Sup y’all, it’s Joe. I have an unsolicited confession: I hate holding things. Just in general. I live-love-laugh life with hands unburdened by the weight of unnecessary commodities, insofar as I compensate for it with extra accessories when confronted with the burden. Keys? Latched to my side. Water bottle? Goes in the messenger bag. Baby? In the sling he goes.
That being said, I wouldn’t be a handheld console enjoyer if I didn’t just bunker down and deal with it once in a while, and one such handheld I’ve dealt with is the newly released Nintendo Switch 2!
I have been enjoying the Switch 2 for a couple of months now, and I am continually enamored by how thin it is and kind of nice to hold for 5 minutes. Yeah, long-term gaming sessions don’t exactly cut it, so me and my credit card have been busy holding every attractive-looking grip case for it and, well…now I have opinions on them.
Types of Grips
There are many different flavors of grips, and they utilize different unique qualities of the Switch 2, so here are the more general features to look out for:
- Shape: Is the grip flared out like a controller? Narrow to follow the same contour as the console? Minimalist?
- Dockability: Can you dock the Switch with the grip on?
- Detachable Joy-Con: Can you magnetically detach the Joy-Con with the grip still intact?
- Detachable Joy-Con in a grip: Can you detach the grip component from the grip case with the Joy-Con?
- Modular Design: Does the grip case come with changeable holds for different hand sizes?
- Material: Is it hard plastic? Gripable nonslip TPU? Clear Plastic?
- Storage, expansions: Can the case hold battery backups? Switch cartridges?
With all of this in mind, I have three Switch 2 grips that work well in my opinion, but also have fairly different approaches and feature sets. Here are those 3:
Genki Attack Vector
Pros:
- Detachable Joy-Con
- Modular
- Nonslip
- Magsafe compatible
Cons:
- Docking is more difficult
- Hard to find a case for
- Heaviest option on the list
- Sketchy installation with adhesives
Genki is a case study in coming so close to killing your company while also heavily promoting your products, and I’m not sure whether it’s a study in what to do or what not to do. Anyways, their Attack Vector case is awesome, but flawed. Most grips that came out before the Switch 2 release used the same 3D model for their fitment and are slightly inaccurate due to a difference in materials and tolerances.
The Attack Vector is unique because it’s not only modular in design, but also allows the Joy-Con to be detached with the grip still on. It also has a protective middle case that is mag-safe friendly to allow for a portable battery if you feel like making your Switch heavier (I don’t). For about $60, you can get the Genki Attack vector here with a protective travel cover.
The grips have that light sandpaper feel and anti-skid…mark… things on the side. Installation is easy enough, but adhesive tabs are given so the shell doesn’t pop out of the Joy-Con. I have a skin on, so no adhesive is needed, but a bare Joy-Con won’t be as tightly fitting.
This is a very ambitious grip and tries to tackle all aspects of what makes the Switch 2 grip great, but I find the grips themselves to be a shape that’s pretty uncomfortable overall, and then there are inherent stability issues from having detachable side grips. The thickness of the case also makes docking this pretty unpleasant and super tight.
GENKI Attack Vector Travel Cover
BHGift Slim Protective Case
Pros:
- Non-Slip TPU
- Price
- Dockable
- Very comfortable for casual play
Cons:
- Not ideal for right stick games
- Hard to find a case for
This is a generic slim TPU grip for the Switch 2 that is modeled exactly after the Spigen Dual Grip at half the price. This is an interesting grip because it actually allows easy access to remove the Joy-Con from the sides, albeit a little inconvenient. The grips are pointed straight and have a textured TPU grip to prevent them from slipping.
The grip is actually very nice to use and is great for games that don’t require the use of the right stick, since the lack of flare requires you to stretch your thumb down. It is both dockable and pretty lightweight. You won’t be taking this on the road, though, unless you can find a case for it. You can find the BHGift case for about $20.
Skull and Co (Savage Raven) NeoGrip
Pros:
- Modular
- Very lightweight
- Has compatible cases (+$20 with the grip)
- Non-intrusive design
- Dockable
Cons:
- Hard plastic slipping
- Has to be fastened with a top clip unless you have a skin
If you read my review on the Switch 2, this was my go-to grip when I got the console in my hands. And it still is. Savage Raven (Formerly Skull and Co.), known for its sleek designs and quality products, made a NeoGrip variant for the Switch 2 and follows all the same bits. It’s a hard plastic, lightweight, modular grip that the console sits into and is supported by a single point on top.
The grip feels great in the hands and has the least intrusion out of basically any grip on the market. It’s lightweight, easily dockable, your shoulder buttons are free, and you could very easily put it into most cases, as well as its own dedicated one. There have been complaints online, however, of a noticeable decrease in plastic quality compared to the switch one variant, but I haven’t noticed it. That being said, hard plastic is pretty slippery, so that stinks.
Another clear con is keeping track of the stupid top clip that keeps the grip in place. There is a tiny switch that keeps it from moving and can easily get lost if you ever want to take a Joy-Con off. You can circumvent this by using a skin on your console due to the extra thickness, giving it a tighter hold. You can find the NeoGrip for about $30.
Closing Thoughts
While I didn’t cover a ton of grips here, hopefully this helps you know what to look out for when shopping for your own, considering a lot of these grips have different utilities. Genkis’ offering is ambitious and a decent one-and-done solution, but there are concessions and annoyances that come with it that you would have to get over.
The generic BHGift grip is a great value for the price, but it fits a different grip preference altogether. If you didn’t already get the gist, my favorite grip is still the NeoGrip due to its lightweight, unobtrusive nature, but I had to make it work by adding a skin.
I have a pre-order for the new Satisfye grip that was engineered and sized based on actual working units of the console, hence why a full release is well after the console launch, so we will see how well that holds scrutiny. In the meantime, I will be enjoying the Banana Monkey Go Boom game on the NeoGrip.
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