Axybcool 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: I have also seen this controller sold under the brand name Svetaecho.)

After the many Nintendo Switch controllers I’ve reviewed, if there’s one notion that I feel has safely been debunked, it’s the idea that budget controllers are always low-quality. Quite the contrary, a budget controller, the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller (ES01), just won eShopperReviews’ pick for 2024 Hardware of the Year, and the Ligame Switch Wireless Controller, the Donajia Switch Wireless Controller, and the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller (ES03) were all listed among the runners-up. There’s a strong argument to be made that there has never been a better time to be a cheapskate looking to buy a Nintendo Switch controller.

The flipside of that, however, is that the bar has been raised that much higher for budget controllers now (and higher still for mid-range and high-end controllers), so any controller aiming to be worth picking up in this market had better bring its A-game. So naturally the question that leads to with the Axybcool Wireless Switch Pro Controller, also released in 2024 and yet another budget Pro-style Nintendo Switch wireless controller, is how well this shapes up to other alternatives on the market.

As with many of the Pro-style controllers released for Nintendo Switch, Axybcool’s controller is pretty comparable in size and shape to Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with a mostly-comparable button layout, and asymmetrical analog stick placement. However, Axybcool’s controller weighs less, and has textured grips.

Unlike Nintendo’s Pro Controller, the analog sticks on Axybcool’s controller use a concave top with a rim at the edge, which I tend to prefer. These sticks are also hall effect sticks, which means they shouldn’t suffer from “drift”.

The D-Pad and primary face buttons are far more “clicky” than Nintendo’s controller, and make quite a bit of noise during use. These controls were otherwise mostly decent, though I do feel like they did “stick” a little, as do the L and R shoulder buttons.

As for the ZL and ZR trigger buttons, these are analog buttons, which means they may be a bit less precise on Nintendo Switch, which cannot detect analog trigger input, but it makes them more ideal for use on other platforms this controller supports, most notably for Racing games, which tend to make use of these inputs.

The secondary face buttons have been rearranged into an odd configuration radiating out from the top-center of the controller, with the home button at the top center, the screenshot button directly beneath it, the plus and minus buttons oriented diagonally to either side, and an “M” button that’s not a macro button but actually a turbo button positioned dead-center on the face of the controller. This layout works well enough, but may take a bit of getting used to. For the record, the turbo button works in the standard way these buttons tend to be used.

When it comes to the other features of Nintendo Switch controllers, this controller includes the ability to wirelessly wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode, has decent gyroscopic motion control, and has adjustable rumble in place of HD rumble. And while it has no Amiibo functionality, this is rare in third-party Nintendo Switch controllers so I don’t hold that against it. There are no macro buttons or programmable buttons, no platform sync switch, or anything like that.

This is not to say Axybcool’s controller has no extra features of note, however. In addition to standard settings, there’s also an option to adjust deadzone sensitivity on the analog sticks, something you don’t often find in budget controllers. What’s more, Axybcool’s controller has full app support for the KeyLinker app, another uncommon feature in budget controllers.

As if that wasn’t enough, Axybcool’s controller does something else that’s pretty uncommon – its connectivity with Android devices, and both wired and wireless bluetooth connectivity with PC, all seem to work flawlessly. In my experience, this is somewhat rare among multiplatform Nintendo Switch controllers, which often struggle to get a good wireless connection with PC.

So, after all of that, what’s the final verdict on the Axybcool’s controller? There’s a lot going on here that’s quite good. The hall effect sticks, app support, and excellent PC and Android connectivity are all quite good, and even without the app you can adjust the dead zone on the analog sticks, which is rare in a controller at this price. On the other hand, the clicky, sticky face buttons are less than ideal, and the lack of macro buttons on the controller is a bit disappointing. Overall, I think it balances out to Axybcool Wireless Switch Pro Controller being a mostly-solid budget controller, but not a great one. If you’re on a budget and like the specific features this controller offers, I think you’ll be pleased, but otherwise you may want to skip this in favor of a controller with better face buttons.

tl;dr – The Axybcool Wireless Switch Pro Controller is a Pro-style controller that offers a low price point and has good PC and Android connectivity, app support, and a few other surprising features in a controller in this price range. however, it also has buttons that are less than ideal, and a lack of macro buttons. On balance, this is not a bad controller, but I think you’ll only want to get this if you’re on a tight budget and specifically looking for the features this controller offers.

Grade: B-

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