NealGamefy Wireless Switch Pro Controller

Hardware Type: Controller

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Review:

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

It’s hard to tell who’s who when it comes to game controller manufacturers on Amazon. While you always know what you’re getting when you buy from established brands like Nintendo, 8bitDo, and Hori, it seems like smaller controller creators slip into and out of different company names like changing a jacket. When I saw the design of the NealGamefy Wireless Switch Pro Controller, released in 2024, I was reminded of the Gammeefy JC200 Switch Controller, a Controller / Grip combo that I reviewed not too long ago, and which features a suspiciously similar aesthetic.

Sure enough, a little looking around revealed that controllers touting a design like this, with extremely similar marketing, have been produced by Gammeefy, as well as ZRZLMVP, NinABXY, Svetaecho, DBepank, and possibly other companies as well. I cannot say which of these are the same companies, and in fact all of them seem to have slight differences, so this review cannot apply to all of those controllers, but I feel it’s important to keep this in mind and compare and contrast the prices and features of these controllers before buying one of them.

In any case, the NealGamefy Wireless Switch Pro Controller is a Pro-style controller with a comparable size and layout to Nintendo’s own Switch Pro Controller, with similar asymmetrical analog stick layout and button placement for the standard face buttons. It also avoids a few common pitfalls when it comes to the buttons and D-Pad, which both work great here (avoiding a major failing of the Gammeefy JC200 Switch Controller, I will note). What’s more, all of the shoulder buttons feel comfortable, avoiding the too-high angle ZL and ZR buttons that I tend to find in many third-party Nintendo Switch controllers, although they do have the downside of being digital triggers rather than analog, which doesn’t mean much for Nintendo Switch players, but may disappoint those who want to use this controller on other game platforms.

The secondary face buttons have been moved around a bit – the screenshot button has been shuffled to the right where the Home button usually sits, and the Home button has been placed dead-center. Personally, I’m fine with this change – if the Home button is going to be anywhere other than the spot Nintendo has it on the right side on their controllers, I think dead-center is ideal, and the screenshot button doesn’t get in the way, and is seldom-enough used that I doubt this change will trip up many players.

Most other standard Pro controller features work fine here. This controller can wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode just fine, it features gyroscopic motion control that works very well, and while it does not feature HD Rumble support, it has an adjustable rumble feature that some will find to be a more than acceptable substitute. The only standard feature missing here, as is often the case on third-party Nintendo Switch controllers, is the ability to scan Amiibo figurines.

As for additional features, the NealGamefy Wireless Switch Pro Controller has a Turbo button positioned where the screenshot button used to be, which works in the standard manner Turbo buttons tend to work, combining with other buttons on the controller to make them “Turbo” buttons. There’s also a small “settings” button nestled to the lower-right of the right analog stick, used in conjunction with other buttons to adjust the turbo, the rumble, and the lighting settings for the controller. Interestingly, with the controller lit up, this small dark spot remains well-hidden, and there’s little chance of accidentally hitting it during play.

One feature you do tend to see on many controllers with a mid-range price like this one is programmable macro buttons, which the NealGamefy Wireless Switch Pro Controller does not have. However, this controller does have a really nice extra option that I wish I saw more of – support for the KeyLinker smartphone app, which allows players to reassign buttons or adjust settings on the controller directly from the app, without having to re-pair the controller.

Rounding out these features is support for connecting to mobile devices via Bluetooth, and connecting to PC via wired USB-C connectivity. Both of these work well, and although it’s a shame this doesn’t support wireless connectivity on PC, it may be just as well – multi-platform controllers with wireless PC connectivity rarely seem to work well when connected that way anyway.

For it’s price of $30, the NealGamefy Wireless Switch Pro Controller is overall an all-around solid third-party Gamepad for Nintendo Switch, although at this price point I do wish it had a few more features, like analog triggers and those missing macro buttons I mentioned. Still, the app support on mobile devices is a huge plus, and on the whole I think this is one of the better Nintendo Switch controllers you can get at this price point. Definitely worth a look!

tl;dr – The NealGamefy Wireless Switch Pro Controller is a mid-range Pro-style controller that feels good, has a good layout, buttons that work well, and the ability to wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode. And it has a few nice extra features as well, like a Turbo button, smartphone app support, and the ability to play on PC and mobile platforms as well as Switch. However, it lacks other features, like analog triggers and macro buttons. Overall, I think this is a pretty good controller for the price, even if it could be better.

Grade: B+

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