Hori Wireless test Horipad: a wireless game controller for Switch in the colors of Nintendo’s heroes – digital news

It is with a rather flashy Super Mario visual that the Wireless Horipad presents itself to us. Mostly red, this Super Mario version of the controller does not go unnoticed, just like the version of the Yoshi dinosaur (green) and that of Princess Peach (pink, of course). Fans of sobriety will rather turn to the more classic gray and blue colors, or even to the black and gold of the Zelda version.

Either way, design is a matter of personal taste and so it is not this aspect that we will judge here. As for the build quality, however, there is plenty of room for comment. Entirely made of a rigid and smooth plastic, the controller gives the impression of a toy and immediately seems significantly less opulent than Nintendo’s Pro controller. Impression amplified by its lightness (172.5 g on the scale, against 247 g for the Nintendo Swith Pro gamepad) and its rather rudimentary finishes, although very correct. The two parts of the hull are indeed assembled with 8 visible screws, but the rigidity is there and the plastic does not squeak.

Question size and grip, we are more at the level of an Xbox One controller than a Nintendo Switch Pro controller or even Xbox Series X / S. The Wireless Horipad is indeed more imposing in the hands and will therefore be less easily used by children. No problem for adult hands and this size combined with a certain lightness makes the playing experience quite pleasant, even during long games. Despite the absence of a non-slip coating on the back of the handles on this version – some Horipads benefit from elastomer inserts – the grip remains quite good and we did not feel the lever slip from our hands.

In terms of connectivity, there is simply a USB-C port on the top to charge the controller, which takes around 3 hours. We then enjoy about fifteen hours of battery life, half of what Nintendo offers with its Pro controller. No wonder, the capacity of the built-in Li-Po battery only reaches 550 mAh, compared to 1300 mAh for that of the Pro controller. It will be necessary to play with the soldering iron if the time comes to replace it, since the two wires that connect it to the printed circuit are directly soldered.

A small button located to the left of the USB-C port is used for pairing with the console. The connection in Bluetooth is done without difficulty, the 4 leds located on the lower edge then indicating the number of the player using the controller.

Once connected via Bluetooth to the Switch, the Horipad wireless controller behaves in a very comparable way to the Joy-Con and the Switch Pro controller, without more latency in the controls which therefore react very well. The integrated gyroscope also ensures satisfactory precision in games that use it, in particular to refine aiming, for example.

We appreciate the good quality of the analog sticks, firm and responsive. These offer good precision and good grip. Note that they are quite large, their diameter reaching 19 mm, against 17.5 mm for those of the Nintendo Pro controller. Sticks “old-fashioned” therefore, consistent with the size of the controller.

As for the buttons, we are a little disappointed, since if they offer a correct rebound, their touch is rather dry and their activation audible. The buttons integrated into the sticks are even more so.

The findings are also mixed for the L and R and ZL and ZR button triggers. Their activation gives off an impression of softness, in particular for the first two. ZL and ZR are a little more convincing and their good length allows them to support the indexes well. The controls are fortunately quite usable, but we are generally below what the Nintendo Pro controller offers.

Hori being able to offer very good control units, we hoped to benefit from a very good directional cross on this Wireless Horipad. This is unfortunately not the case, the cross used proving to be too soft and ultimately imprecise due to the resulting blur in the directions. Too bad, because there was a playing card to offer a touch a little less firm than that offered by the small directional cross of the Pro controller.

How to finish not addressing the absence of vibrations on this Horipad? If we did not expect either the HD vibrations that Nintendo offers exclusively in its own controllers, we could still hope for classic vibration motors. This will not bother those who prefer to deactivate all vibrations, especially since the controller can thus remain very light, but we can not help but find that a shame for a controller sold all the same for about fifty euros.