The Switch 2 Pro controller is the best controller Nintendo has ever made – and that’s saying something. It’s incredibly comfortable to hold, its joysticks are buttery smooth, and all of its buttons are wonderfully responsive. Nintendo even made it customizable this time with rear buttons that can easily be mapped inside of any game.
The only downside? The Switch 2 Pro Controller costs $85, which seems a bit egregious when you can get an excellent controller like 8BitDo’s Ultimate 2 wireless gamepad for $60. As good as the competition is, though, you won’t find anything that can be easily configured directly from within the Switch 2’s user interface.
Despite the high cost, the Switch 2 Pro controller seriously elevated my Mario Kart World experience. My hands often feel cramped when I play that game with the Switch 2’s Joy-Con 2 controllers for too long. But there’s none of that with the Switch 2 Pro controller. I was able to race for an hour without any discomfort, and I also noticed that it was easier for me to pull off the game’s tricky jump maneuvers and rail sliding.
The Switch 2 Pro controller is also seriously helpful with fighting games, thanks to its smooth and accurate directional pad. It acquits itself to most genres easily, though it would have been nice to see analog triggers for more precise control in serious racing games. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter