PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 - Pokémon: Mega Evolution Edition

New console launches are always followed by an avalanche of licensed accessories and peripherals for both the manufacturer and its licensees to make a killing. And while Nintendo has been more cautious than ever with Switch 2, officially licensing rather few items in its half-year lifespan (especially when there were leaks of its new hardware just a year ago from such partners), we've seen all sorts of offerings in this short period.

PowerA's main one is an alternative to the acclaimed Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. Nintendo's is, excluding absences that don't detract from its quality (such as the analogue triggers), one of the best gaming controllers around. Perfect shape, total comfort, maximum smoothness and analogue sticks that are a pleasure to use and have yet to cause any drifting problems. PowerA's, in the case of these tests with the very long model name, *cough*"PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 - Pokémon: Mega Evolution", emulates many of the qualities of the original, loses others along the way and then tries a couple of things its own way.

The form factor is very, very similar, so the controller feels equally great in the hands. The front buttons feel a little clunkier, their click is less fine but just as functional, and their feel not quite as smooth. The analogue sticks feel very good, but the sharp edge also leaves a less pleasant feel. PowerA has opted for the much-vaunted Hall Effect technology which, let's remember, is not necessarily better. It is true that it largely avoids the probability of drifting, but this technology has its drawbacks, such as the accuracy of the re-centring. In any case, they gave an excellent result in our tests.

I also appreciate that PowerA's Switch 2 controller comes with a generous USB-C cable. So generous, in fact, that it's the longest one I have in my TV drawer, and therefore the one responsible for charging any USB-C controller on any console if I need to do so while gaming. That's 3 metres of cable!

The small problem with the licensed accessories is that Nintendo won't let them incorporate some of their trademark features. For example, the PowerA controller for Switch 2 doesn't have Rumble HD 2, or any kind of vibration to aid immersion and responsiveness in the game. Nor is it capable of 'waking' the console from its suspended state, something rather inconvenient to become a primary controller and which it shares with Nintendo's own Pro Controller for the first Switch. Finally, and this we believe has to do with the same limitations imposed on third parties, while the layout of the main buttons is the same, the layout of the secondary buttons is not, and for someone like me who constantly uses the -, + and especially the Capture buttons, this causes countless misfires. It seems like a minor thing, but it is not.

Surely we could exonerate PowerA from 'blame' for this odd layout, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it makes for a more alien and awkward experience if you're coming from the original Nintendo controllers. What PowerA's Switch 2 controller does include is gyro sensors for motion control, and in our tests with pointing in Cronos: The New Dawn or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, they work flawlessly.

As a side note on the subject of not waking up the console, we had issues syncing the controller to the Switch 2 at first. When the easiest way to pair any controller is usually to plug it in via USB (or connect it to the same if they are Joy-Con 2), in this case it was the other way around: there was no way to sync via cable and we had to do manual wireless pairing from the menu.

Finally, a useful LED bar indicates battery and connection status, and also includes rear buttons (called AGR and AGL instead of GL and GR), in this case programmable like all the other buttons. And speaking of decoration, our controller came with a very cool Pokémon front, although its theming looks like just that, a 'sticker' that changes depending on the model and not something designed for the whole unit.

That being the case, and bearing in mind that the PowerA controller for Switch 2 is priced at around €60-70, while the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller costs around €85-90, it seems to me to be little difference in price for the difference in features, even if it works almost perfectly. I know that several features can't be otherwise because of Nintendo's impositions, but if I'm going to buy a second controller, at least in my case, I'd rather not lose the vibration and other conveniences... or that it was even cheaper.