Topic: Hori Split Pad Pro

I just got the Hori Split Pad Pro joycon today and thought I would share my impressions. I was on the fence for awhile and wasn't really sure if I would like how much bulk it adds to the system. I was also worried they would put too much pressure on the joycon tracks while playing. It turns out they're a lot better than I expected. I was pleased to find plastic tabs on the back of each joycon, protecting the tracks from undue pressure. They feel very sturdy connected to the system. No sliding or creaking. It really feels like using a comfortable pro controller in handheld. They're very light, but seem quite sturdy, with large joysticks and buttons. The d-pad is great and I'm very picky about d-pads. Overall it feels very quality. I play in handheld between half and two thirds of the time. These new joycon are literally a game changer. Astral Chain feels so much better with a full sized controller. The only downside is the absence of rumble and the added bulk isn't well suited for travel. If you play in handheld a lot and find the joycon a tad on the small side, I would definitely recommend these.

Nice! Thanks for the review. I was considering getting these but the price seems a bit steep (for me personally, not the product itself). I think if it had rumble and gyro that would tip the scales. Oh well I'll get them one day in a sale unless they become hard to find!

Fortunately, gyro is handled by the Switch tablet itself. I wish these were wireless and had both rumble and gyro, but for what they are, they're extremely comfortable.

@HexagonSun oh right ok! I thought I read somewhere that it was joy con gyro only on Daemon X which I thought was strange considering they made controllers for it that lack gyro!

I just realized I was was totally wrong about gyro. I assumed games would just use the console's gyro, but apparently not. I know the tablet has good gyro from my time with Labo VR. It's a shame, really. This could be easily fixed with an OS update, but I'm not holding my breath. This definitely takes the experience down a notch, as I love motion control. They're still very comfy, so I'll at least use them for games that don't rely too heavily on gyro.

Thanks for the insight! I hadn’t payed attention about the lack of any rumble. That’s a breaker for me, considering the price. I suppose I’ll stick to my system grip for now ☹️

@HobbitGamer No motion control was a bigger disappointment for me. It's definitely not for everyone. I do play enough games that don't utilize rumble or gyro in a meaningful way that I'll still get plenty of use out of it. It's just such a comfortable way to play handheld for extended periods. Having a full sized dpad is great for retro. Playing SNES with these joycon feels great.

@HexagonSun I'll be honest the back buttons for switching weapons is a godsend! toggling between your weapons while moving around is actually pretty tough!

We've got a couple topics on this product, so I wasn't sure which to bump. But I'm compelled to give a shoutout to arguably the best accessory purchase I've made for the Switch to date. I've been using my Hori Split Pad Pro for six months now. They've officially lasted longer than any joy-con I've owned previously.

Hori does what Nintendon't, and that's offer a reliable analog mechanism for prolonged use.

The best third party alternative controller I've owned since the Super Pad 64.

Beyond happy, $40 well spent.

@Magician can you send a link to where you bought them? I’ve been wanting more reliable controllers and I keep on hearing how good these are.

@Blooper987 If you're in NA, this model is on sale for about $10 off.

https://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Switch-Split-Ergonomic-Contro...

Keep in mind these are HANDHELD MODE ONLY. They won't work if they're detached from the unit.

@Magician You must have terrible luck with joycons. I used my launch joycons exclusively for more than 2.5 years before drift appeared, and that was quickly remedied. I don't use them often now because I finally jumped on the Pro Controller bandwagon (and have a SPP for handheld), but they're still perfectly functional.

@Blooper987

At a glance, they appear to be readily available on Amazon for $50 (they were marked down when I bought my pair). Hori have released a newer model and about half a dozen varying colors and prints (Pac-Man, MHR, etc) of the newer model since the Daemon X Machina original, which had squishier shoulder buttons...or so I've heard. Just to be clear, I'm primarily a handheld Switch player, and you'd be giving up a lot of joy-con functionality if you opted to buy the SPP.

I merely grateful to have analog sticks that haven't deteriorated after four months of continued use.

@Ralizah

Bad luck indeed, no doubt about that. Not to sound overly snarky, but anyone who hasn't experienced joy-con drift in their joy-con after roughly 400 hours of use is either exceedingly lucky or doesn't actually play video games as often as they think they do.

@Magician I have a pro controller for docked mode, I just need a good quality joy con alternative for handheld mode. Sounds like the would work pretty well. What would you say are the downsides to these as opposed to regular joycon?

Well, these can't be used independently, don't have nfc, rumble, ir, or motion sensors.

But they work great for handheld mode, just not as true joycons.

@Blooper987

You'd lose all the functionality of the joy-con. No rumble, no gyro, no nfc reader, no ir sensor. In addition to that, the SPP are a bit on the chunky side. They're great if you have bear claws for hands, but they might be a bit much if your hands are on the petite side.

@Magician I can certainly live without those features for that price. I also have pretty long fingers so I don’t think it should be a problem. Might buy these after my paycheck comes in!
Thanks so much!

They had a red pair at Walmart near me so I got them. Can’t wait to try them out later

@Magician Sorry you've had such bad luck with joycon. Only my launch pair have succumbed to drift. I've had two subsequent pair that have lasted years now without a problem. I started taking care to not expose my joycon to dust. The analog sticks seem very susceptible to dust. I live in the high dessert, so it can be a big problem. I got a grip case for playing in handheld and store my joycon when not in use. I've never had a problem since and I play in handheld a good two thirds of my time playing. If you ever want to give joycon a second chance, I would recommend taking precautions.

The split pad pro is great for certain games, but I really like motion and rumble. Many modern games feel at a disadvantage without those features, so I still mainly use joycon.