Today we have the Hori SwitchPad. Don’t be fooled, this unassuming controller is a good peripheral to use for RPGs and light gaming to input-heavy games will never give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.
Let’s start with the face, which is simple but nice on the thumbs. Utilizing the standard layout serves its purpose well as you play, providing great response times upon pressing even on the D-pad, which we’ll cover in a bit. There’s only a Turbo Button this time considering there are no extra buttons underneath the grip or under the shoulder buttons, so no Assign Button is present with it, which might make it feel bare compared to the Switch FPS Plus but it’s easily overshadowed by its performance.
Similar to its cousin the FPS Plus, it is a wired controller via USB, allowing players a wider range of use as it also connects to the PC with Steam Support, but no supporting software to fine-tune it so it is perfect for gamers who like to go plug-and-play, working with what you can get.
Now, for a bit more detail. Its D-Pad face is removable, showing the buttons underneath for those used to the regular JoyCons’ button-type D-Pads rather than the cross-type, it is a good offering for both sides, and while I prefer the cross-type personally, I think the removable plate can be a bit janky at first but still offers the same movement and response, so it depends on the user.
The shoulder buttons are wide and the ZL/ZR buttons have a slight curve which avoids grip slip quite well, allowing your fingers a bit of resting space when not pressing them and are pretty comfy which is quite the advantage if you’re grinding for quite a while or even going for an all-nighter session.
So, to sum everything up and with a PHP1,195.00-1,245.00 price range and three colors (Red, Blue, and Black) with such a simple but effective style, it’s a great third-party controller that endures heavy use and abuse which would last you a long time of service, and it even comes with a pretty-collectible small cardboard box which doesn’t stand out too much nor takes that much space in the storage.
