When Nintendo properly revealed the Switch 2 back in April, it also confirmed that a new Pro Controller would be accompanying the console as an optional peripheral.
Now, most of us here have gone hands-on with the new controller at some point or another, but the lovely Alex has spent quite a bit of time with the ruddy thing playing the likes of Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. In his latest video, he has a good ol’ natter with Felix about whether or not the new Pro Controller is actually a necessity.
Spoiler alert: it’s supposedly not as big of an upgrade as you might think – at least when you compare the difference in quality between the Joy-Con 1 and the Pro Controller 1. The Joy-Con for the Switch 2 have been drastically improved over the first console, and so jumping over to the Pro Controller doesn’t, according to Alex, feel quite as substantial.
As for my opinion, while I certainly don’t believe that any optional accessory should be considered a necessity, as such, I do still believe the new Pro Controller to be a pretty sizable upgrade over the standard Joy-Con. Heck, it’s a sizable upgrade over the first Pro Controller, despite the obvious aesthetic similarities.
You’ve got the new ‘GL’ and ‘GR’ buttons, for starters. While many might not make use of these at all, the ability to map inputs to them on a per game basis is simply remarkable and may prove quite useful in the coming years. Also, it’s worth keeping in mind that if you do plan on simply carrying over your existing Pro Controller, you won’t be able to use it to wake up the Switch 2. A minor detail, but one worth mentioning.
Plus, y’know, those new analogue sticks feel ridiculously good.
So yeah, we’re not all in agreement with this. Needless to say, however, we’ll be providing our full verdict on the new Pro Controller in due course, so stay tuned.
