controller?

Yeah i love Nintendo but i don't like to throw money away.

@Julien The GameCube Wii U Adapter was a very good idea, hard to believe that officially it was only supported by Super Smash Bros. 4.

You need a whole room for Nintendo accessories alone if you buy them all. Now I think having a good controller for everything is much better and my favourite one is the Xbox One controller although the Switch pro controller is also good except for the D-pad. But then Nintendo decides you can't even use it with some games and they also ditched the Wii U pro controller that has the same Bluetooth connection and would be useful at least optionally for games that don't require motion controls, that is, 99% of the games.

@Gerbwmu no it's totally okay...

What really is not okay, is charging people £70 for a controller that they don't intend to support on every single game.

That is certainly not okay.

And Nintendo f's up another Mario Party. Why am i not surprised. I thought they had figured it out by now, but nope, just has to be classic Nintendo anti-consumer about it.

Mario Party must still be made by their C-team i can guess.

@zool Then a game that requires the use and functioning of the Joycons isn't for you.

@whodatninja Mario Party was decent until Wii. Mario Party 9 was such a massive disappointment and Mario Party 10 on Wii U was not any better.

A pro controller can do anything a joycon can, i don't understand this decision. Why do do many poeple think a pro controller would not be sufficient? This made me rethink if i'm gonne buy this game.

@XenoShaun are you actually trying to say it's okay for a company to charge £70 for an item they intend to limit its usage?

If you think that's okay then you are part of the problem when Nintendo does something so anti consumer.

If you don't think it's okay, then you need to pipe down and stop defending this sort of anti consumer practice.

Either way you are in the wrong.

@PhazonEnhanced sure u can. Its not handy but not impossible. If its only the "camera" function (dont know exactly what that is, never user it) then they should not use that's in the mini games

@BlueOcean since mario party 8, all minigames are played with a controller that doubles as a classic controller and a remote. They are obviously not changing that. Try to play most minigames from mp 10 with a pro controller gor example. Quite unwieldy.

@XenoShaun no, but maybe it should be. Most games allow a choice of 🎮.

@NickOfTime90 i refer you to my posts to answer any question.

You are fixated on what the mini games need to play... It doesn't really matter how you play or dont play the mini games...

None of that actually matters...

The only thing that matters is they are charging £70 for a controller that isn't used on every single game.

If you have such a stupidly over priced controller on the market, you need to make damn sure its 100% supported on every single game. Period.

For Nintendo themselves not to support it is the very height of anti consumerism... And there is no way you can defend that without looking like an ass.

@NickOfTime90 You are right but holding a Wii Remote sideways or as a pointer is not as bad as playing with joy cons. The D-pad of the Wii Remote is not accurate for the 3D platforming mini games though. What I wanted to say is that most regular players hate the joy cons, especially adults.

@uhhhhhhhh what specific joycon functions are there that the pro controller doesn’t have? I know the right joycon has some addition tech the left doesn’t have but the pro controller does everything the left joycon does.

@Razer £70 for an optional item. Now if they made a game that didn't support the joycons, that would be anti consumer.

@XenoShaun @jtmnm It would be, but they are probably trying to make it an even playing field and there would be mini-games where you hold the controller differently, which would be awkward for the pro.

The only function that one of the joy-cons has is the camera that no games use except perhaps 1, 2, Switch. Mario Party won't use that camera anyway because each player will be using a single joy-con.

@Razer Out of curiosity, do you consider the PS4 controller ‘stupidly overpriced’? It might work for all games but it has 4 hours batt life if you’re lucky, vs 40 hours for the pro. The extra few dollars does get you some value.

@XenoShaun right the pro controller is optional but it comes straight from Nintendo and the name “pro controller” kinda makes you think this is the controller to get if you are serious about gaming and want to take yourself to the next level. I’m not gonna go as far as to say it’s anti-consumer, but it definitely adds to market confusion that the premium controller for Nintendo’s newest console isn’t supported by all first party games.

@XenoShaun you totally missed the point...

Doesn't matter if it's optional or not... If you are going to charge people such a high price for it... Then you need to make damn sure its used on every game you make. Period. Especially if you actually made and designed the Pro controller yourself, priced it yourself, then decided to limit its support?

There is no circumstance where its okay to charge £70 for any item if you intend to limit its useage.

If they intended to limit the usage of an "optional item" as you say... Why make it so damn expensive?

Nope you are 100% wrong here.

@XenoShaun I wouldn't say that the pro controller is optional when the alternative is playing with joy-cons (excluding third-party options here). Technically optional perhaps but not really optional.

@PuppyToucher It’s not that complicated... these mini games require very different control options (ways to hold the controller) as well as differing ways to play per minigame... obviously using the pro controller would make it both hard to use in some of these and also hard to explain each mini-game’s control scheme (and potentially unfair) if people are using different controllers.

@FTL lol isn't that a bit silly though... You totally just defeated any purpose to your post by saying "its 100% supported".

😂😂😂😂

Try again.

To answer... No its not because its 100% supported...

@FTL Potentially unfair? It's not even online except for leaderboards as far as I know. It's mostly a family game. Different ways to hold a controller? Mario Party 9 is always telling you, now hold the controller like this, now hold it like that...

@Razer I'm not defending the price of the Pro controller. I find it overpriced as well. However a games designed should not be hindered to include the support of an optional purchase.

I will completely backtrack my opinion on the non inclusion of the Pro controller if Super Mario Party doesn't show it's reliance on needing the use of the joycons or functions the Pro controller does not offer.

If it was a game that simply focused on button inputs or simple motion / gyro then there would be no excuse for Nintendo to not support their additional controllers.

@BlueOcean However much the Pro Controller is better than the Joycons (at the least in typical play) doesn't deter that it may just not be feasible to use for what Nintendo has designed for this game. It is an optional purchase first and foremost, even if a more forced upon option for us big handed folk.

@FTL yeah its not complicated at all.

You don't charge people such a high price for an item you intend to limit usage on...

Either lower the price of the pro controller by 50% at least or support it 100%.

@XenoShaun the Pro controller has all the features of the joy-cons except the IR camera. I think several of the minigames have you holding the joy-cons in a specific way; that would be unplayable with the pro controller, think of the 1-2-Switch minigames.

@FTL just because you personally think it would be hard to use doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be someone’s preferred method... for example Mario Kart offers a wide range of control options one of which is the steering wheel accessory that’s used motion control. For me I think using the motion control made that game harder but for others that was their go to way to play. Having more options is always better. And it’s really would not be hard to explain titling a controller to do various things. They have used standard controllers in past Mario party games so I don’t understand why you think they couldn’t do it now. Also what mini game have you seen couldn’t be played with the pro controller?

@XenoShaun that is my point though... If you intend to create a game that from its core cannot use the pro controller then that itself is anti consumer.

Either way you cut it... For Nintendo not to include support for this is anti consumer.

Forget how the games are played... That should be changed to accommodate your over priced controller.

Edit: Plus Mario party on the N64 and Gamecube managed just fine without moving your arms around

You can't possibly be trying to spin this as a good thing... It's completely stupid to limit your options in any capacity.

This will have no influence on my purchasing. I will still not be buying it.

@PuppyToucher It is definitely a questionable decision upon Nintendo to not have support for such a premium controller, however we are jumping at their throats when we still know little on why it is being focused on Joycon use.

We are making a lot of assumptions without actually knowing anything on the games design needs.

Does 1 2 Switch have Pro controller support? (Genuinly don't know) I would think in the games design it would be similar to how that is handled. A bunch of Mario skinned mini games to show off the joycon tech.

@GrailUK Well arguably people won't be with Joy-Cons either. As depending on whether you get the left or right, the stick and button positions are shifted. It does make a difference with different hand sizes and has resulted in some pad swapping in things like Snipperclips.

@frabbit same for me.

However this has influenced my decision not to buy a pro controller.

@Ogbert That's right. It's also very noticeable playing Super Mario Odyssey co-operative mode, one of the players gets a very weird buttons layout, so the unfairness of using a pro controller is replicated by the joy-cons. The joy-cons is one of the worst things Nintendo has ever made, in my opinion.

@XenoShaun good point, I also do not know if 1-2 switch supports the pro. But I am not jumping down their throats, I still plan on buying the game (pending reviews), but I think limiting control options is never the best choice for the consumer and risks confusing a lot of people.

Skipping it because it forces me to use one joycon. Not letting me use the pro controller was bad enough (though I don't mind too much), but having to use the single joycon layout is just devastating. You're literally not allowed to play with two joycons. Sigh.

@Spoony_Tech how though? the pro controller has motion controls detection just like the joycon and everything else the joycon has, there is no excuse at all to not enable pro controller support.

i won't be picking this up day one as planned till they patch the support in, i don't use the joycon controllers and never will.

@XenoShaun I think the entire purpose of 1-2 switch was to showcase the joycons anyway.

Almost like the software around labo is meant to go with the labo...

But Mario Party started its life on normal controllers and did fine for 2 generations on normal controllers.

Edit: 1-2 switch was also very anti consumer, its another subject but to charge that much for a showcase game is criminal.

@Razer You can’t use the vr headset for multiplayer games / doesn’t mean it’s worthless.

@PuppyToucher I don't have children but I imagine that this is the typical game a parent would buy for playing with their children and once the adults in the family find out that they have to use the tiny joy-cons, probably just one of the pair to make things more uncomfortable, they are going to have issues playing the game.

1, 2, Switch was a launch game and an overpriced tech demo with the joy-cons on the cover so I guess everyone was expecting that but Super Mario Party is different.

I get it, but it sucks for me... I never really detach the the JoyCon that came with my Switch and I have 2 Pro controllers for docked use at home... If I ever need 4 controllers, I planned ot use the 2 JoyCon separated and the 2 Pros...

I will definitely want to play Mario Party with 4 controllers... but I really don't think it's worth buying more JoyCon for one game... if the JoyCon in the bundle were really nice, Mario themed controllers, it would be an easier pill to swallow... but neon pink and green, WHY?

@PuppyToucher I agree they could just add support anyway, and maybe it does actually work, we don’t know for sure - but I do believe there could be games that would be difficult, given the joycon has extra buttons on the top / side depending on how you hold it.. but as I said, I agree they could just add support anyway rather than block it - and hopefully they will.

@Razer your arguments make no sense.
Most games support the pro controller. If the game uses a more traditional control scheme then the developer would be foolish to limit the options the player will have.

Mario Party, and 1-2-Switch both don't support the pro controller and both use a non-traditional control scheme that is designed around the joy-cons. For these games, limiting the controllers to joy-cons only makes sense.

For further proof, look at Arm's. This game was designed around using the montion controls of the joy-cons to play the game. But being the "anti-consumer" company that they are they decided to include a way to play on the joy-cons with a traditional control scheme and support for the pro controller as well.

Nintendo makes decisions for each game based on what will work best for each individual game.

@FTL your point is just moot because its £30 cheaper than the pro controller and its 100% supported.

I don't think the joycons are a waste of money for the same reason. They are even more expensive but are 100% supported and have many uses.

The VR is a waste of money, not because it isn't 100% supported but because it will never really work, at least not in gaming.

30min to 1 hour gaming sessions is okay... But any meaningful game requires a lot more time (think Skyrim) to get into and any longer than 2 hours with those headsets is not adviced and not possible. (It's essentially like putting a bag over your head and moving around for long periods of time, its not advisable at all.)

Vr is an "experience"... Experiences last for a short time. Meaningful games last much longer.

@stache13 your just fixated on the usage for the games and how the games play. - this is a very gamer mentality, which is okay, but this isn't a "gamer" type game.

My argument makes perfect sense from a consumer stand point.

Adult male with wife and child:

"I paid £70 for this item, why can i not use it with this family game?"

"Sorry sir its just how its made, you need to play the game with the Joycons only"

"So i have to spend another £70 on extra joycons?"

"If you dont want to play alone yes"

"Id like to return these please".

See it makes perfect sense 👍.

My guess is that the mini games are designed around a single Joy-Con.

I think it's great really. The less confusion as to how to play each mini game the better, and since everyone has the same controllers nobody will be unsure. Plus, those joycons seem about perfect for playing motion based mini games, and this time there's no sensor bar to fiddle with.

I would have like to have used the Pro Controller, but, seeing as they don't need to make accommodations to fit that controller, the games present here should be the way they were intended to be played.

I don't care. I'm not getting this game anyway.

we finally get a proper mario party game and they do something wrong at the same time lol

Good with this, was planning on buying a second set for arms anyway, if the bundle comes to the US I might buy as I want the splatoon joycon

I find that pretty strange seeing as the Pro Controller can do everything that the Joy Con can do since it has gyro controls, it is not like it is a Wii situation where the classic controller is just your basic controller with no added features.

Judging by what I've seen thus far, it's likely that many of the games utilize the Joycon in unique ways that couldn't be replicated on a pro controller. I have no problem with that. I just hope the bundle releases in the States.

This is so stupid not buying a game because of a controller and the joy cons arent that bad people getting upset over this are stupid just stupid the joy cons are good yes a bit small for some bu there still good

@Razer - so is it your belief that Nintendo should never have made an optional pro controller, or if they did, make it of lower quality with less tech inside so they can charge $19.99 like the wired off brands? Or should it have been loaded with the same tech as the joy cons and charged more for?

I bought my pro controller on sale for $45. It's a great controller that I prefer to use for most games. My sons prefer the Joycons and use them most of the time.

It is my opinion that Nintendo makes quality products and I myself haven't had to replace a controller since my original N64 analog stick broke so I do not feel the pro is overpriced.

I do however feel a BMW is overpriced vs other cars so I understand my opinion of price/quality/usefulness is mine alone and it's silly of me to tell you the pro isn't over priced.

I guess the mini games involve a lot of single joy-con use. Inconvenient if you don't have enough joy-cons, but it is what it is.

@huyi I'm not the biggest fan of the joycon controllers either and I use my pro whenever I can. This is a party game though in the same vain as 1/2 Switch and a Pro controller just wouldn't be appropriate to use in probably more then half the mini games here so I can see why they wouldn't even try. I never even thought for a second that it would be used and I'm fine with that.

I am pretty sure you can only play this game with a single joycon.

@Gowtu_Games they're not using the camera, that's only on Joy Con R anyways. @NickofTime90 gets it.

@GrailUK while that may be true, I've had a blast playing Smash Wii U with 6-8 people. 4 GameCube controllers, 2 pro controllers/wiki u tablet, and 2 Wiimote + nun chucks. Absolutely, there was belly aching over who got to use what controller - but that is way more fun than only 4 people getting to participate due to availability of specific controllers.

I'm dying to see a legitimate video demonstrating these mini games that can ONLY be played with the joycons. This news is talking me right out out of a sale.

Looks like I have to seriously consider making this purchase still as I have it on pre-order and only have my original joy con set. Last thing I feel like doing is buying another joy con set for 3 or 4 people to play together.

@Gerbwmu the pro controller wouldn't be over priced if Nintendo intends to use it with every game they themselves make.

You are right though, you can't tell me or anyone for that matter, that a £70 controller thats 30% more expensive than the competition and is being limited in what you can use it for by the very company that made it and priced it, isn't over priced.

Doing so would simply make you wrong.

I except you'll be buying more Joycons to play with this game instead then? So tell me again why you brought the pro controller?

@SteveF @CCore28 Complaining when individual grip for joycon exist.

Ah, so that's why joycons come with it. Still such a silly omission, but I'll live.

@MeloMan No, they don't. You're looking at the more expensive bundle, which releases 1.5 months after the game itself for some stupid reason

"Makes sense, this game uses specific joy-con features!"

Um, please inform me of which capabilities the Pro controller doesn't also have...Full motion, HD rumble, a joystick, and four buttons.

The justifications need to stop. I love Nintendo too, but like a great parent who loves their children, they must scold when appropriate. This is just unjustifiable.

@nintendobynature guess Nintendo figured spending $80 on a second controller just wasn't enough for them.

@PhazonEnhanced thank you

@NickOfTime90 Thank you for having your head on straight. Like a lot of people here, I really enjoy the pro controller, and I'm not the biggest fan of using a single joycon. But, I understand why it is that way

@BadWaluigi2 Look at Mario party 8. There are games where you hold the Wii remote upright, and others where you hold it sideways. You can use a single joycon the same way. You can't use a pro controller that way. I like the pro controller, but I'm not complaining.

@Gerbwmu what tech does do the Joycons have that the Pro Controller doesn't? I keep seeing this argument being made when the facts destroy it.

I do agree the pro controller is of extremely good quality (not sure $80, but I get it). However I also agree with @Razer in that if you make an $80 controller, you better let people friggin use it. And seeing how this was NINTENDO'S decision to axe support in Super Mario Party, there's really no excuse left for them.

@PhazonEnhanced I'm literally holding my Pro Controller sidways right now. It might not be ideal, but that should be MY decision, not Nintendo's. Player agency is still a value all gamers should hold.

Secondly, Mario Party usually has modes where you can specifically choose which games you'd like to play. So for those you might find a tad uncomfortable, dont choose them. What a simple and obvious way to circumvent such a trivial "issue"

Let's face it - they didnt want awkward looking PR images of people holding the Pro controller sideways in the event it makes them look bad. They're taking away player choice for their own marketing purposes; the pure definition of anti-consumer behavior.

@PhazonEnhanced Try holding it sideways, with R/L triggers on the right. Hold from the bottom protuberance in the left hand (resting into your palm)and you can easily reach the bottom joystick, and the face buttons with your right hand. IT'S MORE COMFORTABLE than the smaller joycon lmao

@Dayton311 you believe whatever the corporation tells you? Would you also believe that Coca-Cola keeps your teeth healthy if they told you so?

@BadWaluigi2 Good luck finding anyone else who'd rather hold a pro controller that way than use a a joycon. As for your argument on choice, why don't we go back in time and boycott every Wii game that didn't support the classic controller? No one forced you to buy a pro controller, nor did anyone ever promise it would be compatible with every game. Nintendo's done a great job ensuring the majority of games work with or without motion, with a pro controller, in handheld mode, and supporting single joycon play. Give them a break for asking you to use a certain control scheme for one game.

@PhazonEnhanced your points are all waaaay off base.

"good luck finding someone" dude, CHOICE. first sentence is moot. Maybe I'm the one who will opt to play with the Pro, seeing as how i clearly stated that i found it more comfortable in some ways. Who are you to tell me it's not?

"why don't we go back in time and boycott every Wii game that didn't support the classic controller?"
The classic controller didnt have motion nor IR. That actually made sense. Next!

"no one forced you to buy a controller"
Chill out. Nobody is alleging criminal activity. I'm suggesting they did it just to sell more joycons, which many here seem to be falling for. As a regular customer, and someone who is interested in business and economics, I have a right to voice my concerns just as much as you have a right to voice your acceptance of horrible business practices.

None of you points are relevant to mine. You were unable to practically explain why ONLY joycons should be used. So no, I will not excuse Nintendo for making yet another anti-consumer decision.

I'm watching the Nintendo Treehouse demos of SUper Mario Party and the grand majority of them use the joycon on it's side in the traditional controller style...the facts are right here yet so many are willfully ignorant to it. Nintendo is not your child. Stop defending them as if they are.

Gonna whip up a quick video. Ill post it to YouTube and link it here for you guys to enjoy =D

@BadWaluigi2 - I believe the pro controller is missing some of the IR Camera functionality......whether or not that matters to this game I don't know.

Edit: there is also the chance some of the games work off of the 2 single joycons working off one another.......I obviously don't know that, but there are legitimate reasons why just joycons is justified.....whether or not they are for SMP will depend on the game and the mini games it contains.

More options are always better though so Nintendo would have been better off allowing pro controller functionality even if it limited the mini games one could play

That's disappointing. Joy-Cons are entirely too expensive to buy separately, that's why I bought a couple of controllers to use instead. So I may end up passing on Super Mario Party.

@Gerbwmu good point, however I have been watching a lot of footage and there doesnt seem to be a single minigame that requires it. even then, previous mario parties have allowed customized mini game playlists so it would be easy to simple exclude those games, if they even exist

Edit: yes, player choice is very important especially in trivial matters like this. Not having a joycon would be a minor inconvenience at its worst

@BadWaluigi2 yea I honestly cant see myself dropping 130$ on an extra joy con set and the game. Even With the 12$ off for Amazon pre-order its not worth it for a Mario party game. And i LOVE Mario party games but not sure im willing to go that far for it

It should be an easy fix. Pro has all the features of the Joycons combined. If each joycon works standalone for this game, the only feature in use (aside of proper dpad and buttons) is the rumble HD. Pro has that of course.

@Razer Lol 30 pounds cheaper? It’s literally $8 more for pro controller than PS4 here.

That's just plain stupid, I have enough joy cons anyway but I suspect some won't but may have bought a Pro Controller or 2 and may now have to buy more controllers. What can the joy cons do that the Pro can't? Worst case scenario they could simply lock out certain mini games if the Pro was in use if they believe they couldn't be played

Say what now?! What a stupid design decision.
Well, I wasn't going to purchase MP anyway. The only entry in the series I really enjoyed was MP8.

@PhazonEnhanced look I understand the issue if a lot of games don’t support the pro controller, but this is mario party, thats never about play comfort. You get 2 joycon out of the box so you can at least play it out of the box. People are just looking for ways to flame nintendo, now that they are killing it with the switch. I’m a happy nintendofan, and I’m glad I’m not the only one:)

Dear silly people who defended Nintendo to the bone on this one: thank you so much for the content to put in my video maybe you'll be infamous now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBHOL2RPdQY

@NickOfTime90 did you know that you can actively enjoy a company's products AND criticize poor business practices as they arise? Life is gray, not black & white. Dang, I REALLY wish I had waited to make the video until you made this comment.

@FTL you're only referring to their respective MSRPs. Unlike Nintendo, Sony and MS allow decent wholesale deals to retailers like Amazon, BB, GS, etc, which means the price per PS4/XB1 controller is far below MSRP, which explains why it's far easier to find a $45 ps4 or xb1 controller than it is to find a $55 Switch Pro Controller.

@XenoShaun it does but you still only use half a controller and swinging it sideways is a bit of a problem, combined with no straps.

@BadWaluigi2 well it is justifiable in the fact you only use half a controller and pro doesn't have a strap but that's mostly it. though I would assume its mostly just the strap.

@edgedino games like Splatoon, ARMS, and Zelda BotW all allow motion control with pro controller and no one made a stink about it then. even with these SMP games, not a single one requires the exaggerated movements that would require safety straps. we're grasping at straws here I think. The excuses get weaker and more desperate by the minute. If that was truly the issue then they would have sold Super Mario Party special edition Pro controller safety straps for $10 a pop lol

I would of preferred Pro-controller support, but it makes sense for single Joy-cons and I'm fine with that.

Nintendo shoehorning gimmicks into games and blocking peripherals?! What a surprise.

@BadWaluigi2 I brush my teeth with Coca-Cola every morning, don't you?

@BadWaluigi2 ok I watched your video. You had a lot of good comments and clips disproving a lot of the “justification” provided for why the pro controller isn’t supported. My only gripe is I would have liked to hear some of your commentary on this topic. Good video overall though.

If you wa’tch the newer highlight reels you can see some of the mini games, for example one of them they’re using the joycon motion controls to pan fry steak cubes. Another one they’re pedaling something with their hands - there’s gonna be a lot of motion control mini games here.i dont think that excluding pro controller support is limiting or confusing - they’re doing it to PREVENT confusion and limitations. Honestly I don’t care that much though, unless it surprises me with rave reviews I’ll probably be skipping this one. Or maybe I’ll get a few copies for my kids ....🤷‍♂️

Just something interesting I stumbled across 2 mins ago I thought Id post here for ye.
Snipper Clips Launched as a Joy-Con only game, and months later it got patched to support Pro Controllers. There was no reason for Snipper Clips to ever be a Joy-Con only game, much like (imo) Mario Party. So maybe it will get a patch to support Pro Controllers.

Now it's terrible practice to limit what controllers can be used with software, theres no defending that. Nintendo and their decisions lately drive me bonkers.

I'll probably avoid this game until it does get a patch (not holding breath) AND is a decent price.

Um seriously? They aren't supporting their own controller? This is a deal breaker for me.

Well then, in that case, I'm going to have to only ever play the game undocked. To this day I still can't get a Joy-Con to stay connected properly while my Switch is docked, even when under a foot away.

I'm not opposed to making an innovative attempt to cleverly integrate motion/gyro controls. It is entertaining to try and experiment with the immersive controls, but I for one have a preference for traditional use of buttons. The fact that usage of more traditional controls isn't an option is a little disconcerting. Still, thinking about giving this game a shot. Unfortunately, all of my childhood memories of Mario Party reside in the wrong place (MP 8); I'm certain that this will be an improvement though.

People can enjoy some Nintendo games and also criticise the stupid things that they do too often and that are nasty for consumers like overpriced hardware and accessories, early drop of support, multiple silly restrictions, arrogant policies, etc. The fuel that powers Nintendo's dark side is people justifying perversely anything that Nintendo does. For anyone with a healthy brain and looking from the outside is ridiculous and cringeworthy.

@BadWaluigi2 If I look at it from Nintendo’s point of view (which I am - because I want to know why they wouldn’t support it) I come up with several reasons, but mainly :

The controller doesn’t have a strap like other motion controllers, but it’s expected that you will need to violently shake and move the (relatively heavy) controller in the game - that itself is a reason why Nintendo would potentially opt to not encourage/allow it’s use.

It also doesn't allow handheld gameplay. According to the eShop.

@BensonUii
I don't get how people think this is "anti-consumer."

Many Wii games don't support the Classic Controller, yet no one complained. Its no different nowadays.

@link3710 How dare you contribute to a comments page on a video game website with reason and logic! How very, very dare you 😉

@zool
You want to play the game that's supposed to be played with the joycons but you don't want to play with the joycons that they gave you with the console. That's very logical indeed and Nintendo is really stupid for not making that happen.

@XenoShaun

@Tibob you said it.

I can see why many are complaining, at first I did a little. Then I stepped back and thought it is not crazy button combinations like a fighting game or super tight controlls like a platformer. It seems that this is one way Nintendo can get "one Switch per person" because each Switch has two Joycon, out of the gate you can play Mario Party without buying th bunle or extra Joycon.

Don't have 4 joycon sooooo...🤷🏾‍♂️

Didn't see this coming. /s

I thought we would have been past the forced motion controls gimmick by now, but I guess Nintendo wanted to remind you again.

I don't believe anyone whining about this actually ***needs*** a Pro Controller to play a... party game. Not one bit. If - let's say - Mario Odyssey didn't support the Pro Controller then you'd have a point - but the game in question is Mario Party.

Chill out.

Article should read: Nintendo releases game that doesn’t allow you to use the controller you bought for £70.

All y’all are so triggered by this lol It’s not even a game that requires a pro controller for fancy buttons! Just have fun and shut up about it.

It's the end of the world.

As a grown adult, my hands don't work well with single joycons. Sad I'll be missing out on playing this with my kids. What a shame.

@Nintendofan83 though, it is kind of hard to hold the pro controller downwards and pretend to, say, stir a pot with it. You just know there will be some 1-2 Switch-style minigames that require you to hold the joycons in ways you could never hold a pro controller.

@Heavyarms55 Sometimes it's hard to do complex motion control minigames with a regular controller. You couldn't use the pro controller to pretend to paint, or whatever they plan on doing with it.

the joycons are the most uncomfortable controllers for a system since the intellivision with thos stupid slide on cards to tell you what the buttons did.. the dpad is a joke and having the thumbsticks directly over the buttons makes it extremely hard for people with big hands im 6'2 and my hand spand from thumb to pinky is roughly a 12' so i get hand cramps with the joycons.

with this being said this is one game im definatly not picking up now. i only use pro controllers never use the system as "handheld" only tabletop or docked.

Wait, So Does that Mean we can't play it in Handheld mode?

@Heavyarms55,

It's not lazy fella,it's the fact the mini games will be designed around the joycon controllers.

@johnvboy In the past Nintendo has been willing to design alternate control methods. This time they are unwilling to. It's hardly a deal breaker, but I doubt it is something they couldn't have done.

This tells me that mario party will be using the joycons to the max of its potential. I am looking forward to seeing what unique things they have in store. I haven't cared about the series since the first one. Sounds like it will be the game 1-2 Switch wishes it could have been.

People are so silly wishing for a regular controller on this one. I mean, I'd prefer M&KB on all console games that aren't platformers, but I don't complain about it. COuld most console games do this? yes. Do they? no. Can a game that uses all joycons features be made to use regular controllers however? No. You cannot, therefore they aren't. I can think of several ways the joycons would work to preclude the pro controller for this game.

@Heavyarms55,

For games that would benefit from multiple control methods that is fine,but for a game like this it's pretty much a waste of time,it's like Wii sports....it was just perfect for the Wii remote.

I'm so heated at Nintendo right now. This is exactly the kind of stuff that has kept me away from Nintendo so long. I finally bite the bullet... Spend over 600 bucks in hardware and peripherals and still not enough.

I leave the joycons plugged into my console and use 3 pro controllers most of the time. I find that I can start Mario party with a pro controller controller but am then stuck bc it won't accept the pro controller at that point. Wtf?!?!?!?!

Do it right Nintendo. Stop making me play with these Joy cons that hurt my hands. Seriously. Just make it easy...this and a joycon controller getting slid on backwards made a rough night for me and my family of four the other night. Tired cranky kids who just want the game to start. Complicated for no reason. Boo.

@GoldConnor yeah... Bummer. Just exclude the minigames that don't work. Ridiculous.

@BadWaluigi2 I downloaded the game not realizing that joycons were needed. It got by me. So I'm a little heated as we couldn't just go to the store and get two more controllers at that time. Plus I just spent $180 on controllers day before. 3 pros. F the N.

i hate this typical bs, its reason i havent bought nintendo since gamecube, introducing a new controller for people is fine as long as u dont make games that can only b played with it, paid almost 300 dolla for 4 pro controllers because they are they only controller comfortable, those joy con controllers look like they were designed for children under 5, they r super uncomfortable, tiny, every time u slide them on they seem to get stuck on the portable screen the wristbands, and that weird controller the system comes with to try an imitate a pro controller with the joycons added.....its NOT the same. i bought 5 games with the system and i cant even invite friends over to play mario party with me and im sure that applies to other games to. what made nintendo better then all other systems was its games and their abillity to mash with 4 or more people on one tv making it a super social system, friends come just to play, and nintendo is boring alone unless single player game, im glad the switch came out, i have been waiting for a system from them since gamecube, everything inbetween was just a disgrace. so now basically i have to buy 3 more joy cons just to enjoy a game i bought and still havent played yet, because who plays mario party alone? not cool how they forcing us to buy 4 controllers of each just to b able to not play alone.

@Nalverus you can play online boards now, happy?

@Furpaw why are you replying to a comment from 2018.

@Nalverus because i have the rights to

@SoniChaya uhh, one question. what made the wii a disgrace?

@MasterJay the splatoon joycon 😳😳😳

@Furpaw Dang, you’re commenting on quite an old article there

@Furpaw then i have the right to ask or tell you to stop mentioning me on such an ancient article.