Nintendo UK has quietly added an official Star Fox mousepad to its rewards store, redeemable for 500 Platinum Points. The 23 x 22cm synthetic rubber mat features the Star Fox team's box art render from the new Switch 2 game. Nice? Sure. Enough? Absolutely not.
What you're actually getting
The mousepad itself is a clean piece of merch. The box art render of Fox McCloud, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy looks sharp, and the 23 x 22cm dimensions make it a solid desk piece. Nintendo's official UK store confirmed the item via the Nintendo Store UK social channels, framing it as something you can "pilot your mouse (or Joy-Con 2 controller) over."
To claim it, you need 500 Platinum Points sitting in your Nintendo account, earned through completing Nintendo Switch Online challenges. That makes this essentially a loyalty reward rather than a retail purchase, which is a reasonable way to distribute it. But here's the thing: a mousepad is a long way from the full accessory push that Star Fox's Switch 2 comeback deserved.
The gap between Star Fox and every other Nintendo franchise
Compare this to how Nintendo has treated other recent releases. Splatoon Raiders hasn't even launched yet, and it already has a pair of Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 controllers available to pre-order in blue and yellow, nodding directly to the Deep Cut trio from the upcoming game. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie tie-in saw third-party brands like Turtle Beach drop a Rosalina-themed wireless controller at around $65. Star Fox, a franchise that just made its first major comeback in years, gets a mousepad you can only claim with points.
That disparity is hard to ignore. Star Fox has the visual identity for this kind of thing. The Arwing alone is one of gaming's most recognizable ship designs. The red Star Fox logo is clean, iconic, and would look great on a carrying case, a controller shell, or even just a set of thumbstick grips. None of that exists right now.
Why this missed opportunity stings a little
Star Fox returning to Nintendo hardware after such a long absence felt like the moment for Nintendo and its licensed accessory partners to go all in. Fox McCloud's face on a Switch 2 case, an Arwing-themed camera housing, Star Fox-branded Joy-Con 2 controllers in classic grey and orange. None of it would have been a hard sell to a fanbase that has been waiting years for this franchise to get proper attention again.
The mousepad isn't bad. It's just a single item in a rewards catalog, and it signals that Nintendo hasn't fully committed to building out Star Fox as a merchandising property alongside its Switch 2 debut. Splatoon gets hardware. Mario gets hardware. Star Fox gets a desk mat.
What Star Fox fans can actually do right now
If you have 500 Platinum Points banked, the mousepad is worth claiming. It's free in any practical sense, and the artwork is genuinely good. Beyond that, the best move is to keep an eye on Nintendo's rewards catalog for any additional Star Fox items that might follow.
For players looking to build out a broader Switch 2 setup while waiting for more Star Fox gear, exploring the full range of gaming guides for the Switch 2 library is a good place to start. And if space-based strategy games are your thing, Star Atlas: Holosim offers a different kind of interstellar action worth checking out while Nintendo figures out its accessory priorities.
The Star Fox mousepad is live on the Nintendo UK rewards store now. Here's hoping it's the first item in a longer lineup, not the last.
