PowerA’s Switch 2 Advantage Wired Controller review – An affordable Pro Controller?
By Dave Aubrey
The Nintendo Switch 2 is still a brand-new console, and that means if you’re able to get one at all, then everything else is still being sold at a premium. If you’re looking for another set of JoyCon 2, a Pro Controller, games, or any other accessories, you’re not likely to find a bargain. But that’s where PowerA comes in, with an officially licensed range of accessories — the most important one being the Advantage Wired Controller, which promises to be a solid Pro Controller replacement at a fraction of the cost.
Let’s run through the basics. This is a wired-only controller, ensuring minimal input latency, but with the tradeoff that you’re anchored to your Switch 2 via a cable. It has all of the buttons you’d find on a Switch 2 Pro Controller, including the back buttons, but they cannot be remapped with the Switch 2’s software — no, the Switch 2 doesn’t recognize this pad as a legit Pro Controller. These “AGR and AGL” buttons can only be remapped using the controller’s own programming, which isn’t quite as user-friendly, but still ticks the boxes — unless you want to use it for Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour’s Pro Controller-specific minigames and demos.
This controller does have a bunch of neat features, back buttons aside. The analogue sticks are Hall effect modules, which use magnets to center the stick and calculate stick position. This essentially future-proofs against the dreaded stick drift, and they feel nice too, with a wide range of motion and smooth travel.
The sticks aren’t quite up to the standard of the Pro Controller, but the D-pad might be better in some cases. While playing fighting games with the Pro Controller, I often misinput directions on the D-pad, but the PowerA controller’s D-pad is a bit more accurate, despite feeling softer overall. This is a matter of taste, but in this case, I preferred it to the official pad. The Pro’s own D-pad is a bit firmer, better for menu navigation or 2D platformers.
One downfall of the Advantage controller is the placement of the Minus, Plus, Capture, Home, and C buttons. These aren’t positioned particularly elegantly on the Pro Controller, but it’s clear which button you have your thumb on by feel and position alone. On the Advantage controller, each of these buttons is placed in a row at the bottom of the pad, and it’s incredibly difficult to know which button your thumb is on without looking. This does make space to show off the controllers with licensed Mario designs, but it’s not worth the loss of tactile feel.
The controller is also too light, frankly. It feels hollow, a result of no rumble features, gyro sensors, or battery pack. If you do feel like the average controller is a bit heavy, or you like to pack light but want a controller when travelling, this can be seen as a plus point, but I find it a little distracting. The hollow plastic can also make the sound of button mashing audibly louder and clickier, which might be a deal breaker. Those missing internals will have side effects for some games that rely on rumble or gyro controls, too.
It’s not a total replacement for a Switch 2 Pro Controller, then, but at the price, it’s pretty compelling. The Switch 2 Pro Controller is £74.99 GBP or $109 USD. That’s not cheap. The PowerA Advantage Wired Controller is £29.99 GBP or $39.99 USD. That’s less than half the cost, and it’ll work just as well as a Pro Controller in a majority of games.
That leaves you more than enough money left over to pick up PowerA’s Switch 2 Slim Case. The case is basically what you’ve already seen from original Nintendo Switch cases, complete with the little fold-out screen protector/stand/game holder insert, though with the Switch 2’s built-in stand being so good, I don’t think the case needs one anymore. But hey, at £14.99 GBP or $19.99 USD, it’s one of the most affordable licensed hard cases you can currently get for Switch 2.
If you’re looking for an entirely premium Switch 2 experience, then you’ll want to get the first-party accessories, but if you don’t want the kids to ruin your potentially $100+ controller, then the PowerA Advantage Wired Controller is an obvious choice to keep the family happy, or just that second Mario Kart World player. The Slim Case, meanwhile, feels solid enough to throw into your bag without too much concern with your Switch 2 inside, and that’s all you can really ask for. These aren’t premium accessories, but you might find the perfect use case for PowerA’s Switch 2 selection.
PowerA provided an Advantage Wired Controller and Slim Case for review purposes.