Hey guys !

I wanted to know, why so many people recommend upgrading from joy-cons to pro controller.

The most frequent arguments I hear, is that joy-cons have uncomfortable design, they have a lot of pairing issues and connection issues, and they are not precise enough for some of the titles.

Because of that, I started to consider spending the 60$ for pro controller. Is it really that much better ?

Is pro controller worth the upgrade at this full price, or joy-cons are more than enough to enjoy my switch without any issues ?

Or perhaps pro controller is more suited for people playing games requiring this additional precision like Celeste, and as someone who plays Binding of issac, zelda, xenoblade, Naruto trilogy, and other smaller indie titles won't benefit from it as much ? The price is still pretty high for additional controller.

I would love to get some feedback, some pros and cons, and your experience using either joy-cons or pro controller, and which one do you prefer ? :)

It's more like a regular controller for the other consoles. If you feel yourself playing the Switch thinking to yourself "man, i wish i could play this on a Dualshock or Xbox controller", then yeah, the Pro controller is for you.

One thing to note though: the D-Pad on the pro controller is... not fantastic. First off all, many Pro controllers sometimes think you're pressing "up" when you're pressing left or right which is a serious problem (it makes it essentially impossible to play Tetris, for instance, because you're CONSTANTLY hard-dropping pieces when you don't intend to). Even if you don't have that bug, the D-Pad requires a bit more force than it should, and it's tiring if you play for a while. Like, after a while of playing a game you control with a D-Pad, my thumb feels fatigued.

So: if you want better sticks, shoulder buttons and a more comfortable feel in the hand, the Pro Controller is a good option. If you want a solid D-Pad, stick with the joy-cons. Personally: i think the joy-cons work just fine. I don't regret my purchase because I needed a second full controller, but if I were just playing single player games, I probably would just stick with the joy-cons.

I think the pro controller is ergonomically the best of all the available console controllers right now, not just the Switch options. I have pretty big hands and they would cramp up if I was using the joycons for extended periods of time, so a pro controller was an easy purchase for me. Then when I invited friends over for Mario Kart nobody wanted to use the joycons, everyone instantly felt more comfortable with the pro controller.

So now I have four of them.

It's a solid controller, feels nice, and has about 10x the battery life of a Dualshock (that's barely an exaggeration, the thing lasts for like 30-40 hours on one charge).

As has been mentioned, the d-pad isn't great, but if you're like me and vastly prefer a standard controller over the two hand split style of the wii-remote/nunchuk and joycons, the pro controller serves that purpose fantastically.

Yes. As someone who has had a switch since launch, if you plan on using it in the tv mode I would most certainly recommend it. Don't get me wrong, the joy cons as a controller aren't bad. But the pro controller imo is just a better experience.

I stuck with the joy cons for a few weeks, and it was pretty miserable. My hands actively hurt after sessions playing with them. This obviously will vary from person to person, but that was my experience, at least.

The pro controller is pretty great, however. I wouldn't put it above the Xbox One, or PS4 controller, but it's a fine controller, and gets the job done nicely. If you have any interest in it; go for it.

I can't play celeste without the Pro Controller. It just feels too hard to hut diagonals on the Joy Con. I haven't run into the D-pad issues on the Pro Controller either (or at least haven't noticed). That said, I don't find the Joy Cons ridiculously uncomfortable by any means.

I think your usage is the biggest deciding factor. If you mostly play undocked I'd just stick with the Joy Con.

I really like my pro controller, it feels good in my hands and works well in generel. The only big minus I have is the d-pad is not very good, which is really disappoiting since some games are just more d-pad focused than analog sticks.

As someone who does not have a pro, I would say no. I had no issues playing zelda/mario with the joycons. I'm glad I didn't spend the extra cash for the pro

I like the pro controller, but I have a cheaper, better solution. There are tons of cheap adapters available online that allow you to use other controllers with the switch. I bought this one and have been using my Xbox One controller with it since I got the switch. I like it a lot. It's a big enough difference that I've begun to avoid more intense sections of games if I can only play it handheld or with the joycons.

I reluctantly purchased the Pro controller, and while I remain displeased over having spent the money, I found owning a normal control to be a necessity.

I gave the Joy-Cons about a week-or-so and ultimately found them too small to use comfortably, and I wouldn't consider my hands particularly large. My thumbs wouldn't rest easily atop the Joy-Cons' sticks; I'd inevitably find myself pushing against the stick edges, causing pain and numbness overtime. The face and shoulder buttons are also so small (and thin, in the case of the shoulders) and close together that I'd occasionally fumble with hitting the right one.

As for the Pro, if you're in the market for a standard controller, it's a solid-enough option; I don't consider it to be exceptional in any way, and the d-pad is subpar. There are cheaper third-party alternatives, some with supposedly better d-pads, if you're willing to forgo features, such as vibration. In general, I'd suggest making a purchasing decision based on how comfortable you find the Joy-Cons and not around the notion of needing to pair specific games with a style of controller.

I've found the Pro controller to be comfier for long play sessions with games like Xenoblade - the larger pad size and sticks really help. As mentioned above there are some wired alternatives about half the price of the Pro that may suit if you are just looking for a nicer grip.

Definitely worth it. I didn't get one for a long time since the joycon grip seemed fine, but after biting the bullet and buying a Pro I can't imagine going back.

The thing I like most about the pro controller is it feels so solid you could probably club someone with it, maybe even more so than the Xbox Elite. Somewhat makes up for the dpad issues. It just has a good weighty feel to it.

I can't speak for the Pro Controller, but I can say the Joy-Cons work perfectly fine for me in different types of games. I personally don't feel the need to get a Pro at all.

@divinekataroshie: If you want to play BotW and enjoy yourself, a Pro Controller is recommended. Idk how anybody played that with only the joycons.. its a mess

I love my pro controller and even sometimes use it to game on PC (although the swapped a/b and x/y can still mess me up occasionally). I think for me another added benefit is not having to detach/attach the joycons every time I want to go back and forth between mobile and tv play (which is quite a bit for me).

Also where as the joycon buttons and triggers feel "clicky" I think the pro controllers feel more analog.

All that being said, if money is tight for you the joycons are obviously serviceable and your money may be better spent on something else, like donkey kong country tropical freeze.

@ll_exile_ll: Is it true ? Pro controller is so durable and has such lengthy battery life ? wow first time I heard that

@atastyslurpee yeah I can imagine BOTW being a pain with joycons, where despite the aesthetics combat is quite difficult and requires precision

@noboners Especially now with Steam support for pro controller right ? :D it's so easy to use it everywhere

@mortonan So Pro controller seems like if you start to use it, you can't imagine going back huh ? :D

Thanks for the feedback everyone ! It's close to my 20th birthday and I was thinking of investing in something nice, so If I manage to save some money I will definitely buy the Pro controller ^^

It's an incredibly solid, albeit overpriced controller with some features it... doesn't seem to warrant the use of yet. Overall yeah I can't imagine gaming at home without one, but the Joycons are fine if you don't mind them. As others have said, it's more of a traditional controller for the sake of that traditional controller feel.

The only time I don't use my pri controller is when its charging. It fits a human hand better and just feels better overall. The dinky joy con are just for mario kart at this point.

I recently went out and bought a pro controller after a year of joy cons and yes it's worth it. go for it!

Are the joycons required for anything besides the initial setup of the console? I’m considering selling my joycons for a Pro controller.