EasySMX S10 Controller

Hardware Type: Controller

.

Review:

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

I’m starting to see third-party controllers releasing claiming to be compatible with Nintendo Switch 2, but until now all of them have merely been Nintendo Switch controllers that are forward-compatible with Nintendo Switch 2, rather than controllers that are natively compatible with Nintendo Switch 2. Congratulations, EasySMX, yours is the first controller I’ve found that not only talks the talk, but can walk the walk.

That said, it’s a bizarre walk, involving one very unusual step. To get this controller to be fully-functional on Nintendo Switch 2, you need to change the controller to Nintendo Switch mode, hold the home button until the controller is in pairing mode, go to the Nintendo Switch 2 settings menu and then the controller “change grip order” option until the controller pairs, then (and here’s the odd part) for some reason remove and reattach a Joy-Con from the side of the Nintendo Switch 2.

Okay, so with that weirdness out of the way, I’m reviewing my first true third-party Nintendo Switch 2 controller (which also works for the original Nintendo Switch, unlike Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller). So the question then becomes, “how good is it?”

Like many of the Pro-style controllers released for Nintendo Switch, the EasySMX S10 Controller replicates the general size, shape, and layout of Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with asymmetrical analog sticks with a convex rimmed top, along with standard face buttons and D-Pad in the usual places. The backside of the grips are very lightly textured. Overall I felt this controller was fairly comfortable to hold, much like holding Nintendo’s own Pro controller.

One of the features this controller offers is a magnetic hot-swappable faceplate with two different styles, as well as two different types of D-Pad – a disc-shaped D-Pad in a style that I despise but some people inexplicably like, and a traditional plus-shaped D-Pad.

Both the D-Pad and face buttons are more on the “clicky” side of the “squishy/clicky” spectrum, but aren’t too terribly loud and feel pretty responsive and control well in-game. As for the analog sticks, the EasySMX S10 Controller is equipped with TMR sticks, which is the top-of-the-line tech currently used in analog sticks, which work in a way that won’t suffer from drift. In my opinion, everything here works well, no complaints.

Moving on to the rest of the standard features, on the top of the controller, we have a pair of clicky L and R bumper buttons, as well as a pair of digital ZL and ZR triggers. While this is ideal for use on Nintendo Switch, which cannot recognize analog triggers, it does mean that this will be less useful on other platforms that make use of that feature, particularly in Racing games.

Getting back to the controller’s face, the secondary face buttons are all present, though the home and screenshot buttons have been shifted down to the very bottom of the controller, underneath the D-Pad and right analog stick. It’s an odd placement for them, but it’s not too terribly difficult to access.

Between these two buttons, there’s a “C” button and… okay, this is just dumb. This button is basically permanently tied to a macro command that uses the home button to return to the Nintendo Switch 2 main menu, move the cursor down to the “Chat” menu, and select it to open it. I suppose in lieu of direct access to this feature in the Nintendo Switch 2’s architecture, this is a sufficient “duct tape and chewing gum” way to do the same thing, but it’s still adorably janky.

When it comes to the other standard features of Nintendo Switch controllers, this controller includes the ability to wirelessly wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode, as well as the Nintendo Switch 2 if the controller is set up properly. The gyroscopic motion control works fine, too. It has adjustable rumble and supposedly also has HD rumble, which I can’t really test but it does seem pretty good (though not on par with Nintendo Switch 2’s HD Rumble 2). It also does have Amiibo functionality, a rarity in third-party Nintendo Switch controllers.

Flipping the controller over to look at its underside, we have a pair of macro buttons that can be assigned to a button or a sequence of commands, like a Street Fighter-style “hadouken”. This is done using a macro settings button in the center, which also works in conjunction with the buttons on the front of the controller as a turbo button, operating in the typical way that turbo buttons behave. Finally, to the side of this button is a switch that can change the controller from S mode (working with Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2) to X mode (working with PC, Android, and iOS).

I wasn’t able to test this with iOS, but the controller worked fine on Android, and I was surprised to find it also worked fine on PC via Bluetooth connection, something that usually makes for a poor connection in controllers that necessitates the use of a USB dongle, but this wasn’t necessary here.

In addition to this, the EasySMX S10 Controller is compatible with the KeyLinker Android app, enabling players to quickly change button assignments, turbo settings, vibration strength, and other options all without disconnecting from the platform the controller is synced to.

When it comes to downsides, there are very few here. I’m a bit disappointed that there are only two macro buttons, and the lack of analog triggers limits this controller’s use on non-Nintendo platforms. Also, it’s not as comfortable as the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller, and is lacking that controller’s HD Rumble 2, game-specific customizable GL and GR buttons, as well as not having that controller’s headset jack.

However, the EasySMX S10 Controller is also $25 less expensive than the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller, and comes with numerous excellent features that Nintendo’s controller lacks – cross-platform compatibility, TMR analog sticks, swappable D-Pads, app support, turbo function, macro buttons. This may not be a perfect controller, but it is as close to perfect as I have encountered thus far on Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s a strong contender on the original Nintendo Switch as well (though there’s far tougher competition there).

While I do have a fondness for Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch 2 controller, dollar for dollar I think the EasySMX S10 Controller easily beats it, and if you’re looking for a Pro-style controller on Nintendo Switch 2, I think you should strongly consider getting this controller instead of the more-expensive one Nintendo is selling.

tl;dr – The EasySMX S10 Controller is a Pro-style controller for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 that’s feature-rich, with very few flaws, and yet is still $25 cheaper than Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. It may not boast all the features Nintendo’s controller has, but it has plenty of features Nintendo’s controller doesn’t, and overall I think this is a much better “bang for your buck”. If you’re looking to buy a controller for Nintendo Switch 2 (or the original Nintendo Switch), the EasySMX S10 Controller needs to be a part of that conversation.

Grade: A-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Jamie and His Cats, Ben, Ilya Zverev, Andy Miller, Johannes, Jaka, Jared Wark, Gabriel Coronad-Medina, Francis Obst, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}