The Nintendo news and discussion thread

[KissMammal]

Dude, change the control settings in the menu for the Poltaghust whilst in use.

There’s two settings, the non-default setting is similar to the original GameCube/3DS style and is what I use - it’s miles better.

Also in that setting your torch is mapped to R and the plunger L (as well as the face buttons).

Ah, cool - I'll check it out. The first thing I did was briefly go to the control settings but I couldn't find a setting I found comfortable - I'll definitely take another look.

[Suits]

Anyone fancy a few runs of the 5 level tower in Luigi’s Mansion tonight ??

Me and Darren are meeting up at about 8 for a few runs at it.

Let one of us know if anyone’s keen .

[hazeredmist]

Suits - I will at Christmas!

In other news has anyone tried the Hori Split Pad Pro? I've just tested it and it feels great! I was worried about build quality but it's nice and solid. I tried it with Overwatch at lunch and got a 27-kill streak (21 of which were kills, the rest eliminations) and no deaths. Will probably not get those stats again. I'm taking it as an omen to keep this thing. Away it goes for Christmas...

[KissMammal]

I don't have one of those, but I do have one of those Satisfye grips. I was a little skeptical at first, but it really does make holding and playing the switch so much more comfortable, even the little plastic nubs that go on the thumbsticks is a big improvement.

[hazeredmist]

Ah yes I have a Satisfye grip too - funnily enough the only reason I coveted this Hori Split Pad Pro in the first place was the lack of a dpad on my Joycon, so I bought a Hori dpad joycon but sadly it doesn’t fit the Satisfye.

Annoyingly, Satisfye have tweaked their design a bit and it now is advertised as fitting the Hori dpad joycon... as I live in the UK, I’m not paying upwards of £50 again so I thought I’d try this. The genuine full size controller thing is great. Full size analogues are a treat in handheld and size wise it’s not much different to the Satisfye in your hands.

I’ll keep the Satisfye though, it is still excellent for what it is. I guess I’ve just got a weird need to own every possible control configuration for the switch. I do love that console.

[Stanshall]

If the Hori is a 10, is the Satisfye an 8?

What's the differential, would you say?

I like the Satisfye, so much more comfortable but it's the actual sticks which I find prohibitive on the Joycons. I really admire these folks who play 90% handheld or whatever because the JC sticks aren't great in my hands. They're something I tolerate rather than forget about.

[hazeredmist]

It’s not cut and dry, there are plus points and negatives to both as I see them but I can see me really enjoying long term gameplay on the Hori. My left analogue feels flimsy and has tiny clicks and I live in fear of it developing drift so I’m happy to not have to use it wherever possible... I could always replace it if it got worse so it’s not too bad.

Satisfye plus points:

Full joycon functionality, gyro rumble etc
More solid, single unit in the hands. Hold by the side in one hand with no worries
Comfortable as hell
Ergonomics on right hand
Covers the godawful kickstand
Official carry case options

Satisfye negatives:

No dpad
Joycon analogues
Any issues you have with your joycons are inherited
Can taint joyon finish over time by removing the grip
Have to remove it to dock for tv play

Hori Split Pad Pro plus points:

Proper Dpad
Full size analogues (very nice feeling too)
Full size buttons
Turbo buttons (potentially great for shmups)
Assignable extra buttons
Genuinely feels like a pro controller with a switch screen in the middle
Dockable without removing pads

Hori Split Pad Pro Pad Pro negatives

Not as sturdy as Satisfye (sturdier than regular joycons alone though)
No gyro or rumble
Doesn’t cover the god awful kickstand
The minor buttons (+, -, capture etc) are rubber not plastic
No official carry case available

[hazeredmist]

I actually presume it will reduce minute incalculable lag too compared to a pro controller, if you’re a pro shmup player or a bionic man. which you are. I’ve seen your Futari runs.

[Stanshall]

Right, you sold it to me. Thanks for the detailed descriptions! I don't like rumble in handheld anyway (mostly use it on train/plane and that buzzing is obnoxious) and the bigger sticks and buttons are exactly what I'm looking looking for. Should be here tomorrow so I'll report back! Cheers.

[hazeredmist]

Nice one! Hope you like em mate. I’m gonna convince the missus to let me have mine now as they’re so good for overwatch

[Alex79]

Should be here tomorrow so I'll report back! Cheers.

Please do, definitely interested in one of these.

[Stanshall]

Please do, definitely interested in one of these.

Nice one! Hope you like em mate.

Ok, reporting back. Get ready for some serious grip action and little finger reacharound chat.



Size comparison: Satisfye Grip, Hori Split Pad Pro, Joycons.

Tl;dr: Satisfye is the most comfortable to hold. The Hori Split is the most comfortable to use, and the D-pad alone justifies the purchase.

I'm pretty picky about grips and stuff and I've been through a few. The Satisfye Grip is still the most comfortable in your hand and the angled right grip means your thumb sits more comfortably on the right stick. It has fatter, rounder, deeper grips which mean that your little finger curls round more naturally. You could hold it comfortably in one hand if you were playing a particularly salacious visual novel.

With the Hori, your little finger tends to splay slightly and sit along the bottom of the Switch like if you were playing in 'naked' handheld, but that might just be muscle memory. That said, I've also found that the shape of the Split Pro Pads means that your little finger can sit more along the back of the Switch quite comfortably. It's a slightly different grip position to get used to but it feels comfortable and your thumb can access the left stick and D-pad perfectly well without any adjustment. I find that even with the Satisfye, the sticks require a bit of frequent repositioning work with the thumb because of the smooth material and low stick height. This makes stuff like fighting games or shmups or precision platformers a bit of a pain for me.

The Hori Split Pad has way more comfortable sticks, almost as good as the Pro Controller albeit with a little bit more of a deadzone, and crucially, it has the best D-pad available for the Switch by far. This alone has instantly justified the purchase for me, because shmups and 2D fighters instantly feel better than any other control option I've got. I played some brief Rolling Gunner and Psyvariar Delta and they are both so snappy and precise with the D-pad. I don't know how I ever managed even with the Pro Controller analogue stick. It also has much more comfortable face buttons, bumpers and especially triggers.

Official Summary:

Grip Comfort: Satisfye: S+, Hori: A-.

Stick Comfort: Satisfye: B-, Hori: A+.

D-pad Comfort: Satisfye: D+, Hori: S.

Buttons Comfort: Satisfye: B, Hori: A.

There's still potential for further improvements, then. The fatter Satisfye grips are perfect and I'd love a fatty Split Pad revision but the Hori will be my handheld mode of choice regardless from now on. The D-pad, left stick and triggers open up my handheld library to now include everything. I'll even be going back to the NES and SNES stuff now which never felt quite right without a proper D.

[Suits]

Great post mate.

[Flabyo]

Those Hori’s might actually get me to use my switch in handheld mode. I cannot use the joycons at all, the button positioning just doesn’t click with me at all, so I play everything on a pro controller.

[Alex79]

My only concern is that it wouldn't fit in my case with them attached, and the regular joycons do not respond well to frequent removing and putting on. The latch in my right one is gone (meaning you can remove it now without pressing the button) and we've barely taken it off the console, so hopefully this Hori pad is a lot better made.

[Stanshall]

I would say it definitely won't fit your case. That's a certainty. What I would also say is that there's no reason to ever put the Joycons back on again, real talk. There is no case though currently which will fit the Hori Pads, that is a downside.

[hazeredmist]

There is

According to Reddit this case is the dream

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QX51HF4/ ... 0DbJ24N96J

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch ... t_pad_pro/

[hazeredmist]

My only concern is that it wouldn't fit in my case with them attached, and the regular joycons do not respond well to frequent removing and putting on. The latch in my right one is gone (meaning you can remove it now without pressing the button) and we've barely taken it off the console, so hopefully this Hori pad is a lot better made.

There's that legendary Nintendo build quality again...

Seriously though, that's terrible. You've had your Switch two minutes! I'd be putting a warranty claim in to Nintendo, mate. Surely they'll replace for free, you're inside a year?

My Hori has been put away for Christmas, really excited to get into some games with it. It just fits my Satisfye Elite case with them on, so I'm going to see how that goes but if unsatisfied, I'll buy that DJ controller case above which looks perfect. Only issue I see is I want to carry my Anker power brick with it in the same case ideally, but we can't have it all can we.

[Alex79]

A handful of new games coming to Switch SNES and NES online next week:

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019 ... tch-online

Not really the games people are hoping for, but a decent selection nonetheless. Looking forward to Super Punch Out and Star Fox 2.

[JadePhoenix]

Kirby is fantastic, and I'm always happy to see more JRPGs, but on the long list of classic SNES RPGs, Breath of Fire 1 and 2 aren't exactly near the top...