The Nintendo Switch 2 is a great console and while I didn't personally buy one, I spend a lot of time with our shared office unit to test headsets and controllers. That means I get to play Mario Kart World for work-related reasons (I love my job). Because I test controllers so often, I've gotten accustomed to Hall Effect thumbsticks and triggers and I find them so much better than standard analog ones.
Of course, not every gamepad needs Hall Effect sensors to be great, but it's nice knowing that it'll be a while until these magnetic thumbsticks develop the oh-so-annoying stick drift. So imagine my shock when I found out that the first-party Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller didn't utilize Hall Effect sensors in its sticks. Not to fret, the GameSir Super Nova does — and it costs much less!
Don't get me wrong: the Switch 2 Pro Controller is formidable as we gave it a 4.5-star rating as well as the coveted Editor's Choice Award. But it's far from perfect. No Hall Effect sticks, digital triggers instead of analog ones, and a steep price tag leave it vulnerable to criticism. The Super Nova, on the other hand, nails nearly every aspect of what makes a good controller great. And if you're on a tight budget, I highly recommend GameSir's offering.
Don't drift my stick
I hate stick drift. I can't imagine anyone likes it. If you're one of the lucky few who hasn't ever experienced it, let me explain it real quick. Stick drift is a phenomenon where a gamepad's joysticks or thumbsticks move without any user interaction, resulting in unwanted motion. You could be accelerating in Mario Kart World without turning and stick drift will make your character veer right. It's like when your real-life car's steering alignment is a bit off, in simple terms.
Hall Effect sensors in thumbsticks negate the possibility of stick drift because they use a contactless magnetic system instead of physical potentiometers in analog sticks. The latter causes friction and, over time, wear and tear that leads to incorrect voltage readings — thereby resulting in stick drift.
This doesn't mean Hall Effect sticks aren't able to develop stick drift — it just takes longer. Which is why a controller like GameSir Super Nova is more durable than, say, the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. Hall Effect in its triggers and thumbsticks give you more precision and enables you to fine-tune your movements, too.
Customizable down to the T
Speaking of the GameSir Super Nova's triggers, you can enable Hair Trigger with the buttons located next to each trigger. This, basically, turns the right and left triggers into short, clicky ones, like the right and left bumpers. So instead of pushing the triggers all the way down, you can simply tap them, enabling quicker inputs.
Hair Trigger can come in clutch in first-person shooters, like Counter-Strike 2, where you can fire shots in quick succession. It can also alleviate pressure from your fingers and make the action less fatiguing. It's a feature that can give you a competitive advantage if you're partaking in eSports. You can also adjust the Super Nova's dead zones via the user-friendly companion software, to prevent accidental inputs from minor hand tremor.
Physically, the Super Nova's face plate can be customized too. It's magnetic so you can pop it out and swap it for a different colored one — and spares are available to purchase directly from GameSir, starting at $9. You can pop out the ABXY face buttons too to change their orientation depending on the system you're using the controller with. Nifty!
No compromises made... barring one
So, the GameSir Super Nova is fantastic, boasting incredible performance across a range of games. But there is one area where it is upstaged by the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, and that's battery life. The Super Nova's battery life is rated at 15 hours but in my testing, it lasted me six hours between charging.
The Switch 2 Pro Controller, on the other hand, boasts a 40-hour battery life. There's no way to tell how much battery remains on the Super Nova either — you must rely on the RGB lighting turning red to indicate battery is at 15%. But hey, at least the Super Nova comes with a charging dock that you can use to, well, charge the controller while displaying it with pride. You win some, you lose some, eh!
Barring this one flaw, the Super Nova packs plenty of performance and premium features, and the best part is that you don't need to break the bank for to get it. Retailing for $49 / £49, it's $40 cheaper than the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and in my personal opinion, it offers better value for money.
Would you buy the Super Nova instead? Let me know what you think in the comments below, and check out my in-depth GameSir Super Nova review.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
More from Tom's Guide
- I never thought a $49 gamepad would top the Switch 2 Pro Controller — and now that I’ve tried this GameSir pad, I won’t be going back
- These are the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers we've tested so far
- So long Hall Effect — I'm only using controllers with TMR sensors from now on
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
