Nintendo Switch Sports: Can You Turn Off Motion Controls & Play in Handheld Mode? Answered

If you’re diving into Nintendo Switch Sports, the spiritual successor to the wildly popular Wii Sports, you may be interested in knowing all of the different ways you can play. After all, the Nintendo Switch features a variety of ways to play most games, such as in docked mode, table top mode, and handheld mode. If you’re wondering which play styles Nintendo Switch Sports supports, we’ve got you covered. Here’s the answer to can you turn off motion controls and play in handheld mode in Nintendo Switch Sports.

Can You Turn Off Motion Controls in Nintendo Switch Sports?

Nintendo Switch Sports totally relies on motion controls, so no, you cannot turn them off in this game.

Each of the playable supports has unique mechanics that depend on the motion control of the Joy-Con, including swinging them around in the air. While some of the sports use button controls in addition to motion controls, there is no way to turn off motion and use only buttons to play.

Although you cannot turn off motion controls, you can navigate to settings on the title screen to change the dominant hand you use for each sport.

Can You Play In Handheld Mode?

Since you cannot turn off motion controls, you also cannot play in handheld mode in Nintendo Switch Sports. The game will prompt you to remove the Joy-Con if you try to play in handheld mode.

You can, however, play in tabletop mode if you don’t want to dock your Switch to play on a TV.

If you are using a Nintendo Switch Lite system, you must have Joy-Con connected in order to play this game. Nintendo Switch Sports cannot be played on a Switch Lite without Joy-Con, which are sold separately.

Can You Use a Pro Controller?

Unfortunately, you cannot use a Pro Controller in Nintendo Switch Sports. Even though the Pro Controller supports motion, many of the games require specific movements when holding a Joy-Con in each hand, which is why other controllers are not compatible. Some of the sports only require one Joy-Con per person, while others require the use of two per person.

That’s everything you need to know about whether or not you can turn off motion controls and play in handheld mode in Nintendo Switch Sports. Be sure to check back with Twinfinite for more tips, tricks, and guides.