PowerA Joy Con Comfort Grips for Nintendo Switch Review From [A-Z]
I had my heart set on this more than anything else. Also, although it is not stated on this page, the price has just been lowered. As it is not a GameStop exclusive, the first thing worth noting is that it is not the cheapest item at GameStop at the time of writing and in my area. Please let us know in the comments if you find it for less than $14.99 (plus tax) somewhere.
Comfort:
That is, without a doubt, more comfortable than the Joy-Con grip that came with the Switch, in my opinion. Its back is black, as you can perhaps see in the box’s picture. It truly has a purpose; it isn’t merely two-toned for cosmetic reasons like the red PS4 controller, for example. The grip’s back is rubberized. The old rubbery, make your palms sweat feeling of the original Mad Catz controllers has been replaced by a soft, matte rubber backing.
The funny thing about the controller is that it has a slot cut out for where your middle finger, I presume, is intended to rest. In front of the ZL and ZR buttons, it is. I’m only guessing here, but I’ve noticed that you can only put your middle fingers on them when your pointer fingers are on the ZL and ZR buttons in order to make them useful and comfortable. Nevertheless, this location on the Joy-Con grip is an odd spot for your ring fingers to rest if you’re playing a game that demands L, R, ZL, and ZR and both of your pointer and middle fingers are in use.
Durability:
There are various points worth mentioning in this area. First of all, it appears that this was made of a harder plastic than the one that Nintendo utilized for the grip on their own Joy-Cons. The Joy-Cons were not moved into place on metal rails, which was PowerA’s next innovation. The final difference is that PowerA employed what appears to be solid plastic, but the Nintendo Joy-Con grip is hollow where your hands rest. The point I’m trying to make is that although though PowerA used solid, tougher plastic, rubber to the back, and did away with the strange metal rails, I did occasionally became perplexed. It is not particularly strong where the two main body sections are screwed together in the back. I use the phrase “in terms of” because I was able to bend the item’s two handles back, and they now partially return to their former position. Perhaps PowerA should have used a bit less rubber.
Cost Effectiveness
Yes. Now that I can find it for $14.99 (plus tax), I’d say it’s worth the price. The key lesson here is that this is obviously intended for grownups. We prioritize comfort and don’t typically mistreat our possessions (I only bent the arms of it back to test it for the review, for instance). A youngster would be perfectly pleased with the standard Nintendo Joy-Con grip, but I don’t think they took any risks with the design quality because they knew an adult would care more about purchasing something like this.
But, it really shines in the comfort department. The Joy-Con Grip is unusual, yet it’s not uncomfortable, as was previously described. After I started using the PowerA Grip, I realized that the extra ridge at the top of the controller is what really makes a difference. Reaching the ZL/L and ZR/R buttons now feels much more natural to me because my hands are in a position that is much more accustomed to me. This grip, which is much more akin to an Xbox One or DualShock 4 controller, makes a world of difference.
Also, this grip won’t work as a Joy-Con charging grip, so you’ll need to decide whether the extra comfort is worth forgoing charging your Joy-Cons with the Joy-Con Charging Grip (which costs $39.95). It is very appreciative that the indicator icons allow you to quickly identify which player you are.
Conclusion
In the end, not much can be said about the PowerA Joy-Con Comfort Grip. It is significantly more comfortable than the Joy-Con Grip that comes with the Nintendo Switch, and a few tiny adjustments help your hands fit more easily. We’d suggest this if you’re searching for a second Grip for that second set of Joy-Cons. Nonetheless, it might be worth spending the extra $20 if you’re searching for a handle to charge your Joy-Cons.
