Comparison of Nintendo Switch controllers

Comparison of Nintendo Switch controllers

2019-07-20

The table belows provides a feature comparison of official and 3rd party controllers compatible with the Nintendo Switch.

This table is intentionally not complete; it’s possible to use many controllers with the Switch via adapters. I only included controllers that seemed popular on Reddit or that were otherwise interesting. It’s entirely possible I missed some controllers that would make this a better guide.

Some important terms that initially confused me:

Analog (thumb) stick. Controller component that allows for directional input in any direction. Popularized by the N64 controller. Some controllers, such as the Joy-Con, also allow for a “stick click” input, which the user activates by pushing the stick into the controller. This component wears down with use for all controllers, which eventually causes “drift”. However, in some controllers it wear downs faster than others.

D-pad. “Directional pad”. Flat, cross-shaped controller input popularized by Nintendo. Unlike analog sticks, the input is digital; it can only register up, down, left, and right. (Joy-Con controllers have no D-pad, and instead have discrete buttons, so that they mirror each other.) Good D-pads are important when playing 2-D games such as platformers and fighting games.

Triggers. Controllers either have no triggers, analog triggers, or digital triggers. GameCube controllers have analog triggers. Some 3rd party controllers have digital triggers. The first party Switch controllers have no triggers. If you intend to only play Switch games, any option is probably okay. However, you will need analog triggers for a small number of Switch games, such as Trials Rising and FAST RMX (a launch title), or if you intend to play old GameCube games such as Super Mario Sunshine.

Inputs. Controllers used with the Nintendo Switch should have 2 clickable analog sticks, a D-pad or equivalent, 8 action buttons (A, B, X, Y, L, R, ZL, ZR), and 4 system buttons (+, -, Home, and Capture). Controllers with fewer buttons can still work with the Switch, but may only be able to play a subset of games. For example, GameCube controllers can used to play Smash on the Switch, but they lack an “L” button so they may not work with other games.

HD Rumble. Nintendo’s proprietary advanced form of controller rumble used in “1, 2 Switch”, locking picking in Skyrim, and others. In a demonstration video from Nintendo’s Joy-Con demo at the Nintendo Switch event, Nintendo claimed the vibrations are so precise that it can realistically simulate the feeling of ice cubes colliding in a drinking glass. Read an explanation of how it works mechanically compared to old rumble motors.

Amiibo scanning. Can scan collectible figurines that yield in-game bonuses by holding them over the right Joy-Con when prompted.

Motion control. Means the controllers supports gestures such as tilt, shake, or pointing. Motion control requires the device to have a gyroscope and accelerometer. 6-axis motion control refers to Sony’s patented motion controls for their Dual Shock controllers. The Nintendo Switch does not utilize 6-axis motion control, so this feature is unimportant.

8BitDo. Hong Kong-based video game hardware company with a focus on retro-themed controllers. All of their controllers have a prominent D-pad, unlike most modern console controllers which place it in an awkward position. They sell a popular controller, the SN30 Pro, first unveiled at E3 2017, that is compatible with the Switch. (8BitDo uses abbreviations in their model names: “SN” stands for “Super Nintendo”, “SF” stands for “Super Famicom”, “G” stands for “Game Boy”, “C” for “GameCube”. “Pro” means it has analog sticks.) There are multiple variants of the SN30 Pro that you may encounter; they differ in style only. 8BitDo also sells the N30 Pro 2, a cheap and small Switch-compatible controller that is designed for portability. At E3 2018, 8BitDo unveiled a prototype SN30 Pro+ model, an improvement to the SN30 Pro, which will be released in August 2019 and cost approximately the same as the SN30 Pro.

USB-C. Transmits power and data on a single cable. Widely used in Android devices. The Switch has a USB-C connector used for charging or connecting to the dock. Many controllers use USB-C for charging and for wired connectivity.

Battery. Battery capacity is measured in milliamp hour (“mAh”). Higher ratings for the same battery type generally mean longer run times.

Hardware comparison (prices are at the time of this writing):

Takeaways:

Both official Nintendo controllers have the most features and are the only ones capable of scanning Amiibos, but they also are the only ones with many complaints of analog stick drift. If drift is a serious concern, many good alternatives exist. Otherwise, these controllers have the most features and are not much more expensive than the 3rd party alternatives. The seriousness of the drift issue is unclear. The Joy-Con is of course the most popular controller for the Switch, so it naturally will have the most number of complaints even if it is no worse than other controllers. Without data, it’s hard to evaluate the risk.

Between the two official Nintendo controllers, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller has many advantages: it’s cheaper, has a longer battery life, has better ergonomics, has a proper D-pad, and up to 8 can be connected to the Switch, whereas a maximum of four Joy-Con pairs can be connected (since each Joy-Coin counts as separate controller). However, the Joy-Con can function as two separate controllers in a pinch for games like Mario Kart, has more interesting motion control possibilites (such as aiming a weapon by pointing), and it has an IR camera sensor which can be used in some games.

If motion control is unimportant to you and you are optimizing for price, the two best options are the wired SN30 Pro ($25) or used GameCube controllers from friends/Craigslist/GameStop. Between these two, the GameCube controllers have less technical issues, but the wired SN30 Pro is smaller and more portable.

8BitDo’s SN30 Pro controller is a cheaper, more portable, alternative to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, but it lacks some of Nintendo’s proprietary features such as HD Rumble and Amiibo scanning (which may not matter to you). There are also reports of some issues which connectivity that the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller might not have. However, if you are looking to buy a new 8BitDo controller, it is probably worth waiting for the SN30 Pro+, which ships August 7, 2019. The Pro+ is only $5 more than the Pro, but has better ergonomics and is customizable.

If you want something super portable at the cost of ergonomics, the N30 Pro 2 looks the most interesting. The N30 Pro 2 is a fraction of the size of a standard GameCube controller. GameCube controller (top) vs. N30 Pro 2 (bottom)

For people who care about good D-pads, I haven’t found any recommendations. Both Nintendo controllers have serious issues, and 8BitDo, despite seeming to market themselves as really caring about retro gamers, somehow failed to make a Pro controller with a D-Pad people like. I’m curious to hear what people actually use, or if everyone just mods their controllers.

Other comments:

8BitDo controllers require installing firmware updates. Since I don’t own one, I don’t know how hard this is, but it’s something to consider if you’re not very technical. On the other hand, future firmware updates maybe enable compatibility with future consoles.

The SN30 Pro may only connect to the Switch via Bluetooth, even when connected via the USB cable. I can’t verify this though. Perhaps something to think about if you care about input latency. This may change with the SN30 Pro+.

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