Now full disclosure, I am talking about gyro in the context of an option you can choose to disable. All of us should be fully aware that not everyone has the same preferences or degree of physical dexterity as the rest of us, and any developers out there should absolutely accommodate those people as best as possible. Keep it an optional feature.
Gyro aiming, or using subtle movements to fine tune your aim on a traditional control scheme, has been a staple of Nintendo hardware since the early 2010s, effectively gutting aim assist in the process. Games like Ocarina of Time 3D showed just how much better they can play with it enabled. The Splatoon games ever since the Wii U have proven that it was a viable input method for competitive shooters, with around 80% of players reportedly using it in the first game after just two months. And finally and most recently, Breath of the Wild showed many people how insane your trickshots can get with it turned on.
First party Switch games almost always have gyro as an option, even in genres you wouldn’t normally suspect like Mario Tennis Aces or New Pokemon Snap. But third parties have been hit or miss with the feature. Games like Fortnite, Skyrim, Overwatch, and DOOM 2016 added it by popular demand, with the last one [even showcasing it on Twitter](https://twitter.com/doom/status/965962815872921600?s=46&t=ue8ETBJp0sqMs8ZoBQmOpA). Conversely Resident Evil 4, which arguably had its best port back on Wii, neglected to include the feature here. That last one is especially baffling since the Switch versions of RE5, 6, and Revelations remarkably *did* include gyro right out of the box.
Here are some essential things to keep in mind for good gyro on Switch in case any aspiring game devs or publishers happen to be reading this:
**1. Make it optional whenever possible:** This should go without saying, as alluded to in the first paragraph. Some will be opposed to motion no matter what, so don’t force it on them.
**2. Include sensitivity settings for both X and Y axes:** I personally mainly rely on gyro more for vertical adjustments rather than horizontal, as those are best relegated to the right stick. But YMMV.
**3. Include a one-touch recalibrate button:** We don’t wanna be stuck looking at the ceiling whenever we’re not aiming at anything. You can save us a real hassle with this simple button prompt.
**4. Remember that gyro aiming is different from waggle:** Gyro is best applied on a traditional control scheme and is subtle in its execution. “Waggle”, meanwhile, means replacing normal button presses with shakes or broad gestures altogether. And in serious games, that usually doesn’t work out well.