I love my Nintendo Switch 2. I mostly play in handheld mode, but when I do dock my console for gaming sessions on the TV, I enjoy having the luxury of a Pro controller. And I do mean luxury, as the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller costs a hefty $89.
However, you don’t need to pay anywhere near that much to get a great game pad for your console. In fact, I’m here to argue that my favorite controller is better than the Pro Controller. And it costs less. It’s the GameSir Super Nova, on sale for $35 at Amazon.
What are the most important aspects of a gaming controller? Comfort comes pretty high up the list. Luckily, the GameSir Super Nova is extremely comfortable to use. The rubber thumb grips feel perfect and the plastic finish is soft and smooth. You also get a proper cross-shaped d-pad, which is great if you don’t like the arrangement of the directional buttons on the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons.
But the GameSir Super Nova beats Nintendo’s controllers in a way that’s even more fundamental. Nintendo’s original Joy-Con controllers were plagued with drift — this also applied to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, too. With constant use, they would start to read inputs incorrectly, leading to issues like in-game characters or pointers moving when you didn’t want them to. While I haven’t experienced this with my Nintendo Switch 2’s Joy-Con 2 controllers (yet,) it’s not guaranteed that it won’t happen again.
To avoid the dreaded stick drift problem, the GameSir Super Nova is equipped with hall effect sensors. Rather than physical components that wear down with use, hall effect thumbsticks use magnets. Not only does this eliminate the potential for drift, it also means your inputs are more accurately read.
The GameSir Super Nova is one of the cheapest controllers to use hall effect sensors, and as such, it’s one of the best accessories you can buy to future-proof your console. I can’t use my old Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers any more, because they drift so badly. But the GameSir Super Nova is going to go strong for several more years at least (I hope.)
The downsides (and why they don't matter)
In her GameSir Super Nova review, my colleague Nikita Achanta had a ton of praise for this controller, but also knocked it for its battery life and back button placement. I’m here to defend the controller’s corner.
The GameSir Super Nova’s battery life is rated at 15 hours, but only lasted about 6 hours in Nikita’s tests. Obviously, more battery life would be great. But it works absolutely fine for my needs — I don’t have time for non-stop gaming sessions that last over six hours. Some people do, but I’m willing to bet those people are in the minority. And the controller’s battery doesn’t drain quickly when it’s not being used; I can reliably come back to it time and time again without needing to recharge it between uses… even when my play sessions are weeks apart or longer.
Additionally, the vast majority of Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 games have no need to use the back buttons. I focus more on the face buttons and triggers, and they feel great. But if you do love to customize your own button layouts, a different controller like the GameSir Cyclone 2 might be a better choice.
Still, if you just want a controller that’s affordable, comfortable to use, and don’t want to worry about drift — pick up the GameSir Super Nova.
