Review cover PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller for Switch (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review

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In the latest of our PowerA controller reviews, we have our hands on one of their 'Enhanced Wireless Controllers'. Let's hope they haven't gone for form over function.

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First Impressions

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Last year, I reviewed PowerA's wired controllers, and I found them to be great for their price. What appealed to me most, though, was the aesthetics—the designs are a treat to look at, and this was perhaps the only thing that really stood out. I was less impressed with the range of designs they had for their wireless controllers, though, with most being bland and uninteresting. This month, they're releasing a brand new Zelda design, and we were lucky enough to get one early to review. Overall, I'm impressed with the stunning look of this new variant, although I'm not the biggest fan of the chrome blue D-Pad. 

PowerA VS Alternatives

The Switch's wealth of games makes me utilise a large pool of controllers. For example, I tend to use my Gamecube controllers for Super Smash Bros., but I use my Pro Controller for 3D games like Hyrule Warriors and Super Mario Odyssey. Meanwhile, with 2D games, I always go for my 8BitDo controller, as I feel like it's the best suited controller for that purpose. So, where does PowerA's controller fit in? It's essentially a jack of all trades. For most people, it's an adequate alternative for a Pro-Controller. The buttons feel fine, and it's comfortable to hold, but I personally prefer the overall feeling of the aforementioned Pro-Controller. That said, there is one thing that makes me want to use it over my first-party controller—the back buttons. 

The back buttons on this controller seem pretty niche, and I haven't found a real use for them in many of my games. Rather fittingly, though, I found that my experience in Breath of the Wild was greatly enhanced using these buttons. You see, the Master Cycle's accelerate button is set to A on the controller, making camera control while driving difficult. With the back buttons, though, I can accelerate and turn my camera with ease, making it a far more pleasant experience. Best of all, you can bind the buttons quickly and easily, allowing you to customise your controls in any way you'd like. I could see it being useful in Splatoon 2, allowing you to jump with your thumb still on the right joystick.

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The analogue sticks here are very small for a standard controller. They have a small grip, and the range on them doesn't feel as extensive as on most pads I've used. This makes it feel less accurate than the Pro Controller, and I find my thumbs slipping off of them occasionally. They're completely usable, but for most of my 3D games, I'll be sticking with something else. As is the case for most third-party controllers, though, the D-Pad here is better than what Nintendo have on offer. It's nothing stellar, but I'd certainly be comfortable playing my 2D games with it. There is no rumble whatsoever in these controllers, which is a little odd. I don't personally mind so much, but with a $50 controller, it's something I'd expect.

The biggest problem I have is the lack of a rechargeable battery. It's 2019, and many competitors have a far more convenient solution. I complained about this when I reviewed PowerA's Gamecube-style Switch controller, too, and to be honest, I haven't used that one since the batteries died. Sure, I could use rechargeable AA batteries, but that's still less convenient than just plugging the thing in. This is a huge blow for me.

Use on PC

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This controller works flawlessly well on PC, and may very well become my go-to PC controller, rather than being used for my Switch. It syncs with Bluetooth just fine, allowing me to play my whole library of PC games with no hassle at all. It's detected as a Switch Pro-Controller in Steam, so even the motion controls work as intended. It also works perfectly in emulators, so you're free to use it to play a huge variety of games. There seems to be no built-in deadzone, so the control stick appears a little shaky in the Windows configuration tool, but this doesn't seem to have affected any of my games.

Conclusion

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With PowerA's wired controllers, I figured that they'd be best as a secondary controller. In this case, however, I think they could adequately replace your need for a Pro-Controller, as they share most of the same features. It's comfortable, beautiful, and cheaper than Nintendo's alternative. Keep in mind though, you'll be missing out on rumble and NFC, and you'll have to deal with the whole AA battery thing. It's more similar to an Xbox One controller than a Pro-Controller, so if you're a big fan of those, maybe this'll be more comfortable for you.

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Stunning Zelda design
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Useful programmable back buttons
What We Didn't Like ...
  • No rumble in a $50 controller
  • Analogue sticks are a little small
  • AA batteries
8
out of 10

Overall

Overall, I love the way it feels in the hand, and it's probably the most attractive controller in my ever-growing collection. If you're looking for a Pro-Controller alternative, this would be fine. I do think it's worth spending the extra money on a first-party Pro Controller if you don't already have one, though.
I agree with Localhorst86. Replacing Lithium batteries are real pita since pretty much every device has its own thing. There is no standard in how they have to be build except for voltage and most devices came with no means to change the battery at all.
With AA batteries you can just swap them in no time and don't have the risk of damage the device by opening it.

AA batteries - This is really not a con statement.
 
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I have literally never ever had to replace a rechargeable controller battery in my life.

Hell, the only time I've had to replace a rechargeable battery was in my DSi, and even that was due to water damage.
 
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I have literally never ever had to replace a rechargeable controller battery in my life.

Hell, the only time I've had to replace a rechargeable battery was in my DSi, and even that was due to water damage.

I don't even know where to begin with...
I recently replaced the PS3 controller battery with a PS4 one since after all the years the battery died almost and I don't trust the chinese replacement.
Had to replace iphone batteries multiple times already. Laptop batteries which are also partly builtin today (whose idea was that?!).
My sennheiser headphones can't hold the charge for longer than 1 hr after 2 years of use (still not sure how to replace that).
1st time replacing Vita's battery killed the backside touchpad because the stupid onboard connector broke despite beeing careful.
The list goes on and on over the years especially with controllers and portable consoles. Not mentioning 3ds since THAT was really easy to replace.

I'm sure I am not the only person who experienced such issues.
 
I have literally never ever had to replace a rechargeable controller battery in my life.

Hell, the only time I've had to replace a rechargeable battery was in my DSi, and even that was due to water damage.

The only time I had to replace a rechargeable battery was in my 2009 MacBook. It was around 7-8 years old at the time, and replacements were under 30 bucks, not to mention the fact that there's an easy release on the bottom and they just snap in. Never had to replace the battery on a mobile console, or even on an iPhone, by the time I'm noticing issues with battery, it was already about time to replace the whole phone.

AA batteries - This is really not a con statement.

The only upside I can possibly think of to using AA batteries in a controller is if you're using a rechargeable battery pack (Like the ones that were everywhere for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One), and it goes dead while you're playing and can't charge it at the moment, you can pop in a set of regular batteries until you're ready to charge it up.
 
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$50 is steep for a dpad... any anyone saying the ps4 and xbox1 controller are good, go back and play with the ps3/xb360 controllers, theyre FAR superior.

the back buttons for pressing and using the right stick sound like awesome times though, its one of the reasons why i despise the Kingdom Hearts games outside the ps2/psp/ds, its impossible to fight and swing the camera around in the remasters
 
I will add that I have one of these and the ZL and ZR internal button design is terrible. My kid managed to crack the pcb's for both and make each button unusable just by pressing the buttons to hard. Since the traces for rb and lb run on the other side of the pcb and didn't get cracked there at least those buttons still work. So if you have kids that are like to press buttons hard I'd advise a different controller.
 
I will add that I have one of these and the ZL and ZR internal button design is terrible. My kid managed to crack the pcb's for both and make each button unusable just by pressing the buttons to hard. Since the traces for rb and lb run on the other side of the pcb and didn't get cracked there at least those buttons still work. So if you have kids that are like to press buttons hard I'd advise a different controller.
Good to know
 
$50 is steep for a dpad... any anyone saying the ps4 and xbox1 controller are good, go back and play with the ps3/xb360 controllers, theyre FAR superior.

the back buttons for pressing and using the right stick sound like awesome times though, its one of the reasons why i despise the Kingdom Hearts games outside the ps2/psp/ds, its impossible to fight and swing the camera around in the remasters
The PS4 controller is indefinitely better than its predecessor.. The 360 controller had better ergonomics, but everything else on the one controller wins.

This 3rd party controller is an ideal replacement for purchasing a pro controller.
 
The PS4 controller is indefinitely better than its predecessor.. The 360 controller had better ergonomics, but everything else on the one controller wins.

This 3rd party controller is an ideal replacement for purchasing a pro controller.

try playing something that needs one to one button to respond timing and pressure sensitivity and you'll see ps4 and xbox1 controllers are some of the worst ever made, they feel like cheap madcatz controllers
 
try playing something that needs one to one button to respond timing and pressure sensitivity and you'll see ps4 and xbox1 controllers are some of the worst ever made, they feel like cheap madcatz controllers
That's debatable.. Their quality is definitely far better than anything Mad Catz could dream of putting out.
 
That's debatable.. Their quality is definitely far better than anything Mad Catz could dream of putting out.

a good example of testing the quality is by playing something free like Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon or even FF15:A Kings Tale, garbage controllers
 
a good example of testing the quality is by playing something free like Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon or even FF15:A Kings Tale, garbage controllers
I'm playing DJMax respect (rhythm game). It is one of the hardest games ever made (see e.g. link disk trophies). I've managed to get the 2nd hardest trophy ingame - with a ps4 controller. So I would say the ps4 controller is good enough to be better than what you are describing.
 
I'm playing DJMax respect (rhythm game). It is one of the hardest games ever made (see e.g. link disk trophies). I've managed to get the 2nd hardest trophy ingame - with a ps4 controller. So I would say the ps4 controller is good enough to be better than what you are describing.

when i owned a ps4 xb1 ps3 and xb360 at the same time i tested which one was best on pc and it was obvious, to me at least, that ps3 and xb360 were the best. WiiU was pretty good too. ps4 and xbox dont have 1 to 1 response times and theres a bit of delay, of course a game like djmax can probably calibrate itself.
 
K
The whole AA battery vs. Lithium is purely subjective. You're entitled to your opinion, but neither is better than the other just because you say it is.

If this controller were a much cheaper alternative to the real Pro Controller, I'd definitely consider getting it.
 
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It seems like the $5 extra for the pro controller is worth it in this case

replace 2x AA with a 60 hour rechargeable battery (comes with a quality USB A -> USB C cable)
Has "HD" rumble
Has the NFC reader for amiibo scanning
 
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