The Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con controllers are good for playing platformers, but more complex games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate are best played with Pro Controllers. Japanese accessory company Hori has now unveiled a new controller that kind of blends both into one, which is basically a Pro Controller split in two to slide onto either side of the screen in handheld mode.
Hori's new Grip Controller has all the same buttons and sticks you'd find on a pair of Joy-Con, but it's designed to be more comfortable to hold and more responsive to use. That said, it's quite a bit chunkier – each half measures 110 x 65 x 28 mm (4.3 x 2.6 x 1.1 in), and weighs about 80 g (2.8 oz). As much as Hori insists that's comfy for long play sessions, we're sure it'll feel heavy pretty quickly.
The design of the Grip Controller – mostly black with red highlights – is inspired by the upcoming mech shooter game, Daemon X Machina, right down to the stylized logo on the X button.
While most buttons are where you'd expect to find them, one notable exception is the triggers. Normally on the top on both the left and right Joy-Con, these have now been moved lower down the back, in easy reach of your index or middle fingers. Hori says these are also configurable to do whatever you want them to do.
Not all the changes are additions though – there are a few notably absent features. The Grip Controller has shed the motion controls, the infrared sensor, the vibrations and the NFC chip. That might sound like a lot of tech to fall by the wayside, but in practice those features aren't really used in the types of games you'd be playing with this controller.
It should also be noted that you can't slide the new controllers off the Switch and play with them loose, like you can with Joy-Con. This control scheme is purely for handheld mode.
Hori's new Grip Controller is launching in September to coincide with the release of Daemon X Machina. While there's currently no price information in the US, in Japan it will sell for ¥4,780 (approx. US$44).
Source: Hori Japan