Hori Nintendo Switch Split Pad Pro (Red) Ergonomic Controller for Handheld Mode – Officially Licensed By Nintendo…

If this thing were $30 I’d give it a 5 star review and keep it, but I think I’m going to return it. This is a good product but I think it lacks the justification of charging $50 for it.Pros:1) lightweight2) much more comfortable to use in handheld mode.3) joysticks I think are better than the pro controllerCons:1) no gyro sensors. I am a PC gamer and play Overwatch a lot. Overwatch released on the Switch so of course I bought it. I’m terrible at console controls and the gyro aiming feature on Overwatch is pretty fun on the Switch. There are no gyro sensors on this controller so I can’t use that feature in game in handheld mode.2) handheld mode use only – If this controller could become a wireless controller as far as ergonomics go I think I’d prefer it over the pro controller. Doesn’t necessarily need to copy the same functions as a Joy-Con, but just as an alternative to a pro controller would be nice. If it had this feature I think it would justify the cost of $50 or $603) it doesn’t drain the battery as fast as others claim it does. It definitely has to use some power since it doesn’t have its own batteries. Still it is a con although a small one.4) Very large – I get that that’s the point of it, but I think they could have done it without making the controls so wide.It has extra buttons on the back as well as rapid mode. Haven’t used them though since I don’t see the benefit in any of the games I play. If you play games that don’t use gyro sensors then these are great. Mario Odyssey and Super Smash are much more enjoyable on these for handheld mode.If you need gyro functionality then you should pass on this. I’d keep them for $30 considering the features it has, but $50 is a bit much for a handheld use only controller that is basically just some buttons and joysticks without any battery, wireless radios, and gyroscopic accelerometers which typically justifies the cost of other controllers. The Switch pro controller is only $10 more than this and has a lot more functionality. I’m almost considering just using the kickstand on the Switch with a switch pro controller for my portable use case scenario.

If you’ve got big hands or have struggled to play the Switch with JoyCons, then you know why you’re looking at these controllers. You probably will appreciate them, but there are some pros/cons/drawbacks you should be aware of.You’re gonna see a lot of reviews all repeating the same things about this accessory. I make mention of those as well, but I also felt the need to write my review because there are a number of important notes that NO ONE else is mentioning, so here goes!PROS:- Big, full-sized buttons and analog sticks- More comfortable button/stick layout due the wideness (the sticks aren’t directly below the buttons)- Provide a better grip than JoyCons (though not perfect, read more below)- Concave analog sticks (this might be subjective)- Plug & Play; they connect immediately and easily- Customizable “Assign” button on each side (with one caveat read below)- Customizable “Turbo” button on each side (with same caveat, read below)- They have ‘memory’ so your “Assign” buttons stay assigned even when the system is turned off- Switch fits in the dock with them attachedCONS:- They DRAIN THE CONSOLE’S BATTERY /!\ (Read more below) (My biggest complaint and disappointment)- “Assign” buttons can’t be set to (+) or (-)- Lack of Motion Controls- Lack of vibration feedback- Lack of Amiibo support- The wideness of the system might feel weird, at least at first (read more in caveats)- Good luck finding a carrying case to fit these!CAVEATS:- The grip is not as perfect as I’d hoped. It’s still good and definitely better than the JoyCons, however I was hoping for something with more to hold onto in the palm. I think these would have benefitted from being a little more functional and aesthetic in this regard. They sure look cool, but they’d be better to hold onto if the “handle” parts stuck out a bit more and were more rounded/bulbous than being a short little arrow head. I still find myself having to support the device with my pinkies or on my lap/abdomen because of this.- Since they are two independent controllers that don’t actually communicate with each other, the Turbo and Assign buttons can only be assigned to a button on its respective side. In other words, you can’t set the left Assign button to A, B, X, Y, R, or ZR and you can’t set the right Assign button to Up, Down, Left, Right, L, or ZL. This is an important drawback if you were hoping to set the extra buttons to Left and Right, or multiple face buttons. It’s not a total deal-breaker, but something to be aware of if you had specific games/gameplay in mind.- The Assign buttons also CANNOT BE SET TO (+) OR (-)! This is a downer for me. I’m not sure why they did this. I doubt there is any technical limitation; so they probably wrongly assumed that no one would want quick access to the tings that are usually assigned to these buttons (maps and menus), but this was a very poor decision IMO. A lot of games use + or – for menus and maps and it would have been awesome to have a game’s map at hand like that.- Since these are so wide, they do make holding the system a bit odd at first. I think you might get used to it. I’ve only had one play session so far, so I’m not sure, but it did seem to become less or unnoticeable by the time I stopped playing.SUBJECTIVE NOTES:- Very lightweight, more so than the JoyCons. This can be a positive or negative depending on preference.- I find concave analog sticks to be much better on every controller ever and would burn convex sticks from history if I could, but I understand that some insane people prefer those for some crazy reason, lol.- The Turbo buttons have two modes that can be cycled through: Set a turbo button once and it will be turbo only while you hold the button, set that button as turbo a second time and that button will autofire without pressing it at all. Personally, I find this a bit annoying because you can’t quickly unset the turbo without having the button get spammed for a moment while you cycle it twice. This may or may not be any issue to you, and I can imagine the feature would be useful for certain games like shoot-em-ups, space shooters, bullet hell, etc.ON THE SUBJECT OF AMIIBO/VIBRATION/MOTION (My Opinion):- It is important to be aware that these features are missing, but how important they are to you will greatly depend on what games you play and how you wish to play them.- Amiibo support really isn’t a big deal, as they aren’t super useful in games and generally are only used for “bonus” type things; never a main mechanic you need often at all. Also, since these controllers are intended for handheld play, you’re probably carrying them around with you, maybe outside of home, in which case, you’re probably not lugging around a bunch of bulky plastic figures as well.- Lack of rumble is too bad, but it’s not a necessary feature for the majority of games. I think there could be some games that need “HD Rumble” for things, but I’m not sure in this mode. The only two games I can think of that use HD Rumble as a mechanic are 1-2 Switch and some Mario Party minigames. The former can only be played with the JoyCons attached, so it’s a non-issue. Mario Party has the same situation if you’re playing with a group of people. If you’re playing solo, go play a better solo game! Lol, kidding, but I’m really not sure how those minigames work in handheld mode when playing solo even with real JoyCons.- Lack of motion control is the biggest of these three drawbacks if you ask me, as they are often very useful or even necessary in some games such as Breath of the Wild (aiming arrows and such) and Splatoon (you don’t NEED to play Splatoon with motion controls, but most players do and those of us who do know how much better it is to play with them). I really wish they’d have put this feature in. Maybe they’ll make an upgraded version with it some day.ABOUT THE CONSOLE BATTERY DRAIN:Because these don’t have any internal battery like official JoyCons do, they are basically have to sap power from the system (the power transfer is the same way JoyCons charge via the console when it’s docked). I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it has to work – because they need power and that power must come from somewhere.I’ve had a few play sessions with these. It’s not quite a scientific test, but during those sessions, it was very apparent that my console battery was draining much faster than it usually does in handheld mode. Again, note that this is not a controlled scientific test or anything (I might go ahead and do a real controlled test sometime soon to verify), but it’s pretty apparent and like I said, the controllers NEED to be powered somehow and the power draw mechanism IS there to charge JoyCons, so I’m near certain the Split Pad Pro saps power from the console while in use.Sadly, this is a huge drawback for me and my biggest complaint. Ultimately this is what makes this device a disappointment for me and likely why I won’t use them as often as I’d intended to. I REALLY WISH Hori had just put batteries in these things. How expensive could that be? Personally, I’d have paid an extra $10 easily to avoid this issue.ABOUT PORTABLE/CARRYING CASE SITUATION:This might change in time, but right now, I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find a carrying case that can fit your Switch tablet and these in it. There’s obviously no cases made specifically for the Switch that will fit with the system with them connected. You might be able to find some long generic carrying case like for a gun or something with standard insulating foam in it, but otherwise, you’ll have to find one of those thicc phatboi cases that has large enough storage on the upper or lower compartment that will fit the Split Pad Pro. I have one case that is fairly big/tall (like 2.5 or 3 times as tall as the Switch, but it still can’t fit these in it. I do believe I’ve seen taller ones than that available, so there’s probably a solution, but you’ll have to do a bunch of checking measurements and possibly even purchasing trial-and-error (thankfully Amazon does have free returns on a lot of items for Prime members now though!) though. Even then, though, remember now you’re carrying a huge box around, lol. But I suppose that’s the only way to take these out of the house.I hope HORI or some other brand or Chinese generic accessory maker sees the opportunity and makes a case specifically for the Switch and these.SUMMARY:At the end of the day, if you’ve got big hands and want to play handheld, there is no other solution that provides a true controller layout like the Split Pad Pro does. There are some really good and well-reviews grips and grip cases out there, some that do provide better palm grip than the Split Pad Pro, however, none of them can make the JoyCon buttons and sticks larger or adjust their placement. However, the battery drain is a HUGE issue especially if you intend to use them to play outside. If you find the tiny buttons and sticks on the JoyCons difficult to use or that the squeezed together layout is uncomfortable and don’t mind the battery drain or intend to play mostly indoors with access to a power supply, then you should definitely give the Split Pad a try. There’s nothing like it!If you play mostly outside and/or can’t accept shortened console battery life, I’d advise you stay away.If you’re okay with the size and layout of the JoyCon buttons, but feel like you just need more grip in the palm area, then these may help, although the grip accessories and/or grip cases available might be a better solution for you. If you’ve got the money, I would suggest trying multiple things and deciding what feels best. I think most of those grips and cases on Amazon have free returns for Prime members, and I assume once the Split Pad Pro is restocked and they get it into the Prime warehouses, it may have the same situation, so you could try them all and return what’s unneeded. Best of luck, fellow big-handed gamers!

Im loving it so far! Feels great once connect it reminds me of a Xbox One Controller. Sticks are nice and tight and the D Pad feel real good. So far I tested it on BOTW, Astral Chain, Super Smash Bros, Dragon Quest XI, and Stret Fighter. This will change the game for FPS and Fighters on the Switch.

I purchased this after having to cancel my switch lite preorder. I took a chance on it for 3 reasons no nfc, the grips, and last the programmable buttons. I’ve used analog sticks for years and after Dragons dogma caused me to use analog stick click so much it caused the dreaded drift. So as soon as I saw those buttons it was a must buy. And I love them I programmed the click to the back buttons and now don’t have to choose what games to play docked with my pro controller. Also as a person with deformed wrists the grips let me use my pinky to prop up the switch more comfortably and centered. As for the build it’s hit and miss it has the build of a Xbox 360 launch controller down to the analog sticks feeling nearly identical but the face buttons are more Dreamcast quality meaning they are sensitive. But Hori seems to remedy this by adding turbo function so the face button abuse can be minimized to get over that factor. As for the d pad and 4 top buttons, first the d pad it is okay diagonal movement seems stiff but it’s not bad good for 2D games at first it was not responsive and stiff but after a while it loosened and works great. The top L&R buttons are solid and the programmable button seem solid but feel like a Logitech controller in terms of durability meaning they can take a fair amount of abuse. All in all above average for a 3rd party product feels good in the hands and perfect for 3rd person games. I tested it rigorously with Dragons Dogma, yuka laylee, astral chains, venture kid, and oniken and it improved my response times and not having to click the analog sticks allowed me to keep my console nice and centered. One great thing about this is unlike the joycons it doesn’t slide up overtime and when locked in place it is nice and tight. But there is a drawback to this and it’s not the lack of functions but power draw. Since they lack their own power source they drain the battery faster, I noticed I would get about an hour less from a full charge using them on a revised switch. But that seemed to be the only real drawback but other than that these are really worth getting if you play in handheld mode primarily. The build quality feels like an official controller from 2004 so it is above average and with the programmable buttons and turbo functions helping to minimize button abuse and stick clicking it can last more than a year with heavy use.

Pretty cool product for what it is. They are just HUGE. You could fit 2 switch screen within these, with how thick they are and they don’t look natural on the switch at all. Another gripe of mine is I can’t fit the switch in any of my switch cases.I’ll admit they do feel pretty damn good in your hands though. Almost like the joycons should have came this way. Also, the switch still fits in the docking station.