Spot The Difference Between Hori's Pokkén Tournament DX Switch Controller And The Wii U One

Both look okay

I just don't understand why ZL and ZR are those small buttons on front. Does it make sense in Pokkén Tournament?

@KoopaTheGamer Yes, very much so. It just puts everything in reach. Plus, the L and R buttons are more important in this game so they are given more space and thus, easier to use.

It's a shame they didn't add Home and Screenshot buttons, ah well. I have the Wii U version and it's my favourite way to play 2D games on Switch, so it's worth picking up!

The question is.... will it compatible for other Switch games ?

That video is only one year old, yet it seems so off.
What changed ? The lighting ? The camera ? Or is just Alex who's... glowing ?

EDIT: The lack of home button is only mildly annoying if, just like for Wii U, you can't play anything else with it. But no screenshots ? Come on. Like people won't want to brag about perfect matches.

I still have my wiiu one so I will use that.

@Ryu_Niiyama Not going to try the HRAP with it? I was tempted to get this controller, but somehow it just seems like a game that might be more fun with a stick if you have one. One one hand the actual cabinet uses this controller for some odd reason (sadly I was going to try the cabinet, but it was gone from my arcade now ), on the other hand Pokken borrows a lot from Tekken which is normally played on stick... So torn!

I know this game always comes out with a special controller to be in line with the arcade cabinet controls.

But the controller really doesn't have any other advantage that I can see, and doesn't work as a full Switch Pro Controller either.

What exactly does it better than regular Wii U or Switch controls for the game?

I bet the difference is just a sticker.

Edit: Confirmed.

While I'm not a massive fan of it, I do think the black version looks much nicer.

And they've still really cheaped out on it by not connecting up the LED connections, unlike the arcade version.

Nintendo are really deliberate in their actions. They could have easily released a patch to allow this controller be used with other games on Wii U but didn't. Guess what console they did release a patch for it? That's right, the Switch. It's decisions like this that really irritate me about Nintendo.

@NEStalgia The game was designed for the Dpad controller so likely not. Also that is how I played the wiiu version. My thing is playing with what the game is designed for otherwise I'm no different than everyone screaming for a dpad out of nostalgia.

@Anti-Matter It works on any Switch game that lets you use a dpad on pro controller So Zelda/Snipperclips/ARMS/Splatoon 2 wouldn't work, but Sonic Mania/Street Fighter/Mario Kart 8/Namco Museum/Wonder Boy/Kamiko among others will be compatible

Does it have the LED's and Rumble that the previous controller was planned to have?

@Kalmaro I don't see how moving them to the face as a tiny button puts them more in reach. On a standard controller (Both the Joy Con and the Pro) the should buttons and triggers are very easy to reach.

To each their own of course, but I'm not sure what the appeal of this controller is over the pro controller, other than cost of course.

@roadrunner343 Think you misread his reply buddy. The L & R buttons are used and therefore the ZL & ZR buttons are moved out of the way as not so important.

@NinjaBadger Perhaps I did somewhat mis-read - I understand L/R are used far more often, but I don't really think this change puts them anymore in reach - they're dead simple to reach as is on the Pro. So the only real difference is moving the triggers much more out of reach. It doesn't look like a terrible controller, I'm just not sure who it's for either.

Want to get the black DX version but so far can only preorder as part of the Pokken DX bundle.

I do like the Switch logo though, that part of the controller looked bare.

@roadrunner343 You misunderstand. The ZL and ZR buttons basically are not used. So they moved them and you have expanded L and R buttons, so no chance of clicking the wrong button.

@Kalmaro Yeah, I get that. But have you ever had a problem of accidentally pressing the wrong shoulder button? Especially if you are only ever pressing one or the other, my fingers just naturally rest there (Either on the triggers, or on the shoulder buttons, depending on what is being used). It just seems like this makes the controller only marginally better for Pokken, but incredibly worse for everything else.

Already got both the standard and Pikachu Yellow versions of the Wii U pad still sealed.

But I used a mates one and can confirm that with a USB A female to USB C male adapter you can use the controller on the Switch without the dock.

You just need something to life it off the flat like the Hori stand.

@Ryu_Niiyama True, I'd generally agree with playing what it's designed for. Pokken is an odd case though since it's literally "Pokemon Tekken" in EU (not sure how the kanji would be interpreted), and Tekken is certainly a stick game. I kind of wondered if it was "designed" for the d-pad, or if they made it that way so kids familiar with Pokemon would be familiar with the controller rather than joysticks they have no knowledge of in this day and age.

Still the tournament was done with these controllers so it says something.

I do wish I could have tried the cabinet while it was there.

Edit: Actually, looking at differences between the cabinet and the home model.....they're really not that similar at all beyond basic layout. The width, placement, the well around the d-pad are all different.

How well does this play for retro-style games? Worth it for the D-pad placement?

Shame in the US we only get the black one....the white + red from the cabinet shown above is so much nicer!

@roadrunner343 The idea is that it could happen, plus, bugger buttons are always better in this case since it gives you more options for placing your fingers.

@Kalmaro Of course it could happen. I could accidentally press the b button instead of a, or the start button instead of select. What I am saying, is that these changes only make the controller marginally more useful for Pokken, and far worse for every other scenario, in my opinion. Of course this is all personal user preference, but it doesn't change the fact that I personally struggle to find any benefit this controller offers over the pro controller. If that's not the case for you, then by all means, purchase and enjoy the controller.

@roadrunner343 But that's the entire point, to make it better for Pokkén

Sure you could use it for other stuff but ideally, this is just for Pokkén, though you can use it for other games if you really want.

@Kalmaro I don't know if you're intentionally being difficult now, or if you just didn't read my previous posts - but my "entire point" was that it only makes it marginally better - as in, not enough to worry with. I would argue, not really better at all. Like I said previously, and also asked for your experience, I've never had an issue with pressing the wrong should button/trigger. And once again, I'll reiterate, of course this is user preference. I'm not denying it. If you feel this is much better for Pokken, have at it! But my original statement stands - I personally don't see how this would be any better than the Pro controller, but I can easily see a bunch of scenarios where it would be much worse.

I'm still hoping for a D pad JoyCon. Surely someone is going to make one at some point.....

Hint: Its the Logo on the box
You can thank me later

@theultimateabsol No, that would actually require some effort.

I just want to experience the game how it was originally designed in arcades

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Can't have that now, can we.

@roadrunner343 perhaps I misunderstood somewhere, my apologies. I'd say that it helps me for one of the reasons I listed above, it just gives my fingers more room to move since it is all one button. I have huge fingers so I like it. The pro controller is perfectly fine, this just makes it a littler easier, and it's cheaper to boot!

@roadrunner343 But it wasn't made for anything else in mind. Sure, you CAN use it for other games, but it's main draw is that it's basically a replica of the arcade controller for Pokkén. The fact that you can use it for other games is just a cherry on top. Don't like the ZR/ZL placement? just get another controller that better suits your taste.

@NicolausCamp Obviously that's what I've done - and I've stated as much. I know it's made for Pokken. If you've read my other posts, you would see that what I've said from the beginning was that for me, personally, I think this controller is marginally improved for Pokken (At best) while substantially worse for everything else, making this a hard sell and not at all appealing to me - even for Pokken. I would much rather simply have a pro controller. The only thing this really has going for it is a good price.

fyi for anyone interested in this pad, you can get the original Wii U controller for £16, or a special Pikachu themed version for £20, both on Amazon. It's a pretty good deal if you just want a controller for classic games on the Switch, and I imagine the Switch rerelease of the controller will be sold for more than this.

@Dang69 It's a great alternative to the Pro Controller if all you want is a D Pad and don't want to pay for the Pros bells and whistles

I still have my Pikachu edition one, so I'm fine.

@NEStalgia Yeah but the inputs for pokken aren't a true 8 way free run. The stage rotates to accommodate movement so it is only 4 directions...making a dpad perfect for it. And you don't really need to roll inputs or plink them either so no need for a stick anyway. Also there is no concept of fuzzy guard from what I've seen when I played it on wiiu. Basically the movements that make having a 8 way input or buttons that line up with your fingers aren't required for pokken. They I know people like to say it is just tekken with a pokemon skin and there are similarities but they are totally different control style wise.

Edit: In general layout doesn't matter so much as ease of input. I prefer Viewlix layout, some folks like hitbox or astro city layout... most stick builders customize their layouts to accommodate their finger length and hand size.

Here you go: Still one of the best resources on stick building.

http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html

@KoopaTheGamer because you dont use them in the game, so they are placed out of the way, surely thats obvious.

So this will work on all games on Switch?

I emailed a complaint to Nintendo UK after the smash bros wii U gamecube pads did not work on other games despite them not making that clear - and in fact in the US they said they would work on other games! They responded by saying 'Yeah, sorry, we understand your frustration but we can't do anything about it now.' So imagine my annoyance when the Pokken pad didn't work with any other games either!