Reviewer: Allan Jenks
Manufacturer: TechKen
Price: $26.73
A (Very) Bright Star in the Sky of Third-Party Controllers
There are a lot of options when it comes to third-party pro controllers for the Nintendo Switch. That does not mean there are a lot of good options; on the contrary, there are a lot of options out there that are bordering on unplayable, whether from poor input sensitivity, input lag, bad connectivity, or just plain bad ergonomics. A general rule of thumb is to assume you will be getting what you pay for, and that is usually the case. Sometimes, however, you find a unicorn, and the product gives you way more than the sticker price ever promised. That is the case with the TechKen Wireless Switch Pro Controller. Coming in at under $30 ($26.73 at the time of this review), I am very impressed with this controller. I have played on both this controller and a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller for comparison, and while they are both quite nice and sturdily-built, I have to say that the TechKen controller feels slightly better in many ways.
The shape is almost the same between the TechKen and the Nintendo controllers, but the TechKen controller just feels more comfortable in my hands than the Nintendo controller. The way it naturally sits with my arms relaxed just works better for me, with exception to the shoulder buttons, which felt like a slight stretch from where I naturally wanted to go. The feel of the buttons is about the same between the two, though again, I would have to give a slight edge to the TechKen controller here, as the button presses just seem to be a little bit smoother.
The TechKen also supports the gyro-axis functionality and dual-motor vibration functionality, and while it is not labeled as such, there is a capture button (labeled "VIB"), located on the top left of the controller, just inside from the L and ZL buttons. I found this location for the capture button to actually be much more convenient for me to use while playing.
The controller comes with the USB-C charging cable—I note this because the first one Amazon delivered to me was just sitting in a box with instructions and no inner packaging and no charging cable… and go figure, it wasn’t working properly, likely because someone in packing sent me a used controller instead of a new one, but I digress—and it charges up pretty quickly. You get about 5 hours of gameplay on a single charge, so it’s not the longest-lasting battery in the industry, but it’s not too shabby, either. I have a theory though, that if the LED around the Home key were just a smiiidge dimmer than sun, you might get another 30-45 minutes of gameplay out of this thing. Seriously though, all jokes aside, the light is incredibly bright, to the point where it is a bit distracting. I am considering painting over the ring with some translucent nail polish or something to try and dim it a little bit.
Other than a too-bright LED and Amazon trying to re-gift me a damaged return item though, I really have nothing to complain about with this controller. I love it so much I have already recommended it to friends. If you are looking for the absolute BEST bang for your buck when it comes to a Switch Pro Controller, then I would also highly recommend picking up a TechKen Wireless Switch Pro Controller or two—just make sure Amazon doesn’t try to send you the one I returned… and maybe add some Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses to your order, just in case…
Score: 9/10
Buy the TechKen Wireless Switch Pro Controller from Amazon here.
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*A product was provided for review purposes
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