Drag x Drive leans more towards drag than driving.

Nintendo’s announcement of Drag x Drive, a wheelchair sports game controlled by Joy-Con mouse, garnered my cautious enthusiasm. Developers exploring new ideas have my respect, especially given the scarcity of disability representation in sports video games. However, after getting hands-on with the game, Drag x Drive left me perplexed and in considerable discomfort.

In Drag x Drive, you control “drivers” — wheeled robots that come in three nearly indistinguishable types: guard, center, and forward — and engage in pickup games of three-on-three wheelchair basketball. You control the gameplay by pushing and pulling your Joy-Cons across a flat surface in a manner reminiscent of maneuvering a wheelchair. Combining shoulder button presses and motion controls allows you to move, stop, pass, and shoot.

Initially, these basic controls seem intuitive. You get a pleasing rumble from the controller when moving, but that’s a big if. My experience with Drag x Drive involved frantic attempts to ensure the Joy-Cons registered accurately across various surfaces, such as tables, floors, my bed, and even my body. Frequently, I found myself losing control and spinning out, with accidental captures occurring often — thankfully, the home button appears to be disabled while the mouse is in motion. My driver often disengaged both hands from the wheels, creating a comical yet fitting shrug.

The game’s 20-minute tutorial instructs you to move and lift the Joy-Cons, suggesting lengthy motions on flat surfaces or even your legs. However, these actions infamously result in an unresponsiveness that makes controlling Drag x Drive frustrating. Any unevenness — be it in the table or the folds of your clothing — significantly affects whether your movements translate correctly on-screen.

I discovered some level of consistency by sitting cross-legged on my bed, leaning over and making small movements on my bedsheets, despite the strain on my back. My legs, though imperfect, proved to be more responsive than any table I attempted. This was particularly true—before anyone questions my commitment to deriving some enjoyment from the game—when I shaved my upper thighs and used the Joy-Cons on bare skin. I can’t discern if the mouse sensors are overly sensitive or not sensitive enough, but a pliable and smooth surface yielded the best, albeit still often exasperating, results.

If you manage to get moving, matches tend to be slow and repetitive. Playing against bots, the three-minute games took approximately two minutes to load, and waits can be even longer in the hub “Parks,” where you’re often left waiting for other matches to conclude. The gameplay loop mainly involves one player rolling the ball up the court, shooting, and then the opposing team replicating the action. Tackling can only happen head-on, and with controls that often lack consistency, executing a successful steal feels like a major accomplishment. Moreover, consistent shooting requires being perfectly aligned with the basket, which is challenging at speed, so riding up the court’s curved edges—something that will happen inadvertently—is likely your best strategy. Some of this sluggishness could be alleviated, but after each basket, interaction with the ball is delayed for a few seconds, hindering a quick restart to the play.

However, Drag x Drive goes beyond being just a visual experience; it’s a physical one. While this was always going to present challenges for disabled players, I was surprised by how uncomfortable Drag x Drive is to play — crouching on my bedsheets for traction notwithstanding. The narrow grip necessary to hold the Joy-Cons in this position was painful, making extended play nearly impossible.

There is no controller support. Although using the Joy-Con as a regular mouse for menu navigation is manageable (you can also switch to joystick movements for menus, which is a relief), it seems that no additional support, even for the Hori Flex adaptive controller, is on the horizon. Nintendo told The Verge, “We wanted to highlight the innovative experience of using the Joy-Con 2 mouse and motion controls for this game. However, you can find and use certain accessibility features at the hardware system level.”

What features Nintendo mentions here, I couldn’t identify. Following Mario Kart World’s initial promise of impressive system-level accessibility, it raises concern that Nintendo directs players toward system menus rather than integrating solutions into games. This reluctance was somewhat expected, as Nintendo has been hesitant to acknowledge the disability inspiration behind the game prior to its official release, with reports claiming staff were instructed to use the term “vehicles” instead of “wheelchairs” during hands-on events, leaving many confused. Eventually, Nintendo clarified to The Verge, “It has always been true that the vehicles were inspired by wheelchairs. This was miscommunicated at certain events. The gameplay draws from wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair motocross, and skateboarding concepts.” Nevertheless, it’s notable that the only in-game references to players are as “drivers” and the occasional mention of “ballers” in the lengthy tutorial.

Nevertheless, I could not locate any aspect that could alleviate the frustrating and uncomfortable nature of Drag x Drive’s control scheme.

That said, Drag x Drive does incorporate some accessibility features. The game’s visuals are clear, with opposing players highlighted effectively and indicators for off-screen actions being bright and noticeable. Additionally, it’s not devoid of enjoyment. The shooting mechanics offer a gratifying flick of the wrist when a shot lands successfully. However, the clean execution of the game’s motion controls only emphasizes the shortcomings of the mouse controls. Furthermore, Rebound Scramble, one of two minigames interspersing match play, provides a brief burst of fun as you scramble to catch a bouncing ball, though this novelty fades quickly. The other minigame, an obstacle course, proved to be nothing short of maddening for me.

I can envision Drag x Drive as a mildly entertaining Rocket League clone if it weren’t so adamantly tied to Nintendo’s outdated, gimmicky notion of controls a la the Wii, or as just another frustrating segment of a more extensive sporting experience like boxing in Wii Sports. However, with slow, repetitive matches, two minigames, and a few activities in park areas for mostly inconsequential rewards, it’s impossible to ignore how little Drag x Drive brings to the table.

If there’s one positive thing to say about Drag x Drive: it illustrates the potential for a game based on wheelchair sports to be fantastic if executed well. However, for those seeking a fast-paced, representative, or even enjoyable venture into wheelchair basketball, this game falls short.