With Donkey Kong Bananza now making its case as the true launch title for the Nintendo Swap 2, I wanted a controller that would sustain with Kong’s crashing fists. When it got here to a recreation that epitomized pleasure and catharsis in equal measure, Nintendo’s personal Professional machine proved a number one contender as finest all-around, however not for the explanations you could assume.
I spent my very own cash on an $85 Swap 2 Professional controller. Accounting for tax, it was nearer to $95, which is almost one-fifth of the whole value I paid for my Swap 2. It’s at present one of the costly gamepads you should buy for the Nintendo’s new handheld, which is partially why the machine has induced its personal controversy. The restore gurus at iFixit referred to as it “a piss poor excuse” for a gamepad. They excoriated it not only for the way it’s principally not possible to take aside, however for its lack of Corridor impact joysticks. These sorts of sticks use a magnetic discipline to cut back the danger of stick drift. The Professional 2 nonetheless makes use of potentiometer joysticks, which may put on out over time and create points the place the controller imagines inputs you didn’t intend. Once I introduced my controller to the checkout counter, the retail employee requested if I wished insurance coverage. “The sticks can begin to drift,” she mentioned. Not a very good first impression.
See Swap 2 Professional Controller at Amazon
Nintendo Swap 2 Professional Controller
It feels good in-hand, however there are higher choices for those who can cope with connectivity points.
Professionals
Good really feel in-hand
Additional-large face buttons
Constructed-in headphone jack
Programmable again paddles
Cons
Nintendo limits third-party controllers
Rumble is not nearly as good as cheaper choices
D-pad and bumper buttons are spongey
© James Pero / Gizmodo
These complaints are greater than warranted, however the Professional controller does really feel purpose-built for contemporary titles like Bananza. It’s snug for many gamers, each large and small, due to its overly giant face buttons and the sleek, rubbery really feel of the sticks. I would favor triggers with extra depth to every pull, however Swap 2 video games received’t require any type of pressure-sensitive set off until you play a GameCube title. In that case, Nintendo’s recreated $65 GameCube controller remains to be your finest guess for correct gameplay. My major gripes with the controls are the gentle L and R buttons and the spongy D-pad that received’t cross muster for any preventing recreation aficionado. Is it the type of machine I’d spend practically $100 on? Usually, no. The issue is that third-party controllers on Swap 2 lack a number of options of the Professional 2 controller, which looks like a deliberate act on Nintendo’s half.
The hedges of Nintendo’s walled backyard are as excessive and floral as they’ve ever been. Gamers who purchased Nintendo’s $450 handheld have a variety of selections for a case or cameras in the event that they’re really jonesing to see their uneven face represented in GameChat, however gamepads are one other story. From a controller perspective, Nintendo’s system is designed at the beginning for first-party. Certain, you possibly can say that about any console, however Nintendo’s machine makes connecting third-party controllers a chore.
For evaluate, each 8BitDo and Gulikit despatched me their newest controllers to pair with Swap 2. Each makers have stable observe information, and I’d have anticipated a straightforward time linking them and the Swap 2. 8BitDo’s $60 Final 2 controller and Gulikit’s newest $50 Elves 2 Professional—made to seem like a basic Genesis gamepad—lack a “C” button for GameChat. That’s not a heavy knock towards both machine since you may nonetheless entry the voice chat operate by means of the house menu. The difficulty for each was how laborious it turned to pair them with Nintendo’s handheld. Each require new firmware updates by means of their respective web sites. Even then, pairing them to the console might take two seconds or greater than a minute.
See 8BitDo Final 2 Controller at Amazon
See Elves 2 Professional Controller at Amazon
© James Pero / Gizmodo
Gulikit informed Gizmodo that the Swap 2 is utilizing a special connection protocol than the unique Swap. This implies all third-party machine makers needed to regulate on the fly to what Nintendo modified. For one, Nintendo’s Professional 2 controller is the one gamepad that allows you to use Nintendo’s software program to program the GR and GL again buttons. The choice doesn’t come up on any controller, not even the formally licensed, wired PowerA Benefit controller at $40. As an alternative, it’s a must to maintain down the “PGRM” button on the again, choose a button you need to map, after which hit one of many two AGR or AGL buttons on the rear.
See Energy A Benefit Controller at Amazon
The inconsistencies mount when attempting to get gyro controls working. There have been uncommon cases when the Final 2 wouldn’t acknowledge them. In any other case, each 8BitDo’s controller and Elves 2 Professional had gyros simply as correct, if no more so, than Nintendo’s machine. Bonanza makes use of gyros solely when aiming a piece in Bananza or when including a second participant to manage Pauline as DK’s vocal turret. I favor gyro aiming for Nintendo’s video games and in third-party video games like Cyberpunk 2077, so the shortage of it on the PowerA Benefit controller doesn’t assist it stand out regardless of its lower cost.
Whereas Donkey Kong Bananza needs you to really feel like DK with each swing of your fist, Nintendo’s Professional 2 controller lacks an evocative rumble. It barely shuddered my palms. 8BitDo’s Final 2 was like a jackhammer as compared. Each cracked stone hit my wrists with a satisfying shudder. The Elves 2 Professional and Energy An absence rumble, however I’d additionally recommend you take a look at Gulikit’s KK3 Max. It has stable rumble and gyro controls. It additionally has the identical connection issues as the remainder of these units.
See Gulikit’s KK3 Max at Amazon
Nintendo additionally ensured that solely its first-party controllers might wake the console from sleep. It’s simply one other annoying truth that offers Nintendo’s Professional controller an edge. The Final 2 or KK3 Max are each nice first choices for those who can abdomen these connectivity points, however after a number of multiplayer classes the place controllers inexplicably disconnect, the issues aren’t one thing you may ignore. Put collectively, it’s sufficient to make me want I had been Donkey Kong—solely pondering of his subsequent banana repair—and with no take care of walled gardens or costly controllers.
