The hori split pad pro is fucking amazing

[AM_LIGHT]

I have owned my switch since 2017 . I am one of those guys that play it the way it was intended to be which is split even between portable and docked . I started having problems with my RT joycon 3 months ago, surprisingly it wasn't a drift issue but the R button not registering unless you push it hard . I started looking into options and settled on the hori split pad pro. I know there is the binbok one but honestly I didn't need it for docked play as I already own a pro controller for that . The big size of the hori pad didn't bother me as I only use my switch at home.
The hori pad exceeded my expectations, it's much more ergonomic compared to the joycons. The big buttons and full sized analog sticks are amazing to use. D pad is also great and honestly much better than the one on the pro controller.
I am currently playing bioshock 2 and the immediate jump in how it plays compared to the regular joycons is stark .
I am only using my switch docked for ring fit adventure now. I recommend it highly to anyone who use switch portable a lot.

 

[Orayn]

It's a revelation that completely changed how I use my Switch. I used to actively avoid portable mode because of the ergonomics of the joycons but now it's become my main way to play.

 

[Slayven]

Yeah it really made the switch playable for someone with mutant hands like me

 

[Namikaze1]

It really is. I can't play portable mode with the standard joycons anymore.

 

[Doskoi Panda]

I forced myself to grab a pair of these in order to save handheld mode. I used my Switch mostly handheld until all of my Joy Con repeatedly crapped out on me. Fuck 'em. Garbage controllers. I'll never trust Nintendo hardware again and I won't even buy Switch Pro until I know for a fact that Joy Cons have been given a once-over and aren't all but guaranteed to break.

Anyway, now I can play handheld games again. Woo. Just in time... for me to have already basically replaced my Switch with my PS5/XB1X/PC + big-ass cellphone + Razer Kishi combo. Remote Play is so good these days that sometimes I find myself searching the usernames of people I've had streaming arguments with here, so I could apologize to them and concede the point. I'd rather play a multiplat on PS5 or PC via Remote Play, than on Switch handheld. Even with the very slight amount of streaming latency I have to deal with, many of those games still feel more responsive (at 60fps on-screen and sometimes running at even higher framerates than that on the host hardware) than their 30fps Switch versions do or would. Still, though, it's great for exclusives (the ones that aren't best played with motion controls, at least). And I can actually play Smash handheld now without worry! So Hori gets a win in my book. The only time I break out the ol' Joy Cons now is to play Pac-Man 99 cuz the split D-Pad rules the roost there.

 

[HOUSEJoseph]

Yes it is. It is now my primary way of playing games in handheld mode.

 

[HoodedSoldier]

Big Facts

 

[Geode]

I've been thinking about picking one up, but I haven't touched my Switch in weeks though.

 

[AM_LIGHT]

Yeah it really made the switch playable for someone with mutant hands like me

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I have a big ass hands myself.
Never understood why some people complained about the size of the dualsense for that reason.

 

[Doskoi Panda]

Yeah it really made the switch playable for someone with mutant hands like me

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Same. Joy Con were comfortable enough (for handheld controls... just having raised triggers you could rest your fingers on went a long way compared to handheld designs of old...) but they'd still cramp my hands or force me to take on weird posture when playing in bed. These things changed all that.

 

[Gambit61]

I should be receiving mine on Wednesday and can't wait to dive back into MHR and Wandersong. The regular joycons in portable mode are just way too small for my hands so I've only played in short sessions. Hoping the Hori pad are more ergonomic for me.

 

[Doskoi Panda]

I have a big ass hands myself.
Never understood why some people complained about the size of the dualsense for that reason.

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Dualsense ain't my favorite controller, ergonomics-wise, but I think its size and weight are basically perfect at least. It's a substantial boi but without feeling too big. Whereas previous wireless DualShocks felt cheap or a bit too small in some places, or both. Back-button attachment saved the Dualshock 4 for me, by giving the controller more mass to grip with my big hands. I will have no qualms with using Dualsense without back buttons, on the other hand (though I still want 'em!)

 

[Chindogg]

I use the binboks and absolutely love them. Perfect for my large hands.

 

[Legend of Aims]

I play my switch 99% in handheld mode and it was collecting dust until I bought the split hori pad.

I'm still mad at nintendo for making the garbage joycons but I can actually play the switch again.

 

[Slayven]

I have a big ass hands myself.
Never understood why some people complained about the size of the dualsense for that reason.

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Same. Joy Con were comfortable enough (for handheld controls... just having raised triggers you could rest your fingers on went a long way compared to handheld designs of old...) but they'd still cramp my hands or force me to take on weird posture when playing in bed. These things changed all that.

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Best thing is that it widens the switch enough that i am not crumbled up on it, making long play sessions a literal pain in the shoulders

 

[AM_LIGHT]

Best thing is that it widens the switch enough that i am not crumbled up on it, making long play sessions a literal pain in the shoulders

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Makes it very comfortable playing while in bed , similar to reading a book.

 

[Slayven]

Makes it very comfortable playing while in bed , similar to reading a book.

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Exactly, I had this thought last night doing a disgaea grind.

 

[Deleted member 87246]

It's incredible and well worth the $50. Wish I had it since launch!

 

[NinjaScooter]

There's no way this thing would fit in a standard Switch case like the Waterfield, right?

 

[Grain Silo]

It seems really nice but I've heard that they eat through the Switch's battery life. Is that true?

 

[SnazzyNaz]

Not having any sort of rumble is a deal breaker to me sadly.

 

[AM_LIGHT]

It seems really nice but I've heard that they eat through the Switch's battery life. Is that true?

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I haven't noticed any noticeable change in battery life personally.
They don't have rumbles or motion controls so I don't think they consume that much energy.

 

[Tyrant Rave]

I'm a big fan, I do find the face buttons to be a tad mushy for my liking though. Otherwise, they feel much better than joycons. Especially with the analog sticks and dpad.

 

[retroman]

It certainly is. I will never disconnect that thing from my Switch.

 

[IDreamOfHime]

Yep, I couldn't go back. I'm a bit worried about the Switch Pro and if they'll be compatible.

 

[oldmess]

Not having any sort of rumble is a deal breaker to me sadly.

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Same.

A lot of games don't feel the same without rumble. Rocket League is my most played game (on the Switch and other platforms) and I can't perform the same way without force feedback.

I can live without NFC, as I don't use amiibos, and even motion is something rare in my ganeplay habits. But rumble? Absolute must and one of the reasons why the Switch stuck with me where all other handhelds didn't (long term).

 

[Pizzamigo]

I'm gonna go against the grain here...I personally thought it wasn't all that, the ergonomics of it are terrible and don't follow your hands at all. Unlike every other controller, this thing is still awkwardly thin (but not as thin as a joy con) but bulbous, and it's shaped all wrong and doesn't curve downwards to fit within your closed hand like a controller does. So the pointy ends dig into your hands. Plus it makes your hands even further apart when holding the Switch, it was just awkward all around for me. The bigger joysticks were def a step up though from joycons.

I returned mine right away, it wasn't at all worth the cost for bad ergonomics and losing rumble.

Instead I bought a Fixture S1 to clamp on my Nintendo Pro controller and that has been a HUGE step up in every possible way. It allows you to move the screen at any height/angle/shift-weight-around. Playing in bed is the most comfortable thing ever now, I can rest my hands holding the controller on my chest/stomach and angle the screen in front and forward so the screen is a few inches closer to me when I'm in bed. Or when I'm up right I can center the Switch over the Pro controller/hands to have the weight perfectly centered, and the screen is again a few inches higher and closer to my line of sight as well. All this while using the most comfortable and ergonomic Pro controller without losing rumble or gyro.

 

[MadMike]

I wish they made one with rumble and gyro. $50 is a lot for a controller missing so much functionality. I know the Binbok has these, but it's built like something you'd find at the dollar store.

 

[Maximo]

Would buy another pair if it came with rumble/gyro and wireless.

 

[capnjazz]

I wish they made one with rumble and gyro. $50 is a lot for a controller missing so much functionality. I know the Binbok has these, but it's built like something you'd find at the dollar store.

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I've had mine since launch and while I miss those features, I only really use the Hori pad for action games like Astral Chain or Monster Hunter, for games like Pokemon or Animal Crossing I just use my normal Joy-Cons so I don't miss those other features as much. That being said, I agree, I feel like $50 is a bit much for these or maybe Joy-Cons are just overpriced.

 

[Blackie]

I wish they made one with rumble and gyro. $50 is a lot for a controller missing so much functionality. I know the Binbok has these, but it's built like something you'd find at the dollar store.

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This. Every time I see a thread praising the Hori controller I twitch. Like I want to buy it but then I remember about the lost features, and get mad because I was so convinced for years Nintendo would release tons of different Joycons, like even Pro controller-style Joycons, so I waited and waited... but they never did.

Should I just buy the Hori? Or should I wait for the rumoured Switch Pro to release and hope it has new options for Joycons? Gah! I can never decide.

 

[capnjazz]

This. Every time I see a thread praising the Hori controller I twitch. Like I want to buy it but then I remember about the lost features, and get mad because I was so convinced for years Nintendo would release tons of different Joycons, like even Pro controller-style Joycons, so I waited and waited... but they never did.

Should I just buy the Hori? Or should I wait for the rumoured Switch Pro to release and hope it has new options for Joycons? Gah! I can never decide.

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It really depends on if you can live without the lost features. How important is gyro for you? When I play Splatoon in handheld mode I always opt for the normal Joy-Cons but that's the only game I use it on. The joysticks are a little more elevated and the buttons are as well and it feels a lot more comfortable in your hands so they are great for action games that don't rely on gyro/rumble as much imo.

 

[Edward850]

I wish they made one with rumble and gyro.

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Would buy another pair if it came with rumble/gyro

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So fun fact, it doesn't need gyro at all, the Switch itself has it built in, the developers need to remember to turn it on. I do this for Turok2 and Strife presently so gyro works with those fine with the split pad. (need to go back and enable that for Turok1, but the PS4 changes have really made a mess of that code base).

 

[alundra311]

Never liked the shoulder buttons and analog sticks. Stick throw is just too far compared to the 8bitdo sticks.

It's not bad. I thought I'd be using it more to play MH Rise but I went back to using my 8bitdo controller instead.

 

[Rodney McKay]

I've had the Hori Split Pad for a long time and it's definitely made playing games on Switch a lot more enjoyable.

But recently I did pick up the Binbok joycons on Amazon and I like them just as much as the Hori Split Pad (nice full-sized sticks, good grip) except the Binboks have gyro and can be used wirelessly too. I think I actually prefer the Binboks grip shape too, the Split Pad is more flat, while the Binboks have a bit more of a bump to grip.

I know people say they feel cheaper, but I think they feel pretty much exactly the same as the Split Pad. I did return my first pair because some of the led lights kept blinking, and the d-pad wasn't great, but they redesigned the d-pad recently and it feels much better.

The only downside I've found with the Binboks is that when you test the analog sticks, they do tend to favor the 8 main directions/angles a bit. I don't notice it in-game, but you can see it in the analog stick test in the Switch settings, so you might get a bit more 360 degree accuracy with the Hori Split Pad.

 

[Philippo]

Yes I like it but over time I found more and more issues with it.
Has no gyro (I had to switch to broken JoyCons only to play a Mario Galaxy part);
Is humongous and it creates that "gap" between the pad and the NS screen that irks me a lot;
Can't be used in TV mode;
No rumble;

All in all, it's cool but I wish we'd gotten a more refined product, I know I'd pay for it.

 

[medyej]

Would be an instant buy for me if it had gyro, thanks for the refernence to the binbok one though that looks like something I'd rather get

 

[massoluk]

No rumble is a deal breaker to me as well. How do you fish in MonHun

 

[Kanhir]

No rumble is a deal breaker to me as well. How do you fish in MonHun

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With your eyes. I played it on a Switch Lite for a while, you get used to it.

(Vastly inferior to having rumble though.)

 

[Maculo]

I don't use gyro at all and while rumble is great, I'm sick of the joycons and I only play handheld... I avoid certain games because of them and it's a pity...anyway, bought a pair off Amazon warehouse for 34€. Should be here this week :)

 

[YellowBara]

They're singlehandedly the reason I've put as much time into my switch for the past year and a half as I have. Even the extra features I thought would be worthless like the turbo made Animal Crossing way more pleasurable since I could set to auto-craft using it. Love them!

Excellent product, I only wish they could be disconnected and used similar to joycons, but I understand why it isn't included.

 

[Link_enfant]

I might eventually try this if the new Switch's Joy Con (inevitable?) revision aren't good enough.

 

[DeoGame]

Saved my Switch. Joycon Drift was getting insane.

Love the feel, buttons, turbo option, mappable back triggers and more. Miss 3D rumble but it is what it is. Only thing I will say is that the triggers feel a tad off and the thing feels a bit plasticky. Could really use some microtexturing, especially on the sticks.

Still, on the whole, I highly recommend as someone who plays borderline exclusively in handheld. Also, mine came with a fucking awesome Pac-Man design.

 

[godot]

Potential compatibility issues with the future Switch Pro are about the only thing that keep me from buying a set.

 

[noob-noob]

Both my left and right joycon have such bad drift to be basically unusable. That's what finally prompted me to get the hori and like others have said, it basically saved the switch for me as I had essentially stopped using it outside of smash sessions at home

The only thing I wish it had was a case for the controllers since I can't store my switch in it's regular case when they're attached to it.

 

[Juturna]

Thanks to this thread for introducing me to these. With my rheumatoid arthritis and above average? hand size, using the switch in hand held mode, which i prefer, would lead to my hand(s) going numb after a short time.

Picked up these bad boys, and its been a revelation. Tremendous product.

 

[Deleted member 10629]

Just got a set, why didn't I do this before.

 

[neoJABES]

Got this a few days ago. Like everyone else now I actually enjoy playing in handheld mode.

 

[TheSentry42]

I came in here expecting some sweet pics and videos of this thing in action.

Am I really going to have to google this myself? What am I, some kind of internet schlup?

 

[storaføtter]

I have been thinking about getting this one as I stopped entirely to play the Switch after the joycon debacle. However, the price tag is much to be desired. The pac-man version was on sale once but pretty ugly...