Hosanwell Switch 2 Grip

Hardware Type: Case / Grip

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Review:

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

By now I’ve reviewed a fair number of “grip”-style cases for Nintendo Switch 2, and it takes something particularly interesting or unusual about such a case for me to pick it up for review. As it happens, Hosanwell has created a grip with just such a unique feature – interchangeable grips for the left and right sides of the unit.

Okay, my interest is piqued, so let’s have a look at this and see if it’s worth getting.

The case comes in seven pieces – a horseshoe-shaped main case cover, and three pairs of interchangeable grips that attach to two protrusions on the backside of the Nintendo Switch 2. These protrusions are right where your fingers would fall and they’re uncomfortable, so I don’t see players using this case without a set of grips attached at all.

This means that in theory if you wanted you could mix-and-match two different types of grips. While the idea here seems to be that you can swap these grips in and out as you please, I suspect most will try these grips out, find one pair that they like, and keep it attached to the main unit at all times. This is just as well, since I found it to be absurdly difficult to remove these grips after they’ve been slotted into place. When I tried doing so, I was afraid I’d break the case, damage my Nintendo Switch 2, or hurt myself. Take my advice if you get this case – test out the feel of each set of grips before snapping them fully into place, because once you do that you might not be able to get them back off.

While the case’s horseshoe shape may seem odd, this does have the added affect of leaving the Nintendo Switch 2’s back and underside unobstructed, meaning that you can access the kickstand, MicroSD port, and bottom USB-C port on the Nintendo Switch 2 just fine. As for the ports on the top, there are holes at the top of the case to make all of these accessible.

This minimalist design is mostly highly-functional, but it does mean that this case will be offering minimal protection, if this is protective at all. Rather, this is all about the look and form factor of the Nintendo Switch 2.

Speaking of look, the creators of this case made the odd choice of adding an orange bar to the back of the unit with labels “Power”, “Eject”, and “Reset”. While this gives the case an odd retro-futuristic design, it’s worth noting that there aren’t any functioning buttons here, and these words don’t correlate to any of the buttons on the Nintendo Switch 2 itself – “Power” is nowhere near the actual power button, and Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t have “eject” or “reset” buttons.

As for the functionality, I did actually find the widest of these grips, labeled the “trigger grip” on the packaging, to be surprisingly comfortable, one of the more comfortable grips I’ve used on the Nintendo Switch 2. The other grips I was less-enamored with, but I suppose others out there may feel differently, and including all of the options does mean they’ll have their choice.

Of course, this does mean that when you choose the grip you like most, the other ones will either be collecting dust in among your unused videogame accessories, or possibly even just tossed in the trash if you truly decide they’re never going to be used.

Finally, I want to point out one nice feature and one not-so-nice feature of the Hosanwell Switch 2 Grip. On the nice side of things, the horseshoe shape once again comes in handy, since it leaves the bottom of the Nintendo Switch 2 so free that it can dock normally. On the other hand, the way this case wraps around the Joy-Con 2 controllers means that you have to remove the case in order to detach the Joy-Con 2 controllers.

In the end, I think the Hosanwell Switch 2 Grip has a mix of good and bad qualities, though I do think it’s mostly a positive addition. As grip-style cases go, it offers multiple form options, and I think at least one of those options is quite good, and it doesn’t obstruct most of the functionality of the Nintendo Switch 2. on the other hand, it’s not very protective, it makes users remove the case to detach Joy-Con 2 controllers, and the grips on the back are a huge pain to remove once fully installed. This definitely feels like something that could be improved upon in a later model. However, as-is, it’s a decent case for anyone who just wants to add better grips to their Nintendo Switch 2.

tl;dr – The Hosanwell Switch 2 Grip is a dockable case for Nintendo Switch 2 that includes interchangeable grips to enable users to find the option that best fits their own preferences, and it doesn’t block off most of the Nintendo Switch 2’s ports and features like some cases do. Unfortunately, you still need to remove it to take off the Joy-Con 2 controllers, it offers minimal protection, and the swappable grips are a pain to remove once installed. While it has its issues, players wanting a better grip for their Nintendo Switch 2 may still find this worth a look.

Grade: B-

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