Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

Hardware Type: Game Controller

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Review:

The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is a wireless controller for the Nintendo Switch that offers a more traditional controller style when compared to the Joy-Cons. It loses a little functionality of those controllers in exchange for what is arguably a more comfortable ergonomic design.

What the Joy-Cons have that the Pro Controller doesn’t are the infrared camera in the right controller, and… well, the ability to split up and be used separately, complete with separate motion-controls for each controller. It also doesn’t have the Joy-Cons’ SL and SR buttons, or the ability to attach directly to the Nintendo Switch (though you can attach it indirectly using a USB cable).

Not every game makes use of these features, and very few games outright require them, but there certainly are games that require Joy-Cons, so you won’t be getting rid of the Joy-Cons outright by replacing them with a Pro Controller – games like Nintendo LABO, Ring Fit Adventure, Super Mario Party, and Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, to name a few. Other games, like ARMS, offer different control schemes if you have the separate motion controls that the Joy-Cons offer, and these control schemes are not available on the Pro controller.

However, the overwhelming majority of games work just fine with the Pro Controller, and there’s a strong argument to be made that they play much, much better with the Pro Controller, thanks to the fact that it is designed to fit more naturally in the player’s hands. Simply put, Nintendo’s Pro controller feels wonderful, and I’d argue that in terms of its weight and size it makes for a good middle ground between Sony’s slimmer, lighter DualShock 2, and Microsoft’s more bulky Xbox One controller.

Aside from the stuff I mentioned above, all of the functionality of the Joy-Cons is present in the Pro Controller. The Pro Controller is the only controller other than the Joy-Cons that can scan Amiibo and wake the Nintendo Switch, and it also has the HD rumble and a more limited form of the motion control that numerous games use to assist with things like aiming in shooters. And since the Pro controller doesn’t have to worry about splitting up into two separate controllers, the up, down, left, and right buttons are replaced here with a more traditional D-Pad, something I know many gamers strongly prefer.

All told, I would say that the Pro Controller is a must-have for the Switch simply because when using it, it feels the way that most games are meant to be played. You can just keep the Joy-Cons in reserve for those few games that make full use of them.

I would say that, save for two pretty major flaws of the Pro controller. First, the obvious one – it is damn expensive. Buying one will set you back $70 or $80, making it the most expensive standard controller out of all of the first-party console-makers. The second one, and less well-known, is “drift”.

Nintendo has gotten a lot of slack for the problem of drift in Joy-Cons, a design flaw that causes the control stick to degrade over time, resulting in the game detecting inputs in the controller that weren’t actually entered. However, many people don’t realize that this problem is present in Pro Controllers as well, although it isn’t as widespread in Pro controllers as it is in Joy-Cons.

I have two Pro controllers. Both of them suffer from drift (one more than the other). It is a huge pain, and it has caused plenty of problems playing games. As I write this review, Nintendo has shut down their repair centers due to the ongoing quarantine measures, meaning that I don’t have any option to get this issue repaired by a licensed repair center.

It also bears mention that, since the Nintendo Switch does not support analog buttons and triggers (save for in the select few games that support the GameCube controller’s analog triggers), the Pro Controller does not have analog triggers, only digital ones.

In the end, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is mostly an excellent controller, and more serious gamers will definitely want to consider getting one to supplement their Joy-Cons, if not outright replace them for most games. However, I cannot call this controller a must-have – it is overpriced, missing features that are industry standards, and the fact that I’ve had two of these controllers suffer from drift means that there’s a chance it could affect you too. It is still well worth getting if you play your Switch a lot, but be warned that there are drawbacks.

tl;dr – The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is a more traditional game controller that feels all-around better than the Joy-Cons for most games. Having said that, it’s pricey and can suffer from the problem of “drift” just like the Joy-Cons do, so it’s far from perfect. Still, if you play your Switch a lot, you should definitely consider buying one of these.

Grade: A-

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