Touch Screen support confirmed in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, best Nintendo Switch stylus to get

5 years ago Justin 4 Comments

Thanks to a new video from the official Animal Crossing Twitter account, we have gotten a first look at creating new posts on the Bulletin Board, including a brand new drawing ability as an option!

In the new video shared with Tom Nook’s tweet, the Nook Miles app on the NookPhone app is shown off with a challenge to create a new post on the Bulletin Board. After that, we get to see the Bulletin Board being used to create a brand new type of entry for the Animal Crossing series — a drawing!

In addition to the obvious drawing capability, we can see that four different colors of pens will be available to use, as well as three varied levels of thickness to your writing. There is also an ink meter on the right side which appears to act as a limit to how much you can draw.

While it’s not explicitly stated anywhere in the video that the touch screen is used to create this Bulletin Board entry, we can pretty clearly tell a finger or stylus has to have been used to draw the example shown. It’s just not possible for an analog stick user to produce the same type of movements at that level of speed.

Check out the full video in the tweet below to see the drawing in action yourself:

【スマホアプリ紹介③】
本日ご紹介するのは『たぬきマイレージ』！
無人島での活動を楽しみながらマイルを貯めて、暮らしを豊かにする景品と交換できる・・・移住生活を楽しみ続けていただくためのサービスなんだも♪
色んな活動にチャレンジして、マイルとパスポート用の肩書きを集めてね！ pic.twitter.com/zCtMzr2QGw

— どうぶつの森 (@doubutsuno_mori) March 11, 2020

Support for the touch screen in other areas of the game remains unconfirmed at this time, but we’re hoping there will be support for the basic menus and most importantly the Custom Pattern Editor. So far, we’ve only seen custom patterns created using the regular controls which is a bit of a shame.

The Nintendo Switch doesn’t come with a free stylus included, unlike the Nintendo 3DS, so you’ll need to purchase one yourself if you’d like the best touch-screen drawing capabilities in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It is worth noting however that the touch screen on Switch is actually designed for fingers too and a stylus is not required at all.

Recommended Animal Crossing: New Horizons Budget Stylus

We’ve rounded up a few different solid stylus options for use on your Nintendo Switch touch screen with Animal Crossing: New Horizons below, depending on your budget and preferences. As a general note though, you do not need a special stylus made for the Switch — any stylus designed for smart phones and tablets will work fine.

AmazonBasics Capacitive Stylus Pen for Touchscreen Devices – $7.98

You might not think of buying an Amazon-made stylus as your first choice, but if your goal is a cheap budget option that will do the basic job, the AmazonBasics Capacitive Stylus Pen is a decent rubber tip option at just $7.98 USD on Amazon.

Unlike some other dirt-cheap stylus options, this one actually comes with three different tip sizes you can change between, which is pretty good for the bottom price. Searching through the product reviews, we found almost entirely positive opinions from Nintendo Switch users for the stylus.

Mixoo Capacitive Stylus Pen, Disc & Fiber Tip 2 in 1 Series – $9.99+

If you’re willing to step up your budget a few more dollars for a better stylus, we recommend the Mixoo Capacitive Stylus Pen which actually comes with two different stylus options in one product. On one end, you’ll find a standard mesh tip, while on the other side there is a handy disc tip.

With this stylus, you’ll have the option to using either a mesh tip or disc tip, depending on exactly what you’re doing on your Nintendo Switch. It’s hard to go wrong with that!

We’re featuring the Rose Gold version here because it’s currently the cheapest at $9.99 USD right now on Amazon and has a nice aesthetic, but the Mixoo Capacitive Stylus Pen is available in a variety of colors.

Official Nintendo Switch Stylus – £6.99

If you prefer the most official licensed product possible, Nintendo actually makes and sells an official Nintendo Switch Stylus in some regions, including the United Kingdom and Japan. It’s extremely basic with a grey design sporting the Nintendo logo and a fiber tip on the end.

But as basic as the design may be, the official Nintendo stylus does feature an appropriately basic price at just £6.99 from the Nintendo Official UK Store, so there’s that to keep in mind for players on a budget.

Unfortunately, this option is not available in North America, so fans there will have to seek out the third-party options listed in the other sections. That’s why we haven’t listed this stylus first, despite being an official accessory.

Recommended Animal Crossing: New Horizons Premium Stylus

AccuPoint Active Electronic Stylus with Ultra Fine Tip for Switch – $26.95

For those who are more serious about their stylus and have the budget to deluge a bit deeper, check out the AccuPoint Active Electronic Stylus with Ultra Fine Tip for Switch which offers a much finer tip than you’ll find on most other stylus options, just as the name suggests.

The AccuPoint Stylus with Ultra Fine Tip costs quite a bit more at $26.95, but that’s because the ultra fine tip actually runs off power using a battery to emit electronic pulses for better accuracy and less required pressure than other cheaper options.

Given that the main use of touch screen controls in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is likely to be for drawing purposes, that ultra fine tip might be worth paying some more to get your hands on. In addition to the special tip, the stylus is made of a nice brushed aluminum build of a higher quality than our cheaper options.

And if for some reason you prefer a more normal tip sometimes rather than the fancy-pants electronic one, a standard mesh tip is available on the other end of the stylus. We haven’t personally tried out this stylus ourselves yet, but the reviews on Amazon seem very promising.

Are you excited to see that Animal Crossing: New Horizons will support the touch screen in at least some manner? And what do you think of the completely new Bulletin Board interface, including the new drawing entries? Let me know in the comments below! I’m super excited for leaving drawings on my friends’ islands!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches worldwide on March 20th! Pre-order the game here, the official guide here, and check our release date countdown here. Stay tuned to Animal Crossing World for more news as we approach the release!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons News