This officially licensed Switch controller featuring The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild artwork is set to launch late April / early May. Pre-orders go live today.
From accessory maker PowerA, this wireless controller has been "designed for comfort during extended gaming sessions" and features a gorgeous looking Zelda design. It supports motion controls, has a snazzy, blue metallic D-pad and takes on the Switch Pro Controller's standard layout.
As is the norm for PowerA's 'Enhanced Wireless' controller range, you'll need to chuck a couple of AA batteries in the back to power it, giving you "up to 30 hours of gameplay". We've got a full list of features and some more images for you below (the hole in Zelda's neck is a tad unfortunate).
KEY FEATURES:
- BLUETOOTH WIRELESS FREEDOM: Bluetooth 5.0 wireless protocol provides excellent response time and range.
- ADVANCED GAMING BUTTONS: Two mappable rear buttons let you mirror any other button command to the back of the controller allowing flexible customization, on-the-fly (no app required).
- INTEGRATED MOTION CONTROLS: Control the action with precise integrated motion controls.
- UP TO 30 HOURS OF GAMEPLAY: Replaceable batteries mean you don’t have to throw away your controller when the batteries die. Uses two AA batteries (Included). Or purchase rechargeable batteries for added convenience (sold separately).
- COMFORTABLE ERGONOMIC DESIGN: Familiar pro-style ergonomic design and standard Nintendo Switch button layout.
As noted above, pre-orders go live today - you can get your own directly from PowerA for $49.99.
Do you like the look of the controller? Are you tempted to pick one up? Let us know in the comments below.
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Comments (74)
It looks really nice, but personally I'd prefer a cleaner design (not even sure if these are the right terms) over an actual Full piece in between the buttons.
Something like color alluding to game or character and a triforce here or there. I really like the flower by the side
It's still beautiful though
Is it me or does 30 hours sound like not a long time before having to replace the batteries? Love the look of it though and the mappable buttons are a neat idea.
I’ll put it on my maybe list.
It’s very nice. So far I haven’t bought any other controllers other than the joy con but this is tempting.
I don't need this and yet I do NEED this. I can actually get away with buying this and my wife not asking me questions.
I might just buy this for when I replay Breath of the Wild.
Bonus points for Zelda having a breathing stoma. Those years of heavy smoking weren't kind to her.
@nofriendo I think it's about on-par with an Xbox pad.
But why no rumble? They ALMOST had the perfect pro controller
@Ralizah I guess I’m spoiled by my joycons, pro controller and 8Bitdo SF30 Pro, all rechargeable. Switch is also the first system I’ve owned since the Dreamcast, so wireless controllers are new to me. And LOL re: stoma. 100 years waiting for Link to wake the [email protected]*% up and come finish off Ganon are more than enough time to develop that habit.
Beautiful looking controller. Id get it but not a fan of the batteries being needed.
@nofriendo dude, on a full charge PS4 controller only lasts like 4-5 hours lol
@nofriendo Oh wow. Dreamcast to Switch? That's quite the leap. In fact, Switch must be the ideal console for you. All the Wii U and ports of big last gen games should be new to you as well.
@Ralizah You have no idea! I see all these comments about the Switch being overloaded with ports and not enough new or exclusive titles, but I skipped the last 18 years of gaming and now find myself with an embarrassment of riches. I’m in heaven!
"Replaceable batteries mean you don’t have to throw away your controller when the batteries die. "
Lol, wut?
@NintyNate But these are regular AA batteries, although it says you can purchase rechargeable. Just seems like the cost from batteries alone will go up dramatically, especially if 30 hours is best-case scenario.
Lack of rumble's a deal breaker for me...
Hmm looks like a nice spare controller. I will likely get one.
I want this but don't like using AA batteries. The 30 hours of gameplay seems nice though. I get it once the price is right. Only thing I hate is finding rechargeable AA batteries for this. Some are hard to come by and they took too long to recharge plus they don't use USB wired for recharge but wall plugs which often takes up space.
@nofriendo buy recharge, I have some for my xone, it cost me £9 and came with 4 batteries
@AcridSkull damn it, there goes my plan to create even more waste! I just LOVE throwing away my controllers!
that back panel with triple A batteries is "gorgeous", even more so at 49.99
@retro_player_22 my smart aa charger i plug into a wall, but amazon has $7 usb plugs that i plug into my solar wall panel and takes up no room.
you . can also get aa batteries that have a usb plug built in but theyre overpriced for what they are
@russellohh Wow guess I need to get that first before investing in this. It's just that my gaming room just don't have that many outlets and I hate relying too much on power strips as I got like 3 of them already.
No HD Rumble no buy
I’d prefer a simple, BotW blue, Pro Controller.
Looks nice enough but I doubt it holds up practically.
No rumble no buy.
Argos in the UK have this in stock already, picked one up last week. Actually feels really nice quality for a 3rd party controller, no regrets.
Oh neat! The sticks and shoulder buttons already look like they've been discolored by the sweat of heavy use.
It looks like someone spilled spaghetti sauce on it...
starting at $199.99! get it fast from ebay scalpers at craaaazy prices!
How is the D-pad? If it isn't any better than the official pro controller, then I'll have to pass.
I have one of the earlier releases of these and it's amazing. The d-pad feels somewhat like the Dreamcast pad, which I love. I use rechargeable batteries and go about a month between charges.
@AcridSkull At some point, controllers with non-replaceable batteries will no longer hold a charge. It's true for the Pro controller and the Joy Con.
@citizen_zane It's leagues better than the Pro controller. Not only does it work properly, it's super comfortable.
@nofriendo It is low if you compare to say the regular Pro controller which has about 80 hours of charge.
@nofriendo Switch pro gets 30-40, and the Wavebird gets like 60-80.
@nilcam you can replace those batteries.
Oh god batteries!
Bluetooth unfortunately means more latency than a wired controller. Personally, if I'm going "Pro," then I'm going wired. I already use bluetooth with my Joy-cons
Looks nice but it's enough of a pain finding enough AA batteries for my Wii remotes. Shame this can't be charged using USB like the regular Pro controller.
@Ulysses I haven't noticed any latency with my wireless controllers, but I guess I'm not subjecting them to much scrutiny. I play Smash and I beat Celeste... Have you actually noticed it?
So no HD rumble and no integrated, rechargeable batteries, eh? Meh.
This controller very pretty. I liked that it is white. And a very nice white too.
Not looking for one right now, but this one is very tempting! Looks awesome.
I love how all these controllers look, but sadly the AA battery situation is a no go for me.
@Bobb I'm right here with you. I really, really don't like big cartoony character art on things like accessories. That's for wallscrolls, posters, computer backgrounds, maybe t-shirts.. But not controllers or consoles. I really like the Xenoblade 2 Pro Controller. It has all the coloring of Homura and on closer inspection, it has an etching of her blade form behind the face buttons. Or even the official Wind Waker themed Wii U with the gold trim. Subtle, elegant.. rather than this controller, which looks like a nice design that someone slapped a cheap decal on.
Oh, also, even if I did like big gaudy character art like that... I really, really, really dislike Zelda's style in Breath of the Wild. Definitely my least favorite so far.
@nofriendo That's why I'd never buy another battery operated controller in my life. Whatever money people think they're going to save by buying knockoff controllers (this is $50, the Pro Controller is regularly marked down to $55ish but even at $70...), if you play a lot then you're going to have spent more in 6 months and have the annoying as heck inconvenience of changing batteries.
Also, a lot of these are known for being battery hogs when they're turned off so even if you don't use it much, it'll run down the batteries within a few weeks of sitting idle between sessions. And then those times when the batteries die and you forgot to buy new ones. That's the worst.
I wish Nintendo would just make this, like how MS makes all their designer controllers so they are beautiful AND fully functional, official controllers. I honestly appreciate the quality work by a 3rd party manufacturer (a rare sight) but IMO this is a wasted opportunity. For $50, it requiring batteries and having no rumble, on top of being an inferior Pro controller, this is a silly buy other than for pure collecting purposes. Just not practical.
"From accessory maker PowerA" I stopped looking at pictures after this, because I knew it wouldn't be rechargeable.
Wish we could see some actual new Nintendo pro controllers or Joy cons. I'm just not that interested in off brand, and especially would not want a battery one like this.
@nofriendo
You might be using a wireless controller with better bluetooth technology. Joy-cons use Bluetooth 3.0, so the latency is pretty noticeable to me while I play Mario Odyssey on the TV or in tabletop mode.
Bluetooth 5.0 is 2x faster than 4, and 4.2 is 2.6x faster than 3. The good thing is that this controller uses 5.0, but I would still prefer wired for anything competitive.
source
@Deltath Could be why they didn't include HD rumble. Probably would've cut the battery life in half. I'm very happy with all my chargeable controllers. Never actually had one power off on me.
@Ulysses Not sure. Mainly use a Pro controller but I don't game too hardcore. My brain probably has its own latency tho so perhaps we're synced up. 🤣
@NintyNate That seems crazy low. Do ppl just keep another charged and ready to go? I refuse to believe that they go out for fresh air after 5 hrs of play.
I'll most likey get this one & the green/black Link power a controller, when I buy Mortal Kombat 11. That way I'll have some cool looking traditional controllers, If my friends don't want to use the joy cons.
@nofriendo I got 4, I put 2 in to play and the other 2 on charge... I have a constant supply lol
Even if I liked the design, and I don't - it is just a nearly stock graphic slapped on, the lack of a rechargeable battery is an absolute deal killer in 2019.
The Pro controller by TruGamer Pro was the best controller I've ever owned. You don't need batteries like power A's stuff and it's way cheaper!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KYYBRLV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yyaPCbB8Q6801
It’s beautiful but at that price it would be crazy not to just get a real Pro Controller.
Looks like a Zelda XB1 controller w/o a home button
Stop throwing around "officially licensed" like it actually means anything.
For some reason, I don't like it. I do think it would look nice on my shelf though.
Back to batteries... beautiful but that's giving me second thoughts ~
I would get this specifically for those extra buttons and that amazing looking Dpad.
To much cons though... no internal battery, no amiibo, no rumble, it doesnt seem to even have usb port.
@nofriendo 30 hours is pretty good and in some ways I prefer AA's to internal batteries since you can buy rechargables (Ladda at Ikea are very good for the price btw) and swap them as soon as the old set runs out without needing to play connected to the console or remember to charge between sessions.
Also in 10+ years times you'll still be able to get AA's cheap where new controllers with batteries near 100% may be harder to come by, resulting in a need to do replacement for parts not necessarily intended to be user replaceable. Unfortunately as with any battery, the built in ones will die eventually. '
TBH I love MSs approach of allowing either AA's or removable rechargeable packs for wireless play, or for data over USB should you connect to the console.
It's a beautiful controller but I currently have THREE Power A controllers with faulty left analog sticks that I need to make warranty requests for. Until there is some confirmation that the current batch does not have faulty sticks, I'd be cautious about this controller.
I think the graphic would wear off before long. Also I am not a huge fan of wireless controllers. In thirty years will this till work like NED controllers? Maybe.
Does the d-pad have a central pivot? That's make or break for me.
Thanks but no thanks. Who is wasting AA batteries to use a controller these days?...
Put in a preorder. I really like the design, will see if I can afford it when it gets closer.
@Kadmario Rechargeable AA's are the way to go. Personally I have a couple dozen from the various Wiimotes we have around our house.
@LightyKD Curious which PowerA controllers you have with faulty sticks. What problems do they have? Large dead zones?
@Nico07 I have three of Power A's wired controllers
All three are beautiful controllers but the left sticks, when you flick up will register "up" for a split second before moving things downward. Tried two switches and three docks and they all have the same issue. It feels like the manufacturing process for the left sticks is completely off. Even worse, the Switch has no support for stick calibration on these controllers.
That is one ugly pad.
$49.99? I got 3 of these controllers about two and a half months ago at Walmart for $19.99 each. I got one with Bowser on it one with Mario on it and then I got a breath of the wild Edition with link on it so I don't understand why this one is so expensive... Same company and everything made those. Also I really don't use them I just got them because they were 19.99 and I thought they look cool.. never use the joycons myself not once I've always used the pro controller from the start.
It's nice that it's got back buttons (finally they're starting to add them to non crazy-expensive controllers), but the lack of rumble on the other hand... meh
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