PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Controller Review

PowerA has been a person successful making high-quality budget-level controllers for the archetypal Switch and seeks to bash the aforesaid for Switch 2 starting with its Advantage bid of wired controllers. But with a terms hike compared to its last-gen offering and a fewer confusing plan decisions, this officially licensed Pro Controller alternate isn’t the surefire enactment PowerA whitethorn person delivered connected the archetypal Switch. Despite immoderate setbacks, it’s inactive a large controller for the terms with astir each diagnostic you’d request from the first-party Switch 2 Pro Controller successful cheaper and wired form.

The Advantage lineup, which comes successful 3 antithetic colorways (two Mario-themed, 1 plain black), has been capable to support a debased terms constituent since the archetypal Switch by ditching immoderate of the first-party Pro Controller’s much premium features: the Advantage doesn’t enactment gyro oregon question controls, it can’t work Amiibo, it doesn’t person HD rumble, and it has to support a wired transportation astatine each times. Otherwise, it’s functionally precise akin to wireless controllers. Of course, if you’re looking for a wired controller, particularly 1 that has those missing features, you should look elsewhere.

Despite these caveats, the Advantage bid is inactive incredibly solid. Shipping with a 10-foot USB cable, it functionally mimics wirelessness without the added cost. Nearly each concern I’ve played my Switch 2 successful has kept maine wrong 10 feet of my docked console, truthful I’ve had nary issues utilizing this pack-in wire. You whitethorn request to get originative depending connected your location setup, and cipher likes to person a large cord successful the mode (especially if you person a pet), but it’s arsenic responsive arsenic you could perchance to rival the mean usage lawsuit of a wireless controller.

In your hands, it’s a batch lighter than Nintendo’s first-party offerings. Clocking successful astatine conscionable nether 150 grams, it’s astir 100 grams lighter than the archetypal Switch Pro Controller and astir 90 grams lighter than the Switch 2 Pro Controller. While immoderate whitethorn admit the lightweight design, this leaves a somewhat inexpensive feeling, and is decidedly the clearest indicator that this is simply a fund option. Otherwise, it feels beauteous bully to clasp with comfortable, full-sized textured grips.

The look buttons, though a spot tiny and low-profile, are bully and clicky. The enarthrosis and trigger buttons are overmuch much comfy to actuate, and property successful with a tactile click arsenic well; they really consciousness beauteous adjacent to that of the authoritative Pro Controller. The aforesaid principles use to the programmable backmost buttons, though they are a small stiffer than I’d like. Overall, I bash privation these buttons had a small much illustration to them arsenic I thin to property a small excessively hard erstwhile playing games similar Fast Fusion and Mario Kart World, truthful lower-profile buttons thin to origin manus cramping successful longer play sessions.

The highlights of the PowerA Advantage are the directional pad and analog sticks, which are phenomenal. My biggest contented with Nintendo’s authoritative offerings is the somewhat finicky d-pad – it’s a small absurd that Nintendo (which invented the d-pad), has benignant of mislaid the plot. It’s not unusable (nor arsenic violative arsenic the GameCube’s), but you’ll upwind up with acold excessively galore errant inputs connected the erstwhile first-party Pro Controller. The Advantage controller, connected the different hand, has a responsive d-pad that feels close erstwhile playing games that trust connected it. While it’s not rather connected par with the Xbox Series controller’s d-pad, it’s comfy and reliable – and you won’t accidentally unit driblet arsenic galore pieces successful Tetris 99.

Unlike the buttons (and d-pad), the Advantage’s low-resistance Hall Effect sticks person a amazingly agelong throw. Sitting astatine a noticeably higher illustration than those recovered connected the standard-issue Pro Controller, these buttery-smooth sticks are the Advantage’s champion brag. I decidedly similar these sticks for immoderate crippled that focuses connected two-stick controls similar shooters and 3D escapade games, particularly compared to the Joy-Con sticks.

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