The Nintendo Switch has been a big hit among gamers across the world since it launched, amassing over 139 million sales. But there's one thing mostly everyone will agree is a huge negative, and that's the tiny joy-cons. Sure, they work, but they're also uncomfortable to anyone with large hands, they suffer drift easily (I've personally gone through over 6 pairs of Joy-cons) - but NYXI aims to solve this with the Hyperion Pro.
**The Hyperion Pro was reviewed using hardware provided and sent to us by Nyxi Gaming, but in no way influenced the review.
DESIGN
The Hyperion Pro comes in two styles; a green Legend of Zelda inspired colour, and a purple GameCube inspired version.
We were sent the purple variant, and it looks beautiful. The purple really punches and with the light grey left analogue stick and the right yellow one, complete with green and red A and B buttons, it really looks the part and does a great job of bringing the Gamecube design to a more modern console.
Obviously, it's easy for a controller to look good, but it needs to feel good in the hands as well. Luckily, the Hyperion Pro feels fantastic, and just taking them out of the box, they're a big step up from the stock joy-cons.
The design of the Hyperion Pro allows for a super comfortable ergonomic grip for long gaming sessions when connected to the Switch, and also comes with a middle "grip" to give the ability to be used whilst the Switch is in docked mode.
When holding the Hyperion Pro, your thumbs sit very naturally, giving easy access to both analogue sticks and face buttons, whilst also being able to reach the D-pad without stretching. If you've been used to a stock joy-con experience, then these will really impress in terms of comfort - these are the most comfortable controllers I've used on the Switch to date.
FEATURES
Apart from the miniature design of the stock joy-con, the biggest problem is how quickly they develop the dreaded drifting.
The Hyperion Pro features two full size hall effect joysticks - these not only feel great, but they'll not develop any drifting, as instead of conventional joysticks, they use magnets and electrical conductors to measure their position, distance, and movement when in use. They have no physical contact between the moving parts, which means they should never develop drift.
The D-pad is nice and firm with a satisfying click, and is generally one of the best D-pads I've used - which is great for playing old-school games on the Nintendo store, whilst the face buttons all feel nice, with no mush at all, no pre- or post-travel and are very responsive.
As well as the usual buttons found on a joy-con, there's also a Turbo button on each, that also lets you change the RGB when clicked with either R3 or L3, which will cycle through the options around the analogue sticks, and the strips on the left/right joycons. There is a variety of RGB colors, as well as a “breathing” mode - or you can turn them off. Flicking the analogue up or down will also change the brightness of the lights.
Bumpers and trigger buttons feel solid, and perform great when testing in Mario Kart Deluxe, and are easy to reach, no matter the size of your hands.
On the back of the controllers, you'll find the unlock buttons that allow you to attach/detach, and some extra features you won't find on the stock joy-cons. Both left and right features a Macro button Nyxi call "Gamer's Reflex" and a rumble button - these allow you to programme a button and increase/decrease the rumble respectively, as well as an ML button on the left, and MR on the right.
By holding the 'M' button, you can create macros which will be stored on the ML or MR button, depending which joy-con you are using. I personally don't play many games on the Switch that would take advantage of this, but it's a great addition to have.
USAGE
Using the Hyperion Pro on the Switch OLED, the additional weight of 174g compared to the 104.2g of the stock joy-cons sounds a lot, but in real world usage it doesn't feel noticeably heavier - it definitely feels more premium, but not uncomfortable or heavy.
An added bonus is the Switch still fits into the dock with the Hyperion Pro's still attached, which is a bonus for charging - each side also has it's own USB-C port if you'd like to charge them out of the dock.
A point to add, if you're utilising the USB ports on the dock, the left side of the Hyperion Pro won't fit - I used one of these ports to power my joy-con charger stand, but as long as nothing is using the USB, you'll be fine.
GAMING
From just the feel alone, the Hyperion Pro makes playing Switch games more comfortable and easier to do - particularly if you have large hands. Everything about the Hyperion Pro in terms of how it sits in your hands, the placement and access of the buttons, it all adds to a much more satisfying gameplay experience compared to the stock Joy-cons.
This extends to docked gameplay as well, using the Hyperion Pro with the included grip to turn them into a more traditional controller when playing on the TV means you're able to enjoy the benefits of the Hyperion Pro even when not in handheld use.
FUNCTIONALITY
For all the many praises, there are some tradeoffs to be had, as with most third party joy-cons, the Hyperion Pro does not have HD Rumble or NFC (needed for built-in Amiibo functionality), so any games you frequently play that make use of these will have limited functionality.
Whilst there are vibration motors, HD rumble is something you almost take for granted and don't really notice until it's not there. Some of the best case usages for HD Rumble really elevate the experience - but the Hyperion Pro does allow you to change the vibration range from 0% up to 100% but bare in mind usage may vary from game-to-game.
There is 6-axis functionality for motion control however, so any games that require this are still good to go!
OVERALL
Whilst the lack of HD Rumble and NFC are undoubtedly a shame, the Hyperion Pro is still the best joy-con replacement I've tested to date - they look fantastic, they feel better than stock joy-cons, and the hall effect sticks ensure the longevity of them will outlast Nintendo's offering, as well as other third-party brands that still suffer with the dreaded 'drift' issues. The super comfortable and ergonomic grip allows for easy long-time gaming, the programmable RGB lights mean you can customise the controller to your particular tastes, and the "Gamer's Reflex" macro buttons are available to give you an edge. Plus, the Gamecube inspired purple option and the green Legend of Zelda inspired variant really make the controller stand out.
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