VidPPluing 2 Pack 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.)

(Note: This product is also being sold under the company name Global Hunter Technology Limited.)

By now, I’ve seen all sorts of gimmicks to sell controllers on the Nintendo Switch. I’ve seen tiny controllers that can fit on a key ring, I’ve seen controllers colored to look like they’re made out of candy, controllers designed to reproduce the shape of controllers from other game platforms, you name it. And when it came to gimmicks, VidPPluing went with an oldie but goodie: “let’s just throw two of the things in the box and make it seem like a bargain!”

There are worse ideas. If priced appropriately, it genuinely can be a good deal, and for players wanting a quick and easy way to get their local multiplayer situation set up, and ensuring everyone is using the same controller guarantees that no one is getting the bad controller… or if it’s not a very good controller, then at least no one is getting a worse controller.

Well, to start with, it’s hard to argue with the notion that VidPPluing 2 Pack Wireless Switch Pro Controller provides value. At $26, that works out to $13 per controller, which is rock-bottom pricing as far as wireless Pro-style controllers go. But that just leads to the question, is it also rock-bottom quality too?

Each VidPPluing controller is roughly comparable in size and shape to Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with a comparable button layout, and asymmetrical analog stick placement. However, VidPPluing’s controller weighs less, and feels considerably cheaper in its build. And while the choice to add rubberized grips may have seemed like a way to make this controller seem more like a luxury, I feel like this choice backfires, as it makes this part of the controller sticky and uncomfortable.

There’s a number of other issues with the controls here, and although none of these in and of itself is damning, together they start to add up. Both the D-Pad and face buttons are a bit too “squishy” for my tastes, making them feel less responsive, less precise. The ZL and ZR buttons are also a bit too raised for my tastes, making them slightly less comfortable. However, on the bright side of things, the analog sticks (not hall effect sticks, meaning drift may eventually become an issue) are concave, which I personally find to be more comfortable.

In terms of features, this controller can wirelessly wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode, it has decent gyroscopic motion control, and it has adjustable rumble in place of HD rumble (a common trade-off in third-party Nintendo Switch controllers that I generally see as sufficient). The only standard feature missing here is the ability to scan Amiibo figurines, which is a rarity in third-party Nintendo Switch controllers and definitely not something I would expect to find in a budget controller.

When it comes to additional features, the secondary face buttons have been shuffled around to make room for a Turbo button, which is now where the screenshot button typically is, with that button moving to the home button’s usual position, and the home button moving dead-center on the controller. This too is fairly typical of third-party Nintendo Switch controllers, and the Turbo function here works in as you would expect it to.

I should note that the instructions here list wired (though not wireless) PC connectivity too, though I was not able to get this to work. The controller testing software I use absolutely wigged out when I plugged this in, and the games I tried would not recognize it.

In the end, I think that the VidPPluing 2 Pack Wireless Switch Pro Controller more or less succeeds in its goal to be an extremely low-cost way to add two cheap Pro-style wireless controllers to your Nintendo Switch, in every meaning of the word “cheap”. For roughly the same price as this pair of mediocre controllers, you could get one of multiple other very good controllers, and if you don’t usually play your Nintendo Switch in local multiplayer I would highly recommend that you do that instead. However, if you’re looking to spend as little as possible to get multiple controllers that are merely passable, if you only need something “just good enough”, this should suffice.

tl;dr – The VidPPluing 2 Pack Wireless Switch Pro Controller is a 2-pack of Pro-style controllers that are extremely inexpensive, but you get what you pay for. These controllers aren’t outright bad, but they’re also not very good. However, if you’re looking for something that will equip multiple players on a shoestring budget, this will get the job done.

Grade: C+

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