It was unavoidable to write this article series and not touch on what is probably the hottest thing in the bootleg controller game; fake Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons. Last time round, we concentrated on the off-brand recreations of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers and how various offerings compared. Pro controllers are great, but they’re also a quality-of-life system accessory. The Joy-Con is a part of the console.
They are what allow the Switch to make such a smooth transition between states of play, but can a discount version really work? Today, we take a look at what has become an unavoidable temptation in the hobby space.
They’re Everywhere
This is the D-Pad you’ve been looking for
A pair of Official Nintendo Joy-Cons will set you back about $80 depending on sales. Bootlegs will only run you about $15-$25. It isn’t difficult to understand why this is an appealing proposition for anyone looking to save a buck and swap out an old drifting controller.
It used to be that you would have to specifically seek these types of devices out on marketplaces like AliExpress. They’re still there to be certain, and likely where you’ll still find the best prices, but these devices are now just as common in the wild as the real deal. You cannot browse Amazon or Ebay without navigating through them. Social media ads and streaming personalities with flexible moral compasses are inundating the consumer with dubious claims about how these Joy-Cons can do it all for less.
So do these bargain Joy-Cons do the trick? I’ve had a few pairs for a good while now, and I’ll attempt to break down the positives and negatives in my view to help you make a decision at the register.
Plus Side
This Joy-Con design is brought to you by 80s school portraits
- Function – They actually work. Prior to using any of the JoyClones, I assumed they were e-waste trash cashing in on the popularity of the Switch, but all the examples that I’ve tried so far have done a more than competent job of mimicking the real thing. The buttons all feel as they should, and the analog sticks have a solid range of motion on them.
- Price – There is no getting around the fact that these controllers offer a significant value to the gamer when compared to their official counterparts.
- Durability – To my surprise, these Joy-Cons seem to hold up very well. I gifted a pair to my 8-year-old son at Christmas last year, and they have remained his daily drivers on the console. I can’t think of a better short-term durability test. While I have no worries that he’ll rage-quit and Hulk smash them, it goes without saying that he tends to be rougher on them than I am. Almost 8 months later, there isn’t any drift happening. I haven’t been able to say the same for the official Nintendo versions over similar lengths of time. This may or may not be typical. I can only speak to my own experiences.
- D-Pad – This is a big one for a lot of folks. The Joy-Con’s ability to go from one set of controllers into two is a great asset, but a lot of folks, myself included, have longed for a version with an actual D-Pad on the left stick. Simply put, they’re offering something that Nintendo doesn’t. It’s not a D-Pad worth getting particularly excited about for any reason, but it’s nice to have the option sometimes.
Negatives
Avoid the dreaded RGB Joy-Con or be blinded by its power
- Quality Assurance – To put it simply, you have none. The price at the register reflects the fact that you are not going to have any guarantee of quality delivered, nor any warranty. You might get a great deal, but if you’re not careful with sellers, you can also get taken for a ride.
- Feel – There is no doubt when you hold these Joy-Cons side by side with the real deal that they are lighter. As you get a feel for them, you’ll notice that the plastic also has a cheaper and flimsier feel to it.
- Durability – Yes, this is one listed in the plus column already, but that’s just my experience. It isn’t universal. Hopefully, things go great, but it’s a gamble you have to be willing to take.
- Unwanted Features – Recreating the unique experience of the Joy-Con controllers is good enough for me. Please, bootleggers, stop shoving unnecessary RGB everywhere. Some of the Joy-Cons out there will attempt to burn your retinas with emitted LED light for some reason. It ruins any cost benefit for me by just being so horrifically distracting.
- Compatibility – These will work on the Nintendo Switch as advertised, but as far as interacting with any other accessories, it may be a bit of a crap shoot.
Conclusion
If you’ve read any of my articles on this site, you can get the picture pretty quickly that I love testing stuff like this. What this hobby lacks in business ethics, it more than makes up for in interesting offerings. I will not sit here in good conscience and say that these are a superior product to the official Nintendo version. They aren’t. What they are, though, is a reasonably priced alternative that works better than you might expect given the circumstances.
I’m sure there are plenty of people out there, including my cohorts here at RH, who would never consider making this purchase. And I would never get up on a pulpit and tell you that you should either. There are concessions that have to be made for that price. There is the inherent risk of being swindled on some marketplaces, being promised things that don’t exist, or just being delivered a jank product that breaks in a week. If you’re willing to accept the gamble, though, you might be surprised with how much value you can find.
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