‘Super Mario Party’ Doesn’t Support Handheld or Pro Controller Options

The logic behind Nintendo Switch is being able to play whatever games you want, either at home or on the go. “Play your way,” as it were. However, the forthcoming release of Super Mario Party has a pair of limitations that kind of go against this grain — and a few fans are fearing just what kind of pain it’ll be.

Nintendo confirmed in a game listing last week that the forthcoming multiplayer party game actually won’t support handheld mode. That means if you’re looking to play some mini-games with the JoyCon controllers plugged into the side of the system, you’ll be out of luck.

This comes on the heels of a previously announced limitation indicating that Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers and JoyCon Grip controllers also won’t work with the game at all, as mini-games require the use of the JoyCon controllers working separately from the system.

That means there are only two ways to play Super Mario Party. Either you can go through the TV while utilizing a JoyCon controller in your hand, or you can play in Tabletop mode with a similar control method. Anything else simply won’t work.

While Super Mario Party does appear to be loaded with some great mini-games, there are several folks annoyed with the limitations that are introduced with the game, mainly because it goes against the grain of what made the Nintendo Switch so appealing to begin with.

Check out some of the reactions from social media below:

We’re not sure if Nintendo may patch in other control types in the future. But, for now, the game will either appeal to certain players, or not at all. We’ll just have to see how it shapes up — and if future iterations will follow the same strict set-up.

Super Mario Party releases on October 5 for Nintendo Switch.