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Topic: Questions about the Joycon Grip...

Posts 1 to 12 of 12

JMPhase

1. Is it more or less comfortable than holding a Nintendo 3DS XL?

2. Is the lack of proper D-Pad really that big of an issue.

3. Can the Joycons in the Grip rumble?

Thank you!

JMPhase

jman0987654321

1. It should be more comfortable, since the grip actually has handles, so it should feel more comfortable.

2. It is only a big deal if you plan on playing 2d games like shovel knight or sonic mania.

3. Yes, the joycons will shake the grip.

jman0987654321

OorWullie

@JMPhase The Joy-con analogue and direction buttons both work well as a replacement for a D-pad, some games are better with the stick, others with the buttons. It is not a big deal for 2D games at all in my opinion.they just take some getting use to. I've got loads of Neo Geo and arcade games and the Joy-con haven't let me down yet. This is coming from someone who is a big retro gamer and used to swear by a D-pad.

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NEStalgia

@OorWullie D-Pads were a "best use" of their era. We didn't have analogs yet. I still don't get why everyone adores dpads when mostly all they do is try to badly do what a stick does. Heck even on retro consoles a D-Pad was just a cheap mass-producible replacement for actual joysticks ("arcade sticks") that the games were mostly designed to be played with. Much of the time for 2D the thumbstick is as good or better than a D-Pad (even in the NES/SNES days I preferred my NES Advantage/SNES Advantage sticks.)

The Joycons better approximate keyboard arrow keys and is better for menu navigation. I actually just bought a high end wired "eSports" grade PS4 controller (largely because I LOATHE DualShock and always have, the handles feel wrong and the sticks dig into my fingers and have WAY too little range and too much centering spring for me) And it amazed me that the D-Pad......isn't. It's 4 individual buttons like the Joycons. Only much much stiffer. Too stiff, but it's designed to make it hard to accidentally give the wrong callout in COD or wrong weapon selection in Overwatch. Every now and then I find a game that I like real dpads on....but it's the least common.

@JMPhase Much more comfortable in grip than a 3DSXL. That's just a big flat brick. The grip feels like a smaller X360 controller...or maybe like a DualShock 3 (but with X360 stick orientation. As it should be.)

Sometimes you'll wish for a proper D-Pad, but most 2D games are still designed and tested to use the sticks these days, so indie 2D games are rarely an issue (or big ones like DKCTF where IMO the stick was always better than the D-Pad since it was meant for it.) Only ACTUAL retro games seem to really depend on D-Pad absolutes (and there's a scarcity of those on Switch right now.) OTOH if you're a Fighting Game aficionado that resists anything but D-Pads and even real arcade sticks won't do, then no, you'll hate it.

Also IMO the Joycons have better HD Rumble than the Pro Controller.....even in the grip.

Edited on by NEStalgia

NEStalgia

gcunit

I've owned my Switch for 11 months and never used the grip once.

That's not a criticism towards the grip, but it's just unnecessary - split joy cons are a dream come true.

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mister_magnus

I used the grip for the first time playing Celeste. I love the double disconnected joy-cons but needing to use the digital pad just put me at a strange angle for repeated technical platform jumps.

Otherwise I'm all about that split lyfe.

mister_magnus

mowerdude

I use the joycon's split most of the time because the grip feels to small or maybe it's just the buttons are to small on the joycon's when they are that close together. As for the d-pad I wish nintendo would actually offer a option to let us purchase a left joycon with a d-pad instead of just buttons. Yes the joycon's in the grip rumble.

mowerdude

Agriculture

NEStalgia wrote:

@OorWullie D-Pads were a "best use" of their era. We didn't have analogs yet. I still don't get why everyone adores dpads when mostly all they do is try to badly do what a stick does. Heck even on retro consoles a D-Pad was just a cheap mass-producible replacement for actual joysticks ("arcade sticks") that the games were mostly designed to be played with. Much of the time for 2D the thumbstick is as good or better than a D-Pad (even in the NES/SNES days I preferred my NES Advantage/SNES Advantage sticks.)

Some games, like Megaman, requires you to turn around, fire quickly and then turn back. This is nearly impossible with a stick. The d-pad is better at quick movement and works best with 2D games where the player character goes full speed immediately.

Agriculture

games-of-death

Honestly, the analog stick of the joycons aren’t that bad for 2d games. Sonic Mania works and feels great with the analog stick of the joycons, except on the special stages.

And yes I do prefer to use the grip at all times except if I need to share a joycon.

Edited on by games-of-death

games-of-death

Xyphon22

I'm playing Blaster Master Zero right now, and I actually like using both. In the dungeon parts, I prefer walking around with the buttons, but if I need to shoot an angle, it is much easier to use the stick to get the angle right. I have no problems just using the buttons, though. Would a real D-pad be better? Probably, but the buttons work just fine.

Xyphon22

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NEStalgia

@Agriculture It did depend on game design back then. Games from the arcade generally fared best. I didn't play Megaman back then. I did all the Marios, Metroids, tons of platformers etc. Of course those all had an arcade cabinet equivalent so it makes sense (Nobody remembers the Mario 3 and Metroid arcade cabinets. I was there........

NEStalgia

Agriculture

NEStalgia wrote:

@Agriculture It did depend on game design back then. Games from the arcade generally fared best. I didn't play Megaman back then. I did all the Marios, Metroids, tons of platformers etc. Of course those all had an arcade cabinet equivalent so it makes sense (Nobody remembers the Mario 3 and Metroid arcade cabinets. I was there........

Yes, it does depend on the game. I don't know if I will end up using the d-pad or stick for Kirby Star Allies, I have to see which is best when I get the game.

Agriculture

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