Hardware Review: NYXI Hyperion Pro Wireless Joy-pad for Nintendo Switch
4If you’re looking to replace your drifting and hand-cramping JoyCon it’s hard to do better than this
Of all the things I am hoping most for Nintendo to remedy in their next system, it is to drastically improve on the design of the JoyCon from top to bottom. I understand that the portable nature of the Switch, as well as the desire to make the JoyCon usable individually for two-player fun, lead to their form factor but let’s be real, they’re a mess. Anyone without pretty small hands will likely begin to feel the burn trying to go the distance on long play sessions, while they function on their own sideways even with the bumper attachments they’re pretty awful, and their compact design absolutely has a part to play in the still-unresolved issues they’ve had with drift over time.
Enter Nyxi with a number of JoyCon replacements that are generally superior on pretty well every level in my opinion, and their current Rolls Royce model, the Hyperion Pro. Boasting pretty well every feature the JoyCons support short of the IR that’s practically useless since every game using that feature needs to be constantly recalibrated, and the ability to be an NFC reader (though Amiibo died in being used with most games years ago), as a base they’re very functional. Better yet, they add some features like the ability to easily alter the intensity of the rumble, an added very comfortable button on the back of the controller which you can program macros for, and turbo functionality if that’s the way you roll. Throw in some aesthetics that are nice like colored LED lighting that you can set and they’re feature rich.
Where they make the biggest impact, at least in my mind, is that you can use them joined together, giving them a very Pro Controller form factor, or lock them on the sides of your Switch in place of the JoyCon and finally be able to enjoy gaming on the go much more comfortably. Aside from simply being bigger, having normal triggers and buttons that aren’t uncomfortably small and grouped too close together, these joysticks are fabulous and full-sized instead of sticking you with the overly shallow ones on the JoyCon that work admirably but simply can’t compete. While I’d have to use the controller for a year or two to confirm whether or not they’re drift-proof, Nyxi also boasts that the nature of how they use a Hall Effect Joystick, essentially opting to use a magnetic field to detect movement instead of it being a physical interface, which ideally should also minimize problems with performance or fluidity degrading over time as well.
It wouldn’t be fair to gloss over anything that’s less than stellar, and depending on your overall tastes there could be some obstacles to your enjoyment. There’s no doubt that the Hyperion Pro is lighter and the plastic isn’t as satisfying to hold as Nintendo’s Pro controller. Of course, weight being a good or bad thing is in the eyes of the person playing, and you could argue that the controller being lighter could help to reduce strain over long play periods. I’m also not as much of a fan of the texture of the buttons, which again just feel less refined, though they function perfectly well. The tops of the joysticks are different, lacking a lip at the edge, but it is textured nicely instead so it may be a wash overall, but they are simply different. I did have issues with pairing them along with a Pro controller when trying to get a co-op game going, but the game also seemed to be a contributor to the problem so I’m not positive the controller was at fault, though it could be something to keep in mind since the Switch does treat it like 2 individual JoyCon and not a single controller so there could be room for confusion somehow.
I’d previously reviewed and was quite impressed with a similar Nyxi JoyCon replacement, but this certainly feels like a product that they’ve continued to refine to help it become a best-in-class contender in the third-party controller market. While you could perhaps be annoyed with the classic assumption that something that feels more light is inherently cheaper, I’m not buying that and they aren’t light to that extent anyway. Given the pretty notorious shortcomings of Nintendo’s own JoyCon, as well as their pretty ridiculous price, I can’t see any reason why I wouldn’t recommend the Hyperion Pro over Nintendo’s own JoyCon controllers. Perhaps the feel of the Pro Controller is more classic so it gets an edge, but you also don’t have the option to pull it apart and play with it on the go short of having an aftermarket harness of some kind. Throw in the fact that I got mine in classic GameCube purple, and it really feels like Nyxi understood the assignment, making what I’d consider the best overall third-party controller I’ve used with my Switch to this point.
Score: 9.5
You can check it out at their website at: https://nyxigame.com/products/nyxi-hyperion-pro-purple-style-wireless-joy-pad-for-switch-switch-oled