JDDWin Switch 2 Joy Con Charging Grip

Hardware Type: Grip

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Review:

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

While Nintendo Switch 2 is being celebrated for many things, one area where fans are far less appreciative is when it comes to Nintendo’s generosity, or to be more accurate the extreme lack of it. Nintendo setting a new high for baseline game prices at $80 with Mario Kart World, selling the glorified tech demo Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour for $10, and then there’s the accessories, which have followed suit.

For example, while Nintendo has included a grip for its new Joy-Con 2 controllers with the Nintendo Switch 2, this isn’t one of their new charging grips, but a much more basic-stripped-down version. And if you want to get a Nintendo charging grip, you’re looking to spend $40, more than the price of some good mid-range third-party Nintendo Switch controllers. Needless to say, many players have been looking to third parties for alternatives to Nintendo’s Grip as well. The JDDWin Switch 2 Joy Con Charging Grip is one such alternative.

While not exactly the same, JDDWin’s grip is roughly the same size and shape as Nintendo’s grip. It’s angled very slightly so it’s slimmer at the top and thicker at the bottom, but otherwise if you were holding one or the other in your hands and not looking at it, you’d have a hard time telling them apart. Personally, I don’t see this as a good thing – I find both grips to be uncomfortable and far less preferable than an actual standard Pro-style Controller.

JDDWin’s grip does use weaker magnets than Nintendo’s grip, and has an indicator light when it’s in use or charging, but that’s pretty much it, at least when compared to the standard Joy-Con 2 Grip that comes with the Nintendo Switch 2 console. That is, of course, save for the USB-C port at the top of the grip, which seems to work well enough for charging the Joy-Con 2 controllers when they’re away from the Nintendo Switch 2.

However, I would be remiss not to mention the one other feature of Nintendo’s Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip, and one that is notably not present here – the customizable GL and GR buttons. Nintendo’s standard grip doesn’t have them, but the charging grip they sell does, and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller has them as well. These buttons are an excellent feature that’s a major selling point of Nintendo’s charging grip. Is it worth the $15 difference in price between their grip and JDDWin’s grip? Ehh, that’s debatable, but I lean toward “no” – I think most people would rather save the $15 and go for this grip.

The problem here is that even at a lower price than what Nintendo is offering, JDDWin’s grip still seems too pricey to me. When I can get a pretty good third-party Nintendo Switch controller at the same price, I feel like players who are getting a grip for comfort when using Joy-Con controllers would be much better-served just buying a controller instead. as a result, even though I think JDDWin’s grip does an adequate job meeting the goals it sets for itself, that low-hanging fruit it’s aiming for just doesn’t justify the price.

tl;dr – The JDDWin Switch 2 Joy Con Charging Grip is a Grip to slide the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con 2 Controllers into to make them feel closer to a standard gamepad. It succeeds in this about as well as Nintendo’s standard Joy-Con Grip does (which is to say, not very well), but with the addition of a USB-C charging port for the Joy-Cons. It’s cheaper than Nintendo’s Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip, but lacks that Grip’s customizable GL and GR buttons, and while it’s $15 cheaper than Nintendo’s, that still makes it the same price as numerous third-party controllers that are going to be far better options.

Grade: C-

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