I think Nintendo’s official Switch Pro Controller is brilliant. It’s a full-size pad with large face buttons, textured handles and a transparent shell that reveals a circuit-inspired pattern underneath. The accessory isn’t without its faults, though. The D-Pad, while a huge improvement over the left Joy-Con, is a bit stiff and spongy for my tastes. I also dislike the digital triggers, which barely depress, and the seriously steep $70 asking price.
The Switch has many third-party controllers to choose from, but none of them have impressed me like the 8BitDo SN30 Pro+. Terrible name aside, it’s an almost perfect pad that works not only with Nintendo’s hybrid console but Windows, macOS, Android and Raspberry Pi too.
Let’s start with the hardware. 8BitDo has rightfully earned a reputation for building modern, high quality controllers that ape those released for classic systems such as the NES and Sega Genesis. The SN30 Pro+ is clearly based on the iconic SNES controller, with a cross-shaped D-pad on the left, oblong start and select buttons in the middle, and circular A, B, X and Y inputs on the right-hand side. The “dogbone” design has been enhanced, however, with handles, analog sticks and two additional buttons — with a star and 8BitDo logo respectively — that, by default, act as the Home and Share shortcuts on the Switch.
Author: Nick Summers
Source: Engadget
