EasySMX S10 Review: A Reasonably Priced Switch 2 Pro Controller Alternative, but Don’t Expect a Miracle

With a slim, comfy consciousness and a premium-only diagnostic astatine a 25% discount, the EasySMX S10 has a limb up connected astir of the marketplace erstwhile it comes to large third-party Switch 2 controllers. While it doesn’t battalion the aforesaid punch arsenic the first-party Switch 2 Pro Controller, the S10 makes for a coagulated 2nd enactment for anyone consenting to sacrifice ancillary worldly similar Amiibo support. Plus, it comes with amended triggers and a customizable d-pad.

EasySMX has made a large propulsion into the third-party controller country with 1 large claim: distant wakeup. It’s unusual that Nintendo locked this basic, highly convenient diagnostic down the $80 Switch 2 Pro Controller oregon its adjacent pricier counterpart, a brace of Joy-Con 2 controllers. This confusing alteration from the archetypal Switch keeps conscionable astir each pro controller enactment from waking up the Switch 2 with the Home button. Even the authoritative Switch 1 Pro Controller falls abbreviated here, efficaciously paywalling what should beryllium a universal, modular feature. Enter EasySMX with a somewhat awkward solution to the issue, promising distant wakeup with a unusual workaround.

Per the instructions provided by EasySMX, I synced my shiny caller controller, detached some Joy-Cons, and past reattached them wrong 20 seconds aft the archetypal sync. After putting my console backmost into slumber mode and trying to aftermath it up again… I got nothing. A fewer frustrated tries aboriginal though, it did work. I haven’t had immoderate issues since it clicked, speech from erstwhile I connected the controller to my PC and past went backmost to the Switch 2, but I conscionable repeated the process without issue.

In motion, the controller itself is truly comfortable, particularly for thing that relies heavy connected its 2 buttery-smooth sticks, with comfortable, textured grips that benignant of punctual maine of the DualSense’s instrumentality grips. I played the entirety of Once Upon A Katamari, which is controlled astir exclusively utilizing some sticks, utilizing the S10.

The EasySMX S10 is simply a coagulated Switch 2 controller for astir people, particularly if you similar low-profile buttons.“

My lone existent gripe with the sticks extends to the remainder of the controller’s face; it’s each excessively low-profile. The grip portion of the stick, wherever it mushrooms retired from the remainder of the stick, is excessively adjacent to the remainder of the controller, considering the region betwixt each controller element. This gives a benignant of claustrophobic consciousness to swapping betwixt sticks, buttons, and the d-pad. Granted, my thumbs are a spot bigger than average, but I recovered myself accidentally bumping the instrumentality erstwhile pressing up connected the d-pad.

That flaw aside, this d-pad is great. Despite virtually inventing the d-pad decades ago, Nintendo has repeatedly dropped the shot successful caller iterations, with a plan that often accidentally triggers a secondary input successful an additional, adjacent direction. I can’t archer you however galore games of Tetris 99 I’ve had to salvage due to the fact that of an accidental input from Nintendo’s first-party Pro Controllers. The Switch 2 Pro Controller is simply a measurement successful the close direction, but it’s not wherever I request it to be.

The S10 offers customization betwixt a classical d-pad and a circular plan akin to the 1 recovered connected the existent Xbox models. I usually similar the circular setup, but the accepted mode is simply a small much precise. Either way, it’s bully to person a choice.

The mechanical look buttons property with a satisfying small click similar a mechanical keyboard would. They’re besides beauteous low-profile – which unluckily isn’t my preference, due to the fact that they springiness each property a benignant of brushed feeling that I can’t get behind. The triggers and bumpers, connected the different hand, are overmuch much comfy and satisfying to press. They’re inactive low-profile similar the first-party options, but this works overmuch amended for non-analog triggers than it does look buttons.

The grip buttons are the weakest link, though. I can’t archer you however galore times I’ve accidentally pressed them conscionable by gripping my controller tighter. This won’t beryllium an contented for everyone, particularly radical with smaller hands and fingers, and it lone became an contented erstwhile I had those buttons mapped to an input. Still, I privation determination were a tighter gross to minimize accidental presses.

Charlie is simply a freelance contributor for IGN. You tin scope them via Twitter oregon Instagram astatine the grip @chas_mke.