ExtremeCool NC800 Controller

Hardware Type: Controller

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Review:

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

Before I get into this review proper, I have to clear the air on something here. I honestly wasn’t sure what to call this thing, because between the Amazon listing for this controller and what’s printed on the box and controller itself, it has a blend of multiple brand names and product names. Amazon’s listing says this controller is being sold by Svetaecho, but both the controller and the box say the controller is made by ExtremeCool, with the logo on the front of the controller being ExtremeCool’s logo. Neither company’s website lists the controller among its products. Meanwhile, Amazon’s website doesn’t seem to list a model number or proper name for the controller (though it has an ASIN, B0H6JRLX77), while the box calls this controller both the Omni 8 and the NC800, and the controller just calling it the NC800. So having said all of that, I’m going with ExtremeCool NC800, and throughout the rest of the review that’s what I’ll refer to it as, but for all I know some other combination of those brand names, product names, and product numbers may be valid.

Okay, having said all of that, the NC800 advertises something that I haven’t seen often, and have only seen done well just one time: it claims to be both a Nintendo Switch controller and a Nintendo Switch 2 controller (in addition to other platforms). And by this I mean it doesn’t just connect to the Nintendo Switch 2 via backwards-compatibility with Nintendo Switch hardware and accessories, but also makes use of at least one of the Nintendo Switch 2’s unique features – namely, the ability to wake the Nintendo Switch 2 from sleep mode, which most Nintendo Switch controllers cannot do. You may recall, the last time I found a controller that truly backed up this claim, the EasySMX S10 Controller, I gave that controller the eShopperReviews 2025 Game Award for Best Hardware. So the NC800 is aiming pretty high, and has big shoes to fill.

I won’t bury the lead here: the NC800 is indeed capable of waking both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 from sleep mode, and on Nintendo Switch 2 it does this the exact same way as EasySMX’s controller: you sync it to the Nintendo Switch 2 like normal, and then while still in the controller menu, you detach and reattach the right Joy-Con 2 controller from the console. It’s an oddity I don’t quite understand, but for whatever reason this seems to be a loophole that enables the wake function on this controller for Nintendo Switch 2.

Well, okay then. That’s the tough part out of the way right at the start. So then the question becomes, how well does the rest of the controller hold up? Let’s have a look…

Like many of the Pro-style controllers released for Nintendo Switch, the NC800 replicates the general size, shape, and layout of Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with asymmetrical analog sticks with a concave top, along with standard face buttons and D-Pad in the usual places. The outside edge 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. It’s not nearly as comfortable to hold as the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, but that’s possibly the most comfortable controller I’ve ever held, so falling short of that is no slight against the NC800.

The D-Pad is more on the “clicky” side of the “squishy/clicky” spectrum, but isn’t too terribly loud and feels very responsive and controls well in-game, while the standard face buttons are more on the “squishy” side and work similarly well. As for the analog sticks, the NC800 is equipped with hall effect sticks, which works 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 ZL and ZR triggers with switches that change them from analog to… well, let’s say “faux digital” – they still have a little give, but not much. The analog triggers are important for playing on non-Nintendo platforms that can make use of them, but for play on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, it’s nice to be able to swap to the more-responsive digital(-ish) triggers since the Nintendo Switch line of hybrid consoles don’t use analog triggers in their Pro-style controllers, meaning that feature would be wasted here and just result in less-responsive triggers. All of this is to say that having switches to allow for both types of trigger is an excellent feature.

Getting back to the controller’s face, the secondary face buttons are all present, but swapped around a bit. The home button is now the large silver ExtremeCool logo button at the center-top, plus and minus are roughly the same place they usually are, and the screenshot button is now on the right side under the plus button. For those wondering, this controller does not have Nintendo Switch 2’s “C” button, nor its headphone jack.

In place of where the screenshot button usually is, there’s now a turbo button that works in the standard way this sort of button usually does, and underneath it is a macro-programming “M” button, which I’ll discuss in a little bit.

When it comes to the other standard features of Nintendo Switch controllers, this controller includes decent gyroscopic motion control. And while it doesn’t have HD Rumble or HD Rumble 2, it does have adjustable rumble, which is a decent enough tradeoff. However, it does completely lack Amiibo-scanning functionality.

Flipping the controller over to look at its underside, we see the aforementioned trigger switches to either side near the top, and then farther down there are 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 the macro settings button I mentioned at the front of the controller, which is fairly easy enough to set up despite being on opposite sides of the controller from the macro buttons you’re assigning commands to. Finally, at the bottom in the center is a lighting adjust button to change the color of the LED lights on the front of the controller.

In addition to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, this controller is also designed to be used with both Android and Windows platforms, and while the former worked just fine, I did notice some input lag when using the controller wirelessly on Windows, which was disappointing. It seems this controller could have really made use of a USB dongle for improved accuracy on PC… a dongle that oddly enough there’s a spot for in the included USB-C controller dock, even though no dongle is included.

Yeah, I should talk about the controller dock for a moment. Whether or not you like this will be a matter of personal preference. Personally, I prefer to just plug in my controllers the old-fashioned way, because a USB-C plug is interchangeable and not specific to this controller, and not having one of these devices in the package means I’m not spending money on it. On the other hand, if you don’t have a lot of controllers you’re swapping in and out, I could see how you’d appreciate the convenience this thing adds. Like I said, personal preference, so I don’t consider the inclusion of one of these things as a mark for or against the controller, I’m just letting you know it’s in here, and you can choose to use it, or not.

There’s one more major feature here worth mentioning – the NC800 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. This is always a welcome feature, and I’m glad it was included here.

When it comes to downsides, there are a few here, and I’ll start by mentioning things the EasySMX S10 Controller has that the NC800 doesn’t – as mentioned before, it lacks Amiibo-scanning capability, it doesn’t have the high-end TMR analog sticks, it suffers from a laggy wireless connection on PC, it doesn’t have that controller’s interchangeable D-Pads, changeable faceplate, or weird jerry-rigged “C” button. And like EasySMX’s controller, it only has two macro buttons, lacks Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller’s extremely comfortable feel, HD Rumble, game-specific GL and GR buttons, and headphone jack. Also, and this may just be personal preference, I found that muscle memory was causing me to press the screenshot button when I was reaching for the plus button, which was irritating.

That said, there are a few things going in NC800’s favor over the S10. The ability to swap between analog triggers and faux-digital triggers is a big one, and of course there’s the controller dock, but the biggest thing the NC800 has going for it over both the S10 and Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is its price – at $40, it’s 2/3rds the price of the S10, and less than half the price of Nintendo’s controller. Given how competitive the NC800’s list of features is with these more high-end controllers, its comfortably mid-range price makes it an absolute steal.

Because of this, the ExtremeCool NC800 Controller (or whatever it wants to call itself) has unseated the champion and has become my new pick for “Best Bang For Your Buck Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 Controller”. To be sure, I’m not saying this is the absolute best controller for either of those platforms – the S10 and Nintendo’s controller are still competitive in that regard on Nintendo Switch 2. But if you’re wanting a controller and looking to get value for your money, the NC800 is your absolute best choice to date.

tl;dr – The ExtremeCool NC800 Controller (which also sells under the brand name Svetaecho, and under the model name Omni 8), is a Pro-style controller that works on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 (including the ability to wake both from sleep mode), and has unseated my previous pick to become the new “Best Bang For Your Buck” controller for both platforms. It has its flaws – it can’t scan Amiibo figurines and suffers from input lag when using it wirelessly with a PC. However, at only $40 and with a list of features that makes it competitive with some high-end controllers, this is a fine choice for players looking to get more for less on either platform, and I absolutely recommend it.

Grade: A-

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