Nintendo Today Video Showcases The New Switch 2 Pro Controller

Holding out for a special edition one like the Splatoon 2 one for the original Switch.

I feel like Hyrule Warriors or Metroid Prime 4 will be the first one possibly

Glad to hear the sticks have improved.

But it’s very disappointing that they didn’t go for analog shoulder buttons. Especially since they’re bringing back GC games.

Glad the original pro controller is compatible because this is a hard skip for me.

Hope the D-Pad is actually good this time.

please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift please don't drift

One thing I've been wondering is; what's really the point of the two extra buttons when the joy-cons don't have them. I can't really see games being released using them, but then not be supported in handheld mode because of the lack of two extra buttons.

It might be a beauty, but I'm still very disappointed at the fact that you can't wake a Switch 2 up with the old Pro controller.
If Nintendo wants me to buy this newer version, they'll firstly have to convince me this is not done on purpose.

I want to praise Nintendo here: Most PS5 games could be played with a standard PS4 DualShock controller, but Sony doesn’t allow this and forces the PS5 owners to buy new, expensive PS5 DualSense controllers.

NS2 accepts all NS1 controllers. This puts the prices for NS2 and PS5 for owners of the previous systems into perspective.

Off-topic but thanks for using Bluesky as source

IDK I tend to drift off when watching these nintendo pro controller showcases!

I wish switch procon 1 can wake-up switch 2 so I can use it normally like on switch 1 😕

@citizenerased Don't go there, it's full of weird people.

It's like 95% similar.

Definitely getting one of these babies. I have two for my Switch 1 and they're a must have, if you ask me. Going to get at least a vanilla one and hopefully there will be cool themed ones as well. I'd love to get a Xenoblade, or Fire Emblem themed one! Although Metroid would be great too.

@karatekid1612 very funny.

@BenAV yes, they could have done it, but people expecting the new console to have full compatibility to the older one, and thus very likely to already own a pro controller, wouldn't have been too happy about it.

The only alternative I can think of is that they didn't want to screw their agreements with 3rd party makers, which still sucks because those never ever got the permission to implement their own version of the HD rumble.

I miss the layout of the WiiU Pro Controller.

Nintendo's peripheral prices are getting out of hand. :-/

If the existing controller works, that will do me for now. I'm not interested in the 'c' button being a solo player.

@BenAV At the same time this IS the same company that's trying to spearhead $80 games as standard ahead of Sony and Microsoft + kept all models of Switch 1 (even the crusty V1/V2 model) the same price for 8 years.

What! No Hall Effect technology?, No Turbo Mode? C'mon Nintendo, “Get with the competition”!

Dang, it looks so cool! How am I gonna afford all this stuff?!

@PoeTheLizard As of right now, only one new game is going for $80. Donkey Kong is going for $70, so it’s not likely that $80 will be the new standard, it’ll just be for the most premium games like the next 3D Mario/Zelda games and Smash Bros.

@TAndvig Those two buttons are for customization. Basically, you can map any of the other buttons to them (ex. instead of pressing A, you can press GL)

@Olliemar28 you should call these articles "Nintendo Life Today". I really appreciate it since I have no intention of ever installing Nintendo today.

No analog triggers though, so it's a no buy for me

What's wrong with carting around the Wii U GameCube controller adaptor and plugging in my orange spice controller whenever I want to use a controller?

Not interested in this controller since I already have the Switch 1 Pro controller which I bought in a sale. It's so expensive. I am curious how HD Rumble 2 differs from HD Rumble 1.

For £75 I'm definitely waiting for reviews and some extensive real-world longevity testing. I won't be rushing to buy extra joycons for similar reasons.

Look great. BUT why on earth is Sony the only one who makes a controller that’s relatively quiet when the sticks hit the edge of the controller?

The original pro controller makes a loud click sound each time I move the stick far enough for it to hit the edge of its movement area. This can get really annoying for those I live with who don’t/aren’t playing…

@Justifier,

Looks pretty much the same apart from the grey buttons on top. Which will wear better imho.

I never had stick drifts in any if my 10 Switch Pro controllers (mostly limited editions). But I'm glad they've improved the Switch 2 ProCons. I'll not be buying them though unless they're limited editions. I'll just use my Switch 1 ProCons until they release one (Metroid please).

Curious. Has anybody’s Pro controller drifted? I’ve only had drifting in a dual sense controller. Never a switch controller. But I rarely use the joy con. Mostly use the pro controller.

I've ordered one in the hope that it has a better D-Pad for when I play retro games.

I do need to retire my day one Pro 1 though. Be trading it and my Switch once I have the Switch 2.

For those in need you can order it from Amazon UK for delivery in November 🤣.

@antlion 10????? Really?

Everyone worried about drifting - I'm pretty sure that issue didn't really affect the Switch 1 Pro Controllers, just the joy cons. With what seems to be improved sticks on this version, it's even more of a non-issue than before.

I feel like "stick drift anxiety" has overtaken the scope of the actual issue at this point.

@dazzleshell For retro games, I'd really recommend an 8bitdo controller anyway. The SN30 Pro Controller is the perfect choice for retro games IMO, and the Switch 2 should be backwards compatible with it.

The analogs remind me of cartoon eyes when they're moved with this white background.

No hall effect, no buy. Especially at that ridiculous price.

Got mine on pre-order. I will likey snacht up any of the SE Pro that release. Metroid Prime Pro would be siiiiick.

what's everyone's favorite non-reason for the new Pro con not having Hall effect sticks, then?

(PS- does anyone else think this looks like a knockoff of their original design? looks cramped and narrow, too, by comparison. just, why?)

Has anyone verified the texture of the Pro Controller2? The video on NintendoToday almost makes it look like it's some kind of rubberized, grippy texture. Any confirmation on this anywhere?

@Cathalm I really hope we get a Prime 4 limited edition Switch 2. Although the chances of that happening are extremely low, since Nintendo hasn't said anything about it.

@Hawkes142 yeah special editions like that don't really happen that soon after release

@AgentGuapo I have, after 6+ years of heavy use. It was an extremely simple DIY fix using electronics contact cleaner

It looks great to me and the headphone jack would be super useful for me, but the price is too steep for how similar it is to the pro1

I've got one pre ordered.

I never intended to get a Pro Controller with the original system, but picking it up from GAME back in the day they uphold me a kipper. They let me get hold of one in the flesh and it was just so comfy I had to buy it.

Playing BotW on the sofa with that pro controller is definitely a core memory of mine. How on earth that was 8 years ago is mind blowing.

I personally love my Switch Pro controller. I think it is one of the best feeling controllers I have ever had for any game machine. The only controller I think competes with it (to me) is the Playstation 5 controller.

If I ever buy a Switch 2, I will buy the Switch 2 Pro controller just because of how much I love the original Switch Pro controller.

@Cathalm Yeah this is a good idea that I hadn't thought about. I was pretty lukewarm on the base controller, but a Metroid or Zelda edition would get me on board I think.

@SirLink I am 100% certain the old controllers have the capability to wake a Switch 2 but that Nintendo won't allow it.

Hoping the new Pro Controller has a better d-pad.

That thing just needed the small adjustment that has been done there in terms of design to look that much sexier. It is so freaking cool.

Definitely won’t be buying one at launch, but if my old pro controller ever gets bricked it may be a nice upgrade. I don’t really care for the headphone jack or c button personally but they’re not bad additions

@axelhander interesting, do you have any source for technical information about this topic?

@Max_the_German from a price perspective yes this helps quite a bit, but I personally would never want to use a DS4 again. Hell I sold all of mine at or before launch of PS5 and have never missed it, at all.

@axelhander any controller could work even 8bitdo controllers, because it works with button press + controller shake.

This is simply Nintendo being petty and they know not allowing it in 3rd party controllers with a single button press forces people to buy official Pro controller. Which equals more money for them.

I was planning to hold out for a prettier-looking game-themed Pro Controller 2, but the audio jack and back buttons, plus upgraded haptics, plus the fact that apparently the analog sticks feel really smooth, sold me.

The included C button is nice and all, but apparently you can just use the Home button and select Chat if you need to manage that from an older controller (although this will pause your game in most scenarios, whereas with a real C button it might not).

I also learned that while NS1 controllers will work with the NS2, they won't be able to power on the console with the home button. This is probably due to a change in connectivity, with the new controllers using an updated Bluetooth version (or something proprietary?--hopefully not that).

@axelhander @SirLink You do realise that a lot of people will still have their Switch 1’s hooked up and won’t want to turn on two consoles with one controller, right? This would be impractical for those of us still making use of our old systems, so I think Nintendo made the correct choice here.

Still can’t voice chat via the jack tho

@Jalex_64 Pretty sure you can only pair a Pro Controller to one console at a time, so this bit of Nintendo Defense Force propaganda falls flat.

@kuu_nousee Pretty much.

@axelhander the only "semi-technical" explanation (almost) in favor of Nintendo that I could find was posted in a reddit thread.
Some guy allegedly heard from 3rd party makers that the old joycons/controller had some extra hardware that used this RF protocol just to wake the console up and that it could have been cut away since the newer bluetooth protocols already allow such operations via BLE.
But this theory was already rejected because the newer joycons, like the old ones, use bluetooth 3.0 too which doesn't implement BLE.

I’ve been really disappointed with my Switch Pro controller. The D-pad has an unresponsive downward arrow and the sticks are too tall. For an expensive controller like this, you’d think they’d get it absolutely right.

@Yosher my joycons weren't great after 4 years, but my pro controller never developed drift in the past 8 years

@Cathalm Very unfortunate. This was Nintendo's big opportunity to showcase Metroid Prime 4 as THE biggest Metroid game of all time (aside from Dread), and the best game on Switch 2. Instead, they're focusing almost everything on Mario Kart World and the (stupidly expensive) Upgrade Packs (which should be free). Metroid as a whole doesn't get the attention it deserves. It should be right up there with Mario, Legend of Zelda, etc. If anything, the modern Metroid games (Prime Remastered, Dread) are better than what Mario and Legend of Zelda have to offer. I think the only reason Mario and Legend of Zelda sell better is because they get more releases. If Metroid Primes 2 and 3 would be remastered to the same level that Prime 1 was, it would benefit the series greatly. I wish Nintendo would give Mario and Legend of Zelda a break in order to give Metroid a chance.

@8bit-Man Yeah Nintendo's continued opposition to analog triggers is very confusing by this point, especially with their apparent focus on trying to make Gamecube a big part of the Switch 2 experience.

As for this controller, I just don't see the need for it over an the original controller, it just looks like an improved version of that.

@SirLink Interesting. I could see that because apparently the Switch needs the battery to power up even when docked, which seems like an odd limitation should something happen to said battery. Not unlike the controller having some one-off tech just to wake a Switch 1...

It’s a nice controller but not really much of an improvement over the original Pro Controller. I’m very happy I can still use my Monster Hunter and TOTK pro controllers. I’ll just have to use one of the joycons as a remote to wake the system lol.

@Buckster Mine did, so they're not that great either.

The d-pad looks like the same horrible, nasty one as per the Switch Pro Controller, so I won't be buying the Switch 2 version. I'll still with the Switch ones since they are compatible with Switch 2.

Please oh please, I hope they fixed that d-pad.

@Justifier hope it’s being discribed as the best ever by every good reviewer

I will hold out for special edition

@-wc- best stick design ever is the perfect excuse. I hope you realize that Hall effect is just a term used that is patented ,these sticks are magnet based like Hall effect but are super high resolution and unable to drift are super precise and are vastly superior to Hall effect they are also the first analog stick unable to make contact with the edges of the circle no anti friction needed as the stick will never touch the sides NICE TRY at TRYING GO SOUND EDGY the sticks are far superior to Hall effect so are my GAMESIR cyclone 2 tmr sticks nice attempt at sounding cool and EFGY because you seen the words hall and effect online … if you was actually controller aware you would know Nintendo’s new tech is vastly superior to hall efffct and so is tmr

@antlion,

Same here, or any drift in any of my joycon controllers. But as I have always said. I keep any pair of them not docked in a drawer away from dust etc.

@Altaria_97,

I was going to buy a new original pro controller but held off just in case a new model was announced. For me the chat feature and headphone socket are well worth the upgrade.

@axelhander it seems so. That said, I'm still wondering if it would be possible to make the old joycons wake the Switch 2 by just updating their firmware, since the bt hardware is the same. That would probably make them incompatible to the old Switch but still worth trying.

Will try to hold out for a nice limited edition.

@Getagrip101

"best stick design ever...magnet based like Hall effect...super high resolution and unable to drift...super precise and are vastly superior to Hall effect...unable to make contact with the edges of the circle..."

got a source, hoss?

(2025 april 30 - no source, shocking conclusion 👍)

No analogue triggers. What a joke.

@JayJ At this point I'm even thinking they might omit analogue trigger off the pro controller so you're forced to buy the gamecube one as well to properly play gamecube games. because screw the gamers, we're nintendo...

@AgentGuapo
Probably just 9. 1 regular, all 7 limited editions (iirc), + an extra Splatoon 2 LE. No issues.

@killercerial
The Joy-Cons are 50-50 for me on stick drifts. My son's Z&S Switch Lite too which was shelved for 2 years because of stick drifts and was out of warranty. I don't wanna 80-100€ just for repairs. But I sent it to Nintendo Europe for repairs as soon as they started doing it for free 2 years ago. So it's nice I guess.

@SirLink Of course they did it on purpose. For the exact same reason as to why phone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung limit key new software features to new phones only, even though the previous gen phones are powerful enough to also use them.

You need to try force people to buy the latest shiny to pile up on the e-waste.

@Getagrip101

these sticks are magnet based

I wouldn't bet on it, unless they are built completely differently than the joycons, which I find very unlikely.
I think the controller aims at just making you feel more comfy, but I doubt they'd want to make it behave too differently from the joycons.
And we all know the joycons can't have magnet based sticks because otherwise their magnetic attachments would interfere with them.

@SirLink For sure.

@Scollurio As someone who despises analog triggers, this suits me just fine.

@axelhander Well that worked out great for you then. Personally I had never problems with "joycon drift" but still wish for everyone to have a good experience by having a better mechanism.

Still, with a proper PRO controller WITH analogue triggers, YOU would still have the digital shoulder BUTTONS right next to them if you prefer them.

@Scollurio Yes, because having two non-analog buttons instead of four is the same thing. Good counter.

As someone who will be new to a Switch (2) console (I passed on the original switch but I’ve pre-ordered a Switch 2 and the pro controller 2) I’m concerned about this rubberised feeling I’m hearing about and that the original pro controller did not have a very good D Pad.

I currently game on a Series X (have a Series S too) and the D pad on that lets me pull off special moves in Street Fighter 6 with ease. If it’s not a very good D pad I will have to continue purchasing 2D games on my Series X/S console.

I don’t know why Nintendo are so keen to kill off the D pad.

@SirLink I didn’t know pro 1 can’t wake up switch 2. Really disappointing

@axelhander Most games don't even need that many buttons. Saying "only two genres make use of the analogue triggers so away with them" is similar to saying: "who uses d-pads these days, away with them".

May I ask, HOW and WHY does one DESPISE analogue triggers?

@Scollurio Six button fighters on traditional controllers map HP and HK to R1 and R2. There is nothing worse than an analog button for a binary action.

Even something like Halo played Boxer-style makes use of all the shoulders, and they feel way better for me when every action is on a non-analog button.

Racing games that put accelerators on shoulders get mapped to the face buttons with the swiftness.

@axelhander

if you are playing 6 button fighting games on a 4 button pro con, you are doing it wrong and we shouldnt have to give up functionality so you can "hk" with your index finger ✌️👍

@Scollurio Yeah I just really don't get why they don't think we can use analog triggers on a handheld. Seems to work great on my Steam Deck.

It just seems like such a needlessly stubborn decision on their end. It's like they just have to be the only company out there opposed to analog triggers for some reason, while the rest of the world has moved on, embraced them, and even enhanced them with feedback to make gaming more immersive, Nintendo is out here shouting a loud NO, saying keep it 4 simple old fashioned shoulder buttons instead. I don't think anyone else could get away with that.

@axelhander Why would 6-button fighters map both R1 and R2? 4 facebuttons and R1 and L1 and you have all your digital button glory you like, or am I missing something? Either way, seems like a "developers map their buttons wrong" issue to me, which is hopefully easily fixed in the options menu, rather than a all-encompassing "analogue triggers ruin my fun in fighting games" issue. And even then, it's isolated to just one genre of games and every other manufacturer of hardware seems to be okay with analogue triggers.

I play a lot of PS2 era shooters. They have their "fire" on "R1" mostly rather than "R2" which is now the modern way of doing it. It's awkward to me, why wouldn't you want a "TRIGGER" to represent the "TRIGGER" of a real gun that also just fires past a certain point of actuation?

If you're playing racing games with digital face buttons (like again PS2 era did, even Gran Turismo) I absolutely have NO FRIGGIN clue how you can be anywhere near competent or competitive and not need ALL the available driving aids. At this point, why even bother playing a racing game. And NO I don't mean kart racers or Burnout. I mean sim racers.

"Swiftness" is of no concern in a sim racer. You CAN'T go around Nürburgring Nordschleife with a ZERO-THROTTLE, 100%-THROTTLE gas pedal (like a digital button).

This is just nonsense and seems like a systemic issue with Nintendo fans: My personal enjoyment weighs more than common sense or the enjoyment of everyone else.

@JayJ The 60 Dollar Anbernic handheld things have great working analogue triggers. And even IF you don't have them on the joycons, I always thought a PRO CONTROLLER was meant to EXPAND on the experience, hence the name.

There is really no argument justifying this stupid decision, especially now that Forza Horizon and many more third party racing games are "on the horizon" (pun intended). This cripples a whole genre the typical Nintendo customer won't care about as much, okay I get that, but now with new game and hardware prices, the typical Nintendo customer's don't care much for that either.

If I got to pay PREMIUM for a console and a PRO controller it better delivers premium... I mean, LOOK AT THAT and the price:
https://anbernic.com/products/rg-p01

18 bucks before tax, delivery and tarifs.

For that money you get analogue triggers, programmable buttons, rumble, GYRO (!), HAL EFFECT (!) sticks and triggers, RGB, bluetooth, 2,4GHz dongle mode, wired mode, rechargeable via USB-C... compatible to literally anything.

it can't be THAT bad. And of course no word from Nintendo if they at least do support analogue input from THIRD PARTY controllers. Then I might as well geht that instead, or the gorgeous 8bitdo SN30 Pro 2.

Nintendo is a joke.

@Scollurio I love how you wax poetic over how a particular course in a phony racing sim that'll never match how it works IRL must have an analog accelerator but the entire notion that I might not want one of my 6-button fighting game inputs to be in the left shoulder as opposed to the right is alien.

Double lol @ your frustrated dismissal at the end of this tepid rebuttal over people prioritizing their own preferences over yours.

Like, just say you have zero desire to hear what other people have to say instead of pretending otherwise. That way I can dismiss you outright instead of wasting keystrokes.

@Satans_Therapist Yeah the Pro Controller d-pad is horrendous. It looks like it should be great but it is way, way, way to easy to either hit or miss a diagonal when you don't need it. Fighting game inputs are tough, but accidentally hard-dropping in Tetris 99 is easy. I actually have an easier time in the latter with the left freakin' Joy Con's directional buttons.

@axelhander So every other company gets it wrong and only you and Nintendo see the light. Got it.
If you enjoy fighting games so much why not get an arcade stick?
I would even get a racing wheel setup if I knew Switch 2 would support the analogue input, but I don't. Lol.

@Scollurio Yeah I feel like fighting games is one of the worst examples anyone could go off. First off the joycons have always been AWFUL for 2D fighters, the 4 directional buttons just don't work well at all as a d-pad replacement for complex inputs. Then there's the fact that most modern fighting games don't even use more than 4 buttons anymore, and the ones that do are games like Street Fighter where you won't be competitive online without an arcade stick or dedicated fighting game controller that has 6 face buttons and a proper d-pad.

Any way you put it, no demands for fighting games will be restricted by having analog triggers. Even triggers can be turned into digital buttons with alternative controllers like arcade sticks. Meanwhile by not having analog triggers, anything that uses them or was originally designed with having them will simply never be properly compatible. It's like analog can always be turned into digital, but you can't make buttons analog that were originally intended to be digital, the way the console reads the inputs simply won't allow for that. It also seems foolish to discard analog triggers by claiming only racing games use them, there is no shortage of games across a wide variety of genres that seem to make good use of them now a days, especially since Sony introduced the dualsense triggers. Not having anything to compete with that does feel like an obvious major loss when it comes to PS5 vs Switch 2 comparisons.

@JayJ Exactly this. Thanks mate.

@axelhander that’s very disappointing to hear, especially as I enjoy 2D indie games and 1 on 1 fighters.

I don’t do very well on arcade fight sticks, I actually perform better with a standard Series controller which may sound crazy. I’ve looked at those 8bitdo controllers but unfortunately they aren’t suitable for my hands as I have carpel tunnel and need the support that a controller with prongs offers. Anything flat is really bad for my hands.

@Satans_Therapist Sorry to hear about your carpal tunnel.

That said, I once knew a local player who played high level MvC3 (he's beaten Filipino Champ) on an XB360 gamepad, using the analog stick. So I'm confident that enough practice on ANY controller will let you enjoy a fighter.

@axelhander, thanks. I did come across the 8bitdo pro controller for a reasonable £40 at amazon uk. Don’t like the position of the stick though.

Not sure if it’ll work on Switch 2 but it does have Blu tooth which I believe the Switch 2 has so I’m hopeful. I’d like to be able to wake the Switch 2 with it though.

I’m sure they’ll be many aftermarket solutions just like there was with the nitro deck and Hori split pad. Not sure if we can leave links down here.