The New Top Switch Grip? Nexigo Gripcon Gen2 With Hall Effect Sensors
50In this episode, we unbox and test out the Gripcon Gen2 from Nexigo, a grip case designed for the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED.
One of the most appealing features of the Nintendo Switch is its dual personality. You have both a home console and a portable all-in-one. Many people, myself included, aren't the biggest fans of playing the Switch in handheld mode due to the stock Joy-Cons. Nexigo has long been making accessories for the Nintendo Switch and has in the past released a grip similar to the Hori Split Pad Pro. They are now upping the game with their new Gripcon, not only designed to give you better ergonomics but better performance with new hall effect sensors on the analog sticks.
The overall design is fairly simple. Larger control sticks on the left and the right-hand side of the unit are joined by a central back. You slide your Switch or Switch OLED down into the rails and your system should connect. I say should because while it worked perfectly for my Switch OLED I could never get my original Switch to connect. I'm reaching out to Nexigo to try to get an answer to this issue.
One of the improvements they have made on this versus their previous generation grips is the inclusion of LED RGB lighting around the analog sticks and the buttons. There are a number of different display modes you can cycle through and a number of different colors. I don't know why but I always like the rainbow color and the breathing where the lights fade in and out. I just think they look neat.
The key improvement on the Gripcon versus other grips out there is the inclusion of hall effect sensors. The stock Joy-Cons use potentiometers to measure the travel and distance of the left and right analog stick. These are inexpensive to produce but because it's a mechanical part it can wear out over time and fail. This is specifically what causes joint. And I don't care what people say on the internet, electronic component cleaners will not repair a broken connection. Hall effect sensors replace this entire mechanism with something that is more robust and resilient, it's also more precise.
As I mentioned, you can insert both the Switch and the Switch OLED into the Gripcon. There are no extra spacers included to use with the Switch so that may have a slight wobble to it side to side, but it's minor. The rubberized back of the Gripcon holds the Switch in place using friction, and a holds it fairly well. The one thing that I found extremely puzzling is the fact that it would connect wirelessly to my Switch OLED while trying to pair to my Switch. I deleted all of my controllers and hit what I thought was a reset button on the Gripcon, but no matter what I could not get it to unpair from my Switch OLED so that I could pair it to my Switch.
Testing what extremely smoothly, minus the issue of connecting it to my original Switch from the OLED. The D-pad felt Good, and in my testing, I could pull off all the moves in Street Fighter using either the analog stick or the D-pad. Both the left and right sticks felt precise without feeling overly sensitive around the center, an issue some controllers have. I was also pleased to see the gyroscopic controls worked properly, as Kirby Tilt and Tumble was perfect. If I wanted to charge through the Gripcon while playing I could via the integrated USB-C port on the bottom.
Why it RoX:
- Hall effect sensor joysticks
- RGB LED lights
- Works with gyro controls
- Reasonably priced
- I don't know how but it worked wirelessly
What could be improved:
- Could not unpair from my Switch OLED
- Still a bit thick for my tastes
- No changeable thumbsticks
- Lacks Amiibo support
Should you buy one?
Even with something like this, I am not the biggest fan of the Switch and handheld mode, call it old man syndrome but for me, the screen needs to be a little bit bigger. That being said this is a very comfortable way to play, the sticks are very accurate, the button presses just work, and this is probably the finest grip case that they have ever produced. I would say it is virtually identical in performance to the NS32 controller that I just recently tested and also really like. If grip cases are your thing, this should be one of the first ones that you look at. When you add in the optional carry case, you have a complete package to play, carry, and protect your Switch.
#Nintendo #switcholed #SwitchGrip #Nexigo #Gripcon