If you're in need of some new joy-con and don't particularly care what you attach to your Nintendo Switch, how about some bootleg ones for $15? In his latest video, our lovely video producer Alex Olney has contracted a virus, which for unknown reasons can only be cured with the assistance of knock-off controllers.
We know you might have seen fake Switch controllers before, but these are different. For starters, they actually seem to work and include all of the features you would expect – rumble, wireless, gyro sensors and can even be attached to and detected by the system.
One setback is they can't be updated when connected to the Switch. The right joy-con also doesn't have an IR camera and the low price makes the overall build feel incredibly light – with cheaper casing and buttons. To find out if Alex would actually recommend these controllers, view the following video:
Do you need some extra joy-con? What do you think of these bootleg ones? Tell us down in the comments.
[source youtu.be]
Comments 37
"they include all the features you would expect"
Does it come with authentic joycon drift?
Definitely pick this one up. Those original joycons are so expense.
@link70222 If they don't, they're pointless!
Drift. All that needs to be said about the “premium” joycon
Looking at them makes my hands hurt.
I really think that the drifting is a feature.
It helps you move around automatically, like auto-pilot.
These would work really well for me—I’m always on the hunt for cheap controllers for work. (I’m a librarian, and frequently run programs at the library I work for using Switches.)
no thank you ill stick to nintendo license ones we all know how any 3rd party accessories or boot leg one can cause issues.
Probably from the Chinese factory right next to the one that makes the "real" Nintendo ones. 😏
Been wanting an extra blue set. But $69 is insane - my X1 Winter Forces controller for my PC was 29.99 at Walmart and it gets more use than my Switch does by a mile.
If the sticks on the OEM joycon weren't such utter garbage, these would have no reason to exist. However...
I dunno, seems the real joy-cons are bad enough already.
Well, i am really confused. Should I buy one if these or avoid them?🤪
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/04/watch_out_there_are_fake_switch_joy-con_about
Surely these would only be classed as bootleg if they claimed to be legitimate Nintendo joy cons? To me it's a third party controller. Been thinking of getting an extra controller for my switch and plenty knocking around Chinese sites.
Why are these called bootleg? Correct me if I'm wrong but joycons haven't been outlawed have they? Are we living in joycon-prohibition times?
@Lordplops Yes.
@AlexOlney OK, I will hand mine in ASAP.
@link70222 They need to make a exclusive Fast And Furious game for the Switch. One where the Joycon drift is feature of the game.
"Fast And Furious - Joycon Drift"
@Lizuka I haven't had a problem with any of Nintendo's sticks
There is one thing I learned from friends who bought cheap knock off controllers: I was right to always buy the authentic version.
That just looks so off lol
How could they be worse than Nintendo's own ones, especially for the price?
All the sticks of my original Nintendo Joy-Con sets drift, and that is from just under 3 months of normal play. It's a hardware production error, what can we do about it? I will try cheap substitutes from now on.
I'm looking for some cheap Joy Cons for use with Fitness Boxing (so mine don't get all grubby) wonder if these are a goer.
And how well do they fit with Labo?
@readalie wow that's amazing what programmes do you run at the library using Switches?
@link70222 I've never experienced joycon drift. And the drift is caused by dust so surely it just means you need to clean your Joycons? Not much different to cleaning a mouse.
I have a soft silicone shell covering most of my Switch and I have soft silicone joystick covers. And when I travel I wrap my Switch in a thin cotton neck warmer to protect it inside my backpack. Maybe those measures stopped dust getting inside my Switch?
Ive been using my Hori fight pad as my regular left joycon started off with mini drift which is now making games frustrating to play. So far so good with the Hori..
Would have been nice to see the packaging, or am I to assume there was none? Unless it's claiming to be an official controller, I don't think these can count as bootleg...
Great review as always Alex, $15 controller feels cheap, yeh I didn't need to watch the video to know that.
Considering the DRIFT issue has rendered my OFFICIAL joycons useless (yes I've tried everything short of replacing the actual stick unit on it with a replacement from Amazon), I just might be forced to buy one of these knock off joycons. Nintendo can forget it if they think I'm going to pay $60 bucks for a joycon that will just go bad again in less than a year.
If they're not horrible, then they failed at copying the originals. I mean, my 7 years old Vita, 12 years old psp, 5 years old 3dsxl and three years old 3ds xl never developed any analog drift, yet 4 out of 5 joycons I own have, despite enjoying several times the number of fans hours as the Switch.
Cya
Raziel-chan
Speaking of the official Joycon's drifting issue, am I the only one that has been thinking about the rumored Switch Mini having non-detachable joycons? If they are just as bad as the official joycons of today, that means that you will have to ship the whole Switch Mini back to Nintendo every time your joycons start drifting. That alone is enough to make me NOT want to buy a Switch Mini.
@Lionyone Please look up further information on joycon drift. It is caused by a design flaw within the joycon itself so that, over time, it's likely that all joycons will experience drift with enough usage.
@link70222 I did look it up. Dust is the cause it said. It even said so on this very website.
@Lionyone Yes, it is dust. But it's caused by a design flaw in the joycon, as I said. Watch this video to understand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7um_1jr2vg
"One setback is they can't be updated when connected to the Switch"
Eh, and that's important? And maybe the analogue sticks don't drift, wich is good!
@link70222 Will Nintendo replace joycons? I have two switches and all three of the joycons have analog stick drift. It's hard to use
@Grez I believe they will replace them if they are under warranty. I think it's a year if they came with the Switch and 3 months if you bought them separately. But I would give Nintendo customer service a call just to be sure.
...I just picked up a pair of black ones on eBay (...there's finally an option to red/blue & blue/red ones) ...they're fine enough (especially at the price) ...they paired with my Switch just as any original Joy-Con do and they work attached or unattached ...although, I still can't figure out how you're supposed to update them ...I hooked them up to my computer with the USB cable but there's no interface software ...they just show up as being connected ...couldn't find any help online either (...though, I did find the manufacturer makes them in more of the colors of the regular Nintendo Joy-Con controls, including yellow/yellow, pink/green, green/pink, & even Pikachu/Eevee colors ...just have to wait for some distributor to pick 'em up and put them out for sale) ...aside, I did see that they are also now available on Amazon from seller named Skyrim (...though they're marked up in price $10 to $15)
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