TurbX Mini Mate Wireless Gaming Controller

Hardware Type: Controller / Stand

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Review:

(Note: This product was received at no cost for review via the Amazon Vine program.)

When it comes to game controllers, there are a number of factors that can put a controller on your radar. A good price point, of course. Decent features. Top-notch quality. And every now and then, a controller aims to serve a particular niche, something that you don’t really see in other controllers on the market.

TurbX Mini Mate Wireless Gaming Controller, released in 2024 and from here on out simply referred to as the Mini Mate, aims to do all of the above. At $45, it’s certainly less expensive than Nintendo’s own first-party controller. Its Amazon page implies it had gyroscopic motion control, can wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode, and can also be used on PC. It boasts a good battery life, and comes packed in with a charging stand. And probably the most noteworthy feature – it’s extremely lightweight and tiny.

As you can see, this thing is super-small, roughly somewhere between two-thirds and half of Nintendo’s own Pro controller. It’s super-light too, barely adding any weight to your hand when you hold it. Yet despite its minimal stature and weight, it doesn’t feel cheap, with the controller casing, analog sticks, and buttons all feeling surprisingly sturdy.

When it comes to other positives, I can confirm that the Mini Mate does indeed have gyroscopic motion control that works quite well. The analog sticks feel excellent and the buttons seem like the right mix of squishy and springy. Also, while this controller swaps the positions of the -/+ buttons with the positions of the home and screenshot buttons, this didn’t feel awkward or throw me off. Indeed, moving my thumbs to those buttons, they naturally move toward the -/+ buttons, which is exactly what I would want.

I can also confirm that this controller works just fine on PC too, though I will note that it needs to be connected via USB to operate on PC – wireless mode is only available on Nintendo Switch.

When it comes to negatives, the obvious place to start is that this controller’s tiny size will not work for everyone. In my larger hands it felt super-cramped. Suffice it to say, this is one best left to those with smaller hands.

Another issue is the lack of rumble and support for scanning Amiibos. And then there’s the fact that this controller does not, in fact, wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode. The included instruction manual confirms this, even though the Amazon page misleadingly says “One-Button Wake-Up”. Perhaps they meant waking the controller, but this still seems pretty shady marketing to me.

The other thing I should touch on here is the included controller charging stand. All this is, in the end, is a glorified 2-port USB hub with a color-changing LED light and a few plastic arms intended to hold the controllers. Unfortunately, they do a poor job of this – they sit awkwardly on these arms, and it doesn’t take much to nudge them so they fall off.

In the end, the Mini Mate has multiple good qualities going in its favor, multiple negative qualities, and some misleading marketing muddying the waters further. As a small-size Nintendo Switch Pro-style controller, this is a pretty good controller, though it’s missing multiple important features, including at least one feature the Amazon page strongly implies it does have. And don’t be fooled by the light show of a controller stand – it’s not something you’re likely to use. However, if you want a diminutive controller and can look past all the smoke and mirrors, I think you’ll find this to be a decent choice, even if it has its flaws.

tl;dr – The TurbX Mini Mate Wireless Gaming Controller is a Pro-Style Controller for Nintendo Switch that’s lacking multiple important features, and the included charging stand is a waste of plastic, but as long as you can look past what this isn’t and appreciate what it is, I think you’ll find this is a solid choice for players who want a Nintendo Switch controller for smaller hands.

Grade: C+

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