Okay seriously? For less than 50 bucks I completely transformed my Switch experience with just these 2 things?
No seriously, the switch was either made purely for kids or people with tiny dainty fingers because the joycons are just annoying. I have decent man-size hands not sausage fingers or anything. I'm a guitarist so my fingers are more formed than normal with a few callouses but I cannot enjoy the joycons, I can't even use the plus and minus buttons because they are so tiny.
Now, I had my reservations, after seeing all the reviews and YouTube comparisons I seriously thought I'd try them and have to return them in a week or so. C'mon! Who in their right mind can be so objective about these! They're great! These are what the switch should have been released with. Then again my niece can't play because of her tiny fingers but hey such an expensive fragile system shouldn't even be for kids anyways.
Here's my real review now...
Right off the bat they're not THAT big, if anything they're the perfect size for me and I would imagine most other consumers. Most YouTube D-bags immediately point out the size and bulkiness. That's not the case at all. The box they came in was pretty compact. First impressions I was surprised how ergonomic they were all while not being so bulky. The back makes it look and feel slimmer as compared to the top. It feels GREAT when in handheld mode. A lot of complaints immediately go to how long it makes the switch and how weird it is to get used to. For me I was immediately comfortable but maybe that's just me. Another complaint I heard was that the buttons were "mushy" (their words not mine). If you're not a fan of the clickety buttons of the joycons this is a MAJOR improvement. The buttons actually feel like a gaming controller's buttons if not better. The triggers while not like a ps4 controller they still feel great and while not sensitive like the joycons they are both ergonomic and tactile. I click them just for fun that's how good they feel. Now... The analog sticks or however you want to call them are probably the biggest change from the joycons. While the joycons are of a different design in how movement works on the sticks, on the Hori Pad they feel like a gaming controller should! I tried playing something like Borderlands remastered with the joycons or other shooters and it's just not comfortable at all at least not until the Hori Split Pad Pro came into the picture and knocked it out of the park. While not perfect like a ps4 controller the improvement is very visible.
Okay now the weight... With the Hori Pad the weight is kinda awkwardly dispersed. Because it makes the overall Switch longer it's obvious how the weight can be affected. The Hori Split Pad controllers are really light in their own so when fully attached it's the screen that feels heavier. Because of the weight difference I recommend holding the switch from the middle in the screen I feel really insecure about electronics to I don't want to stress where the Hori connects. Though it IS very secure and doesn't get loose or creak like the joycons I still don't wanna risk anything so that's me.
The added adaptive buttons on the back... They're confusing at first I thought you could customize any button to be registered to the back/bottom triggers it's actually just the top triggers of the Hori Pad while that's slightly disappointing I don't mind as I love the Hori Pad overall itself that the adaptive triggers don't bother me and I rarely use them. It's still a okayish bonus though. Also the turbo buttons I don't really use because I have no idea how it works. Sounds complicated so I don't even notice it's there half the time. Another okay bonus.
What else... Okay, Battery life. I hear a bunch of people complain about the battery life that the Hori Pad sucks from the console itself is too much. In my opinion that doesn't seem to make the case. If anything I really didn't notice any huge battery life difference. I charge all my devices diligently either way to make sure I have stuff charged for my day but that I notice any difference in battery life? I don't. I know they joycons have their own battery life and whatnot but let's be honest the switch overall batter life is not so great. Either way I don't spend hours a day playing I work on the road independently doing deliveries so I play on my off times and sometimes after I get home from work.
Some negative stuff that's hard to swallow because I love this accessory so much...
Unfortunately... Because the switch is so long now and slightly bigger it's harder to have it be more portable. It's very cumbersome and carrying it around with the Hori Split Pad Pro attached is just annoying. Back then I bought a case from Spigen and it helped a lot in portability and comfort I could carry it in my hoodie pocket and just carry it around there or in my switch backpack. Unfortunately with the Hori Pad you'd need a specialized case which I bought but still it doesn't help so much in portability. It's like carrying around a tablet. Which is why I resort to removing the Hori Pad when I am going on a trip or something to help in portability. Just means I have to put up with the horrible joycons. Another small defect in the Hori Pad is that compared to the screen width the Hori controllers are thicker and they're slightly raised a couple centimeters from the screen. Not a huge issue it just looks funny. I can easily ignore this though considering the split pad has it's own stand feature connected on each controller. So instead of having the controllers flat on a table and rolling around maybe it stands on its own slightly. Here's another downside. (Almost forgot) NO HD RUMBLE AND NOT MOTION TRACKING. That's a big one and I understand for a lot of people it's a huge problem. While it doesn't bother me much because I don't care much for the rumble (it's not good compared to the ps4 and xbox controller rumble) and also with the improved analog sticks, you don't really need motion tracking anymore I can say that honestly. I only hope that when and if they make a new model of the Hori split pad pro with all these problems fixed I would gladly pay $50 maybe $60 dollars for another type of controllers like these.
Overall, the Hori Split Pad Pro should be a must have. It solves a lot of the issues in design of the Switch and Joycons in itself. Considering that for about $40+ bucks you can get a much better gaming experience overall with your switch console AND have a reliable and comfortable new design to compliment your playstyle I'd say this a steal and a no brainer.
Because let's be honest, the joycons suck. You're definitely gonna be happier with these on your switch and you'll notice all the positives instantly. I cannot recommend these enough. Btw I took my time with this review, I've owned these a couple weeks now and I'm still happy with them. I want another pair in another color now... I tried to be as detailed as possible because I hate when reviews leave out a lot of stuff and don't give you the right idea of a product before you buy so thanks if you got this far. Good luck may this item help in your quest!
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From the manufacturer
HORI Split Pad Pro - Ergonomic Full Sized Controller for Handheld Mode
Turbo/Turbo Hold Function and Assignable Rear Buttons
Use Turbo functions to set buttons to rapid input at 5, 12, or 20 button presses per second.
Also use Turbo Hold to set the button to continually activate Turbo without having to hold the button down.
Dock the Nintendo Switch system with the Split Pad Pro attached!
Features a D-pad for Platformers, Fighting Games, and More!
Take Full Sized Analog Sticks on the go!
Large Trigger Buttons for a Comfortable Grip!
The best Switch joy-con replacements ever
I love this product. I love it so much I recently bought a back up set because my original purchase from a few years ago was starting to wear down. Not in any usable way other than the letters on the right hand controller have scrapped off from my long thumbnails constantly scratching at them.Overall this controller set is perfect for someone like me. I have large clunky hands for a woman. I also have arthritis & holding the smaller joycons physically hurts my wrists. I can't grip the joycons that come with the Switch well at all. I can absolutely hold these joycons & I love them.I am also a huge fan of the programmable buttons on the back of each controller. The FL + FR flippers can be programmed to any button that is already on that controller. So you can't map the A button to the left side controller. But you could map the ZL to the left controller & I use that function a lot too.These controllers are very light weight because they do not have a battery so they do not increase the weight of the console much at all. That being said you also cannot just detach & use them seperately. The only way they work is attached to the Switch main unit.The best reason though to buy these Hori controllers is they can be used with the Nintendo Dock that comes with your console. You do not need to detach the controllers to use the dock. It's just one easy drop the switch onto the dock, play a bit on your Tv, pick up the Switch toss it in a case & off you go with your hand held product ready to use without any issues. Bing, bang, boom it's great!My spouse owns the Hori Split Pad Compact & loves that model too. I personally prefer my old red model more. The original Split Pad is a little larger, a little bulkier & just feels right to me. The smaller model does travel a bit better though. So maybe that matters to you it doesn't to me.
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2021Color: Volcanic RedSize: RedPattern Name: ControllerVerified Purchase
- Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2025Color: Volcanic RedSize: RedPattern Name: ControllerVerified Purchase
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Top reviews from other countries
- KingdomReviewed in Canada on February 11, 2025
Comfortable to hold
Color: Volcanic RedSize: RedPattern Name: ControllerVerified Purchase -
InFramirReviewed in Mexico on January 7, 2025
Se siente muy bien
Color: Volcanic RedSize: RedPattern Name: ControllerVerified Purchase
Al principio se siente raro, pero es muy cómodo y funciona como cualquier control, lo malo es que no tiene sensor para amiibos.InFramirSe siente muy bien
Reviewed in Mexico on January 7, 2025
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JoãoReviewed in Brazil on November 7, 2023
Ótimo controle!
Color: Volcanic RedSize: RedPattern Name: ControllerVerified Purchase
Material leve, mas parece ser duradouro. A experiência de jogar melhora muito quando você passa a jogar com ele. Paguei 273 reais numa promoção, mas infelizmente o preço dele normalmente é bem alto.JoãoÓtimo controle!
Reviewed in Brazil on November 7, 2023
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- YasReviewed in Saudi Arabia on October 3, 2024
Wow
Color: Volcanic RedSize: RedPattern Name: ControllerVerified Purchase -
PislukReviewed in Turkey on July 8, 2024
Mükemmel
Color: Volcanic RedSize: RedPattern Name: ControllerVerified Purchase
