In this episode, we unbox & test what could be the best budget option third-party Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, the NS32 from Nexigo, featuring Hall effect sensors on the analog sticks.
One of the things the Nintendo Switch is known for is having very poor control sticks on the Joy-Cons. They don't tend to last, they tend to drift, and just generally are not a great experience. The Nintendo Switch Pro controller offers a vastly superior option, however, it too can be prone to drift and is not exactly cheap. What are you to do if you want to have a pro-style controller but don't want to deal with drift down the road? That's where Nexigo looks to fill the need with their NS32 controller.
Available in a number of different colors, this controller has a lot going on under its shell. Behind both analog sticks, face buttons, and d-pad are a series of RGB LED lights to give you additional customization and personalization. To charge the controller, they include a USB-C cable. The overall shape and layout is closer to the Xbox Series S and X than the Nintendo Pro Controller. I feel the grips are a little bit wider, a little bit thicker, and don't have quite the same swoopiness to them.
I charged the controller right out of the box, and after a couple of hours, I got to playing. Well, first I had to pair, which was pretty much painless. I went into the controllers' menu, hit the sync button, hit the L & R bumpers and you're synced! This was a super easy process. Also note, you can actually use this controller wired with the Switch or on Android devices. Pretty neat.
I started out with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I know this wouldn't really put the controller through its paces, but it would be able to test the basics. The analog sticks felt very smooth, I was able to drift just fine using the shoulder triggers, and all of the face buttons worked as intended. While this was a simple test, it was effective.
I didn't capture it, but next, I turned to one of the best beat-ups to come out in recent years, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge. This game is so good and it plays amazingly well across all platforms. The button presses felt great, the analog sticks and d-pad both felt good, and overall this was an excellent experience. I will say that I did appreciate the fact that I could adjust the rumble intensity during gameplay.
One of my go-to test games is always Super Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Edition. It gives me great tests of input lag and delay on both the D-Pad and Analog-stick. On my first go around DeeJay kicked my rear end, but the second time around I was able to take the win. Even though he beat me, I was able to go ahead and pull off all the moves, spinning side kick, the Hadouken,
and the shoryuken. I was really impressed with how well both the D-pad and the analog stick handled these inputs. I was also disappointed in how poorly I played the first time through.
I had very similar results with all the other games that I've played with the NS32. Super Mario 3D World, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Yoshi's Crafted World, MLB The Show 22, and AEW Fight Forever, all just worked beautifully. I even used the turbo to cheat a little bit on Gradius on the NES online and, well, I suck.
Why it RoX:
- Hall effect sensors are extremely precise
- D-pad works really well
- Available in a variety of colors
- Works wirelessly or wired
- Compatible with Android
- RGB lights
- Good battery life
What could be improved:
- Does not wake the system from sleep
- Not compatible with Amiibo
- On sale now but the regular price is still not cheap
- Different ergonomics from Nintendo Pro Controller
Should you buy one?
Nexigo continues to deliver quality products and reasonable prices and make them better from one generation to the next. This is quite possibly the finest controller that they have ever released and if you're looking for a replacement for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller or Joy-Cons this is something that should be high on your consideration list. I do wish that it worked with Amiibo and that it would wake your system from sleep. Not waking from sleep, is a super huge annoyance for me. Given the rest of this controller's performance, and the fact that it regularly goes on sale for under $40 makes this one of the best values in controllers for the Switch.
#NintendoSwitch #ProController #Nexigo #SwitchAccessories #SwitchOLED