With stylish colors, a comfortable shape, and clicky mechanical buttons, the Horipad Turbo offers a dependable wired Pro Controller alternative for the Switch 2. It still comes with the limitations that come from being a wired controller, but it gets the job done for most use cases and costs significantly less than Nintendo’s first-party offering. And with some nice features, like a switch for PC gaming and remappable buttons, it brings some useful stuff to the table – even if it just misses out on being one of the best Switch 2 controllers available.
Thumstick Placement and Comfort
The Horipad Turbo follows in Hori’s tradition of dependable budget options for Nintendo’s flagship consoles, this time in pastel colors. Using a standard offset stick alignment, the controller feels comfortable in-hand during long sessions, except for one strange issue: the left thumbstick. To borrow some baseball terms, it’s high and outside. Placed just shy of the edge of the controller, it feels misaligned. Not quite uncomfortable to use, but it’s teetering on the edge.
When I hold the controller with my fingers on the bumpers and triggers, my thumb hits my hand when tilting the stick all the way to the left. This problem goes away depending on how I hold it, but its placement is frustratingly close to the edge regardless. And while the sticks don’t appear elevated, this placement makes the stick feel oddly high profile. This all makes stick-heavy gameplay less comfortable than most other options on the table, though it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for anyone with smaller hands. The sticks roll around in their sockets with the kind of plasticky click you’d expect from a budget option, but they don’t necessarily feel bad.
Button Layout
Left stick aside, the controller offers a pretty standard feel and layout. Its face buttons feel pretty comparable to those found on the first-party Switch 2 Pro Controller, though the Horipad’s are smaller and more rounded. The triggers and bumpers are equally similar to the first-party Pro Controller, with low-profile triggers that press quickly with a satisfying click and beefy, comfortable bumpers that collapse with satisfying tension.
The d-pad is solid, though nothing groundbreaking. After running it through my usual Tetromino-dropping tests, I can confidently say that it’s fine. Each prong is a little narrower than I’d like, and the button gate in each direction feels too soft for my taste. Thankfully, it’s on a separate, raised plane from the rest of the controller, making the prong width issue relatively harmless during intense games of Tetris 99. Unfortunately, that softness makes it easy to misinput in faster games like Street Fighter 6.
I tend not to use back paddle buttons, but the Horipad 2’s have proven an exception to the rule. They’re bigger than most and press with just the right gate, giving a balance between an easy press, thanks to their size, without being too easy to press accidentally.
Tech and Features
Being a budget, wired controller, the Horipad sacrifices some of the bells and whistles found in first-party and other premium offerings, like Amiibo support and motion controls. I was disappointed to find that it also ditches the 3.5mm audio jack, though. This feature seems like it should be standard in any controller featuring the new ‘C’ button, as the Horipad Turbo does. This absence feels especially odd considering Hori’s seemingly close relationship with Nintendo and the emphasis on the ‘C’ button with the Switch 2.
One thing I love about this wired option, though, is its cable. Clocking in at nearly 10ft, it’s almost as good as a wireless controller for my purposes. Granted, I live in a mid-size apartment and spend most of my time within 7 feet or so of my TV, so your mileage may vary!
Charlie is a freelance contributor for IGN. You can reach them via Twitter or Instagram at the handle @chas_mke.
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