These controllers make The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom a more comfortable and convenient experience.
Even if you always hit the right button, the controls can still be annoying.
It’s worth noting that you won’t be able to scan Amiibo when using any of these controllers.
Other features such as rumble and motion controls vary by controller.
For more on Tears of the Kingdom, check out ourguides hubfor tips, tricks, and walkthroughs.
Hori’s Split Pad line has been the most popular Joy-Con alternative for handheld mode for years.
This is for good reason.
It has larger sticks, buttons, triggers, and yes, a pair of remappable back buttons.
The back buttons are conveniently located and feel solid.
The Split Pad Compact has great ergonomics thanks to its contoured design.
What this means is that you’re able to’t map two face buttons to the paddles.
I prefer mapping Link’s ability wheel to the left back button.
The Split Pad series does not have rumble, NFC support for Amiibo, or gyro controls.
TheNexiGo Gripconis another handheld Switch controller with ergonomic handles, more traditional joysticks, and larger buttons.
The controls don’t feel quite as good as the Split Pad.
This is especially noticeable with the D-pad, which is fairly rigid.
However, the Gripcon bests the Split Pad in a notable category: back buttons.
The Gripcon has four back buttons, which gives you a lot more freedom with your control layout.
As a result, you might drastically alter the way you interact with Tears of the Kingdom.
One good layout is mapping all four face buttons to the back buttons.
Like the Split Pad series, the Gripcon is compatible with Nintendo Switch OLED and the regular Switch.
For docked mode, the best Switch Pro controller alternative is a tie between8BitDo Ultimateand8BitDo Pro 2.
8BitDo is one of the best third-party controller manufacturers for Switch thanks to its high-performingandaffordable controllers.
The main difference between the Ultimate and Pro 2 is the layout.
Also, the Ultimate’s sticks use Hall Effect sensors, which prevents stick drift.
Both controllers can store up to three unique controller profiles.
Yes, you’re free to use theXbox Elite Series 2 controllerwith your Nintendo Switch.
All you need is a cheap dongle designed for universal controller compatibility.
I’ve been using8BitDo’s $20 adapter, and it has worked flawlessly with Tears of the Kingdom.
The Elite Series 2 is, unsurprisingly, the most premium controller on this list.
It’s arguably the best controller for any platform, period.
Additionally, you lose some functionality that you get with controllers designed for Switch.
You also lose rumble functionality.
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