Hori - Split Pad Compact for Nintendo Switch - Light Gray & Yellow

Two things that I have always wanted on my Switch since launch are a proper d-pad and better ergonomics. I tried a few different grip cases and those d-pad caps that stick onto the individual arrow buttons but those grip cases never were dockable (even when claimed to do so) and the stick on d-pad cap always felt pretty cheap. Then there's the giant sea of third party joy cons online - many with mixed reviews. I came upon this one as it has been the most promising. I've had it for less than 24 hours but the dpad is excellent and the ergonomics are greatly improved. All the buttons have a satisfactory tactile push and click to them. The analog sticks are wonderful and leaps and bounds ahead of the standard joy con sticks. I played a few hours of Dead Cells and Shovel Knight and having the d-pad feels like a game changer. I also tried the analog sticks out on the retro FPS game DUSK and it was a lot of fun and felt a great sense of precision and control. The biggest thing keeping this from being a 5-star review is no rumble. That haptic feedback can be not only satisfying in games, but feels crucial in certain first party games where rumble is used to indicate a hint (i.e. Super Mario Odyssey or Breath of the Wild). It's also fairly wide so you'll need to buy a case specific for these if you plan to travel with and want to protect them. I tried removing each side and putting them into the upper zippered compartment of my large Fintie Switch case with the screen seperate on the bottom but they are too large. Since these are not wireless or battery powered, I suspect this is why they had to add the Assign & Turbo buttons on both sides which I never plan to use and take away from what could have been a sleeker device. In summary, if you're someone like me who has been wanting a proper d-pad or improved ergonomics, this should be at the top of your list. The analog sticks are large and very fun to handle. Just know there are some sacrifices. For some that will be gyro aiming or portability, for me it's not having rumble. With those omitted features, I feel this product would be more fairly priced at $40, not $50 as $50 starts to encroach into joy con pricing territory.

These are an excellent alternative to regular JoyCons. They feel much better in the hand and are more comfortable. It’s not a 5 star review because I ended up missing motion controls and NFC amiibo support when playing Tears of the Kingdom in handheld mode. Game works perfect without these two things, but I just wish it had the feature set.

Great, comfortable grips. They feel infinitely better than the normal switch controllers. I don't like that they do not work if they aren't plugged in nor do they have rumble, but as a controller for plane rides and handheld mode they're great. I wish they came in more color ways. They don't feel quite as premium as the switch joycons, but feel solid and rugged; I toss them in my bag and dont need to worry about them breaking.