ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller (ES01)

Hardware Type: Controller

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Review:

(Note: This product was received at no cost for review via the Amazon Vine program. Also, I should note that I have seen this same product with different color casing released under the brand names Phnixgam, PPKKAI, and Reddening.)

Not so long ago, I declared in a review that the Ligame Switch Wireless Controller was, in my experience, the best budget controller on Nintendo Switch, saying I was shocked to find such high quality and a solid set of mid-range features in a controller at the low price of only $23-$25. This was such an excellent mix of price and features, in fact, that I gave the controller my highest review grade yet, noting that while I didn’t think it was the best controller on Nintendo Switch, it represented the best “bang for your buck” on the Nintendo Switch platform.

So imagine my surprise when a mere month later, I would get my hands on the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller, a completely different controller, but one offering a very similar feature set, and at the exact same price, no less. Is this controller on par with my pick for best budget controller on Nintendo Switch? Does it beat Ligame’s controller? Read on to find out.

I should note that, since the two controllers are so similar, I’ll be copying much of the text of the earlier review, changing it where appropriate to denote the different features of ECHTPower’s controller.

The ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller, released in 2024, starts with a pretty solid foundation, doing a pretty good job copying the size, shape, asymmetrical analog stick placement, button layout (save for the home button, which I’ll get to in a moment), and feel of Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. It’s lighter and its materials feel a bit cheaper than Nintendo’s controller, there’s no texturing on the grips, and the controller is a bit fatter than Nintendo’s own, but otherwise this feels much in line with what Nintendo offers. In fact, I felt that this controller instantly felt really comfortable in my hands – this may be a cheap controller, but it doesn’t feel like a cheap controller.

I should note that ECHTPower’s controller does pull a bit of a nostalgia play with its color scheme, with one version of the controller using a purple color with mostly grey buttons save for a red B and a green A, as well as a bright yellow analog stick, clearly referencing Nintendo’s beloved GameCube controller, and another version in grey with multicolored face buttons to imitate the look of the classic Super Famicom controller. The similarity to the GameCube/Super Famicom controller is purely aesthetic, but there are certainly some who will find this appealing, and the lighting surrounding both analog sticks looks classy, and lets you alter it as you desire, or shut it off completely if you want to. The result is a controller that I feel looks great, and I appreciate the call back to Nintendo’s past. I should note that the grey Super Famicom-style version seems to be selling for a few bucks more for some reason, so if you’re not super-partial to either color scheme and looking to shave a little off the price, you may want to go for the purple one.

Unlike Ligame’s controller, which uses concave analog sticks, ECHTPower’s controller sticks with convex analog sticks with a ribbed edge, identical to the sort Nintendo uses. Well, that’s not exactly true. There’s one extremely important difference here – ECHTPower’s controller actually uses hall effect joysticks, ensuring that this controller won’t be suffering from “drift”. This change doesn’t affect the way these sticks feel, though – they still react pretty much the way you’d expect Nintendo’s own analog sticks to feel.

In terms of standard features, this controller does have some excellent gyroscopic motion control, it can wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode, and while it does not have HD Rumble, it does have adjustable rumble, which some may see as a good tradeoff. If you’re sensitive to rumble, you may want to take it down a bit on this controller, as its default rumble is pretty strong. Apart from this, the only feature that’s truly missing here that Nintendo’s own controller has is Amiibo scanning.

However, now we have to talk about the extra buttons and features on this controller. On the face of the controller where the home button is on Nintendo’s controllers, you have a Turbo button (which operates in the way you would expect), with the home button being moved dead-center. As I note in other reviews, if a controller is going to move the location of the home button, this is my preferred placement, so I have no complaints here. Toward the bottom in the center, between the D-Pad and right analog stick, you have the M button, which is held down for a few seconds to start macro programming mode.

On that note, flipping the controller onto its back, you’ll see a large pair of macro buttons on either side on the grips that can store sequences of multiple inputs (so you can have each remember a “hadouken” or similar move if you like), then in the center-left and center-right there are buttons used to adjust the controller’s lighting and turn off the vibration.

I should note that the way this controller has you changing the lighting and vibration, as well as how you set up macros, is a bit awkward, and I really wish this had been workshopped a bit more, as you’ll be using the instruction manual for a while until you get used to how these are utilized. Ideally, I really wish this controller could use an Android app like higher-end controllers often do, but given the price point I can’t very well complain.

In addition to the Nintendo Switch, this controller also supports PC, Android, and iOS. I was able to test this with both PC and Android, and both of these worked quite well using Bluetooth, albeit with some noticeable lag on PC when not connected via USB-C cable (an issue I’ve encountered on other controllers). Also, I should note that this controller doesn’t have analog triggers, making it less than ideal for games that make use of those, particularly Racing games.

So now, I need to get down to it… does the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller beat the Ligame Switch Wireless Controller to become my new favorite budget controller on Nintendo Switch? And the answer to that is… yes, though it’s a close race. ECHTPower’s controller lacks the concave analog sticks of Ligame’s controller that I prefer, its additional functions are clumsier and more awkward to use, and it lacks Ligame’s “Sensor mode”, though that mode never really worked right and was more about potential than actually useful. However, the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller has a more comfortable form factor, and hall effect analog sticks, two major features that I feel put it over the top when comparing the two.

Again, I have to stress that this controller still lacks many features you would look for if this were a higher-end controller – there’s no Android app support, no Amiibo scanning support, and the lag on PC when playing via Bluetooth plus the lack of analog triggers means this is really a controller you will only want to use on Nintendo Switch. However, with its low price point, this controller offers players well beyond what they would find in nearly every other controller at this price, and it even edges out my previous pick for best budget controller. If you’re looking for a Nintendo Switch controller and want the absolute best bang for your buck, the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller is the new king of that category.

tl;dr – The ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller offers an incredible amount of features and a high quality for its absurdly low price tag of $23. While it lacks features you would look for in high-end controllers, it absolutely blows away almost everything else I’ve seen in this price range, and even edges out my previous favorite in this category, the Ligame Switch Wireless Controller. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck in a controller on Nintendo Switch, this is an absolute must-have.

Grade: A

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Hardware – Three pro-style Nintendo Switch controllers each presented themselves as the absolute best controller in their price range this year. And while the GameSir Tarantula Pro is still probably my pick for best high-end controller on the platform, and the NYXI Master P1 is the best mid-range, neither impressed me as much as the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller (ES01), which at only $23 manages to still be one of the absolute best controllers on the Nintendo Switch in any price range, comfortable, with good features, and the absolute best bang for your buck when looking for your next Nintendo Switch controller. While I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these three controllers, ECHTPower’s controller is absolutely my pick for best hardware of 2024.

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