When Japanese peripheral maker Hori revealed its D-Pad Joy-Con controller, it appeared to be the perfect solution to all those 2D games available on the Switch eShop. Not long after the announcement, it became apparent the left-hand controller was only able to be used in handheld mode - with a number of features removed including the Bluetooth, Gyrosensor, HD rumble, battery and the SL/SR buttons. This is not to forget reports of a Switch battery-draining issue prior to its western release.
In his latest video, our very own Alex Olney attempts to make the Hori Joy-Con wireless by swapping out the internals and replacing them with Nintendo's official Joy-Con parts. The video runs for close to 20 minutes and the procedure is a delicate one. Take a look above and be sure to tell us in the comments what you think about this unique controller.
Comments 25
was keen for a hori dpad joycon until I heard they were bricking systems?
Of course.it wouldn't be Hacker Life here if there wasnt one hacking article a day
I must be the only person who likes the directional buttons more than a D-pad. I have zero desire to buy one of these.
Fifth.
@thesilverbrick You’re not alone.
a human can adapt to anything n I have adapted to the joy stick after months of play that I now prefer the stick. besides the dpad placement is all wrong hori needs to swap places with the dpad n the stick cause it doesnt feel like a natural extension stretching ones thumb like that..
I don't really get the point of this. If I get one of these I will keep my original JoyCon in my Orzly carry case, along with an 8bitdo pad. That way I can use the d-pad or analogue stick when playing in handheld mode and if I want to have an impromptu multiplayer session I still have a fully functional JoyCon complete with buttons. If I want tabletop mode with d-pad control I'll use the 8bitdo. Sorted.
Yeah I suck at photo editing, but this is what I want. https://i.imgur.com/Y0gsDwE.jpg It would make long play sessions of platformers soooo much better. No more cramped thumb.
@Tasuki It's not really hacking, now, is it? It's just 20 minutes of messing around with a controller.
@thesilverbrick yeah I have no issues with the 4 buttons, I don't get why D pad is so hyped. The buttons are in the same place.
@paihia got a source? Im yet to hear this.
@Jawessome nope. hence my former question mark indicating that I was unaware? was hoping somebody on here might of been able to relate a story considering this is where read the rumour..
@Abes3 people grew up with the dpad its hard to let some things go. a 30+ year old playing video games should totally understand this..
@ReaderRagfish but really the dpad is inferior to an arcade stick in regards to street fighter. but your right those buttons are not made for dragon punches
@paihia I think so too. I just tried to play crash bandicoot handheld with a regular joycon. The directional button placement is just awkward so I ended up playing with the joystick. And even before I thought why didn’t hori (or some other company) make a joycon that had the D-pad (or directional buttons) and joystick had swapped places. It would be the ultimate 2D platformer / fighter controller for the switch.
@molliolli182 if hori would swap the pad n the stick I would cave n buy one otherwise I would suffer muscle cramps in my hand for sure
@ReaderRagfish true those sticks are not cheap..
@ReaderRagfish Not really a Street Fighter fan so I haven’t had an issue, but for fans of that game I guess I can see why a D-pad would be preferable. Personally I love the precision of directional buttons in platformers and especially puzzle games.
@thesilverbrick
Directional buttons are fine for slow games like picross. In games that require quick response, a dpad has a nub in the middle which prevents all 4 directions getting pressed at once. A technique I use alot is to roll from left to right on a dpad. It allows a very small movement to output from left to right on the game. If you do this with the buttons you are likely to hit both directions and maybe all 4 directions. Games don't like this and it either doesn't respond at all or responds in a funky matter. Same with diagonals. Alot of time my thumb is in the middle, not edges of the dpad. As such, it requires alot more motion to hit diagonals with buttons and it requires alot more precision since with a dpad I can put pressure on the middle and just more pressure to the side I want to move. With buttons pressure in the middle means hitting 4 buttons.
@paihia
I can't really say I love the layout of the Switch controller in general. But making it portable required some concessions to the form factor. If you hold a Switch next to a 3DS the layout is pretty similar. I've had no problem using a dpad in tough games like Megaman on the 3DS.
Anyone know if the Hori dpad controller works with the Satisfye grip that was recently reveiwed on here?
Buy a Pro controller if you desperately need a cross like button.
@Cosats well ninty messed the early pro switch controller up with the dpad sensitivity being all over the place but I heard they rectified them by the time the xenoblade variant controllers hit the market. so I would be very cautious when buying an official pro con specifically for the dpad
@Paihia lol I'm a 30+ year old gamer who grew up on the NES and game boy. Still don't find it an issue. Maybe because I have big man thumbs I can touch multiple buttons in street fighter without an issue.
If it's on the Pro Controller I will use it but I'm don't have the desire to go out and buy another one.
@Abes3 same here but I was on the other side of the fence back then with my master system n megadrive. now we all under the same roof! ..cheers
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...