HORI D-Pad Controller (L) (Zelda) Officially Licensed - Nintendo Switch

I bought this for my new special edition OLED and it looks fantastic and works well so far! I guess the only thing I don't like too much is how the small square button and the small minus button feel "squishy" instead of "clicky" like a regular joycon. But those buttons are rarely used, and the dpad and other buttons feel fantastic.Buyers should be aware of the lack of battery and rumble. This controller is intended to be used only while attached to the Switch (portable use only). It states this clearly in the description, so I won't complain about that.Lastly, I use this with the Satisfye Zen Grip Pro and it fits perfectly. Some of the reviewers here claim it does not fit. It absolutely does. Although I haven't measured precisely, it seems to be pretty much the same shape and size as the official joycon.It's less expensive than an official joycon for a reason. You are losing some of the features of the official product, but you gain a dpad and a great design in the process.The bottom line is if you read the product description carefully and know what you're buying, you truly won't be disappointed.

This JoyCon only works in handheld mode on the Switch. It would be great if it could work outside of that mode, but it does not.So knowing that limitation which Hori is not trying to hide, this is a good product. Having a proper dpad is a huge improvement over the split buttons on the standard JoyCon. And it's a pretty good dpad. Button feel is pretty subjective and this dpad is a little mushy which I think feels pretty good but if you prefer something more clicky you might be disappointed. It reminds me of the DS Lite dpad. At the very least it works correctly, I have not noticed any incidents where it registers the wrong direction which is an issue that seems to plague most modern dpads these days. The rest of the JoyCon is indistinguishable from the standard JoyCons. Same build, same analog stick, same trigger buttons. I do wish they just sold these in standard JoyCon colors instead of the themed designs, but the Zelda one isn't too gaudy.If you play 2D Switch games portably, this is a great buy.

DON'T BUY THIS! You can ONLY use it attached to the console. You can not use it to play two player or interactive games that require you to disconnect the controller.

Okay let's get this out of the way, it's for portable only, won't work at all wirelessly and no you're not gonna mod it to work that way. That will not be a factor in this review because this thing is advertised as a portable only controller Okay? Okay.The short: The stick is identical to the default Switch joycon stick, if there's a difference I can't feel it. The triggers feel good but different, the shoulder clicks louder but feels good. There's no rumble, or gyro. But that's okay since the Switch and the other joycon have their own gyro & as I said this will not work wirelessly. The dpad is massively better for platformers, period. Maybe tetris players would agree but that's not something I play so OH WELL.The long:The dpad is really nice, it's got a solid roll to it and some say it feels 'squishy' I'd say it feels smooth? Kinda like a softer WiiU pro controller. I like the dpad and I'm kinda picky, but honestly anything that gets me away from the horrible joycon 'dpad' and spares me from the Switch Pro's dpad I'm happy to have.I tried several platformers, Sonic Mania, Freedom Planet, Donkey Kong, Flashback and I can say I felt a lot more in control with it. I know some think there's more precision to be had with the switch's separate buttons for a dpad and sure maybe for Tetris but when you want to roll your thumb over the pad to get to the direction you want and not just stomp in a direction to get what you want? You want a dpad.I easily shaved off a ton of time in a few levels of Freedom Planet putting them more in line with my PC times with the v2 of the XB1 controller. Which was an instant improvement, not some overtime thing.Also given Sonic Mania has a small puzzle game that's like Puyo Puyo, I can say I tried that a few times and never had any mistakes but I'm no pro-puzzle-player. So take that as you will.My one complaint is unique. The joycon detatch button on the back? Is pushed outward, it sticks out on this raised box vs being right out the joycon. This doesn't effect gameplay at all- however I got that Amazon Basics case? And that fits the back of the Switch perfectly. Meaning? This don't fit in it. I'd have to dremel out a hole for it if I was gonna use both together.Look I can't say this any more simply than this:-Do you play platformers portable & the default joycon dpad annoys you? Get this.-Are you worried the joycon isn't good for everything else? Well I just told you it functions as it should so you're safe.-Do you have the amazon basics case? WELL then still yes but you might have to cut a hole because of that protrusion they put the joycon eject button on.

This is exactly as described-- it adds a directional pad to your Switch in handheld mode. The d-pad feels great and responsive, and is perfect for 2D platformers or puzzle games. Hori has a great reputation for making high quality third party controllers, and this is no exception!