{"id":164549,"date":"2025-06-07T02:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T02:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/164549\/"},"modified":"2025-06-07T02:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T02:42:12","slug":"review-nintendo-switch-2-pro-controller-a-new-benchmark-in-comfort-and-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/164549\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller – A New Benchmark In Comfort And Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pro<\/a>Image: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n

Moving from the Switch 1 Pro Controller to the Switch 2 Pro Controller, Nintendo has largely taken the \u2018if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u2019 route. Keeping the same basic layout intact, it instead applied several small, but significant improvements to make this latest iteration the very best Nintendo controller I\u2019ve ever had the pleasure of using.<\/p>\n

So, looking at the design of the new pad, it all looks pretty familiar, but there are a few changes that should be noted.<\/p>\n

For starters, the grips are ever-so-slightly slimmer than the previous model, which in my case made it much more comfortable in the hand. My index fingers rest perfectly on the \u2018ZL\u2019 and \u2018ZR\u2019 triggers, while the rest of my fingers fall naturally on the grips below. As for the general feel, the matt black\/grey finish is wonderful, though it does invite plenty of dust.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the face buttons have been slightly enlarged; not so much that it\u2019s immediately noticeable by sight, but you can really feel the difference in the hand. They\u2019re close enough together that your thumb essentially rests on two buttons at once diagonally, making it easy to rock back and forth to hit whichever one you want.<\/p>\n

\"Pro<\/a>\"Pro<\/a>Images: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest improvement comes with those analogue sticks. Good lord, they feel incredible. The standard Joy-Con controllers have been improved in a similar way, with the sticks feeling much smoother than on the Switch 1. With the Pro Controller, this is far more pronounced thanks to the extra travel afforded by the larger sticks.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s so difficult to describe exactly how smooth the motion feels; it\u2019s one of those things where if you know, you know. That said, if you want a bit of a fun attempt at a rundown, then check out Alex\u2019s video<\/a>, in which he demonstrates with a bottle and an oily spoon. (Look, just trust me). Rest assured, the slight grinding you’d feel on the original Pro Controller is now completely gone.<\/p>\n

Moving onto the D-pad, sensitivity issues some people had<\/a> with the Switch 1 Pro Controller appear to have been fixed here, though we\u2019ll need to really put it through its paces over the coming months (and years) to see if it holds up.<\/p>\n

\"Pro<\/a>\"Pro<\/a>Images: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n

Testing the D-pad within the calibration settings reveals that rocking it up and down while holding down left or right does still yield \u2018up\u2019 and \u2018down\u2019 inputs, but it\u2019s not nearly as sensitive as the previous controller. In fact, you want it to happen a bit so you can easily pull off diagonal inputs. Playing Street Fighter 6<\/a>, I was easily able to knock out a few combos and Hadoukens without any fuss, and retro games via Nintendo Switch Online felt similarly natural with the D-pad.<\/p>\n

Over on the back, you\u2019ve also got the new \u2018GL\u2019 and \u2018GR\u2019 buttons, which can be remapped to whatever you wish on a game-by-game basis. We\u2019ve already noted that you map the capture button to the back<\/a>, which is a bit of a game-changer for more fast-paced games in which you want to take a few snaps.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, you can map whatever input you wish, so it can certainly come in handy when you want to sprint and jump at the same time in Breath of the Wild<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n

\"Pro<\/a>Image: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n

The positioning of the back buttons feels pretty natural, too. I mentioned that my fingers rested comfortably on the grips, and this is exactly where \u2018GL\u2019 and \u2018GR\u2019 are placed, but if you\u2019re worried about accidentally pressing them, fear not. You can comfortably move your middle fingers up slightly to rest on the back of the pad \u2013 pretty much right where the \u2018Nintendo\u2019 logo is located. But even this isn\u2019t entirely necessary in my opinion; my fingers curve around the buttons enough that I don\u2019t feel they\u2019re ever going to be pressed unless I consciously want to.<\/p>\n

The dinky face buttons \u2014 i.e. your home button, capture button, ‘+’, ‘\u2013’, and GameChat button \u2014 are all tucked away quite neatly in the middle of the device. The capture button specifically could be in a slightly easier-to-reach location, but it’s at least out of the way enough that you’re probably never going to hit it accidentally.<\/p>\n

With the ‘C’ button, it’s the same deal. You know where it is, so it’s easily reachable whenever you want to access the Switch 2’s GameChat menu, but you need to consciously reach your thumb over to get at it. What’s odd is that, thanks to the right analogue stick next to it, the GameChat button looks slightly off-centre. It’s not \u2014 you can tell by looking at its positioning in relation to the home and capture buttons above \u2014 but next to the analogue stick, it looks a little… weird.<\/p>\n

\"Pro<\/a>\"Pro<\/a>Images: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the other big change with the Pro Controller 2 is the addition of a 3.5mm headphone jack – can I get a ‘hallelujah!’? Yes, this is a lovely little addition that makes discreet audio an absolute breeze if you happen to be gaming late at night. Something to keep in mind is that you’ll need to make sure your controller is fully updated before hooking up a headset – thankfully, the Switch itself lets you know that you’re due one if you plug anything into the headphone jack.<\/p>\n

Positioning the audio jack at the bottom is just about the best place for it, too. You’ve got a standard USB-C slot at the top for your charging needs, so you can easily plug in both a headset and a charging cable without much fuss.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the top, you’ll notice now that the entire area housing the shoulder buttons, USB-C slot, and sync button is now white, as are the ‘shafts’ for the analogue sticks. This is a nice little design decision that easily sets the new pad apart from its predecessor, but I can also understand if it doesn’t appeal to those looking for a more uniform look.<\/p>\n

As for the shoulder buttons themselves, these feel nice and clicky without producing too much noise. No analogue functionality for the ‘ZL’ and ‘ZR’ buttons, sadly, but the digital inputs work perfectly well enough. Truth be told, this is probably the one area of the pad that’s required the least amount of tinkering from Nintendo, and it all feels just as good as ever.<\/p>\n

\"Pro<\/a>\"Pro<\/a>Images: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n

One last thing to touch on is the HD Rumble 2, which definitely feels a lot more robust than the original Pro Controller (and quieter too), but still not quite on par with the PS5’s haptic feedback. It feels really nice, though; moving between menu options on Mario Kart World<\/a> produces small, yet welcome feedback, while powersliding during races feels appropriately gnarly without distracting you from the action on-screen.<\/p>\n

Really, it’s hard to find much fault with it. Time will be the true test, of course, and it certainly isn’t cheap. I’ll be keeping a close eye on any potential drifting issues or D-pad shenanigans, but after using it as my primary controller for 99% of the time with my Switch 2 thus far, it’s proven to be a magical little accessory; a new benchmark in Nintendo controller design. I’ve not yet tried the PS5’s DualSense Edge, but I feel confident in saying that this $85 pad feels better than Xbox’s $200 Elite Controller.<\/p>\n

Images: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life
\n\"Pro<\/a>Image: Ollie Reynolds \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n