Hori’s Split Pad Pro Attachment for the Switch costs $20 too much

Hori's Split Pad Pro is a game that makes the Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con controllers look like they got jacked in the gym. Hori and Daemon X Machina launched the controller. It's made for people with large hands, or anyone who feels cramped using the controls. The Split Pad Pro is about twice as wide and thicker as Joy-Cons, and it has the same ergonomics. The larger the button, the easier it is to control. The Switch feels like an entirely different console to play on the go with those changes.

Hori has released several different colors since it was first released, but this week the company launched a new accessory. The Split Pad Pro Attachment allows you to use the Joy-Con-like gamepads with your Nintendo Switch while it is docked.

The $79.99 price of the attachment does not give you a wired controller option. There are buttons to adjust volume or mute your headphones, if it has one. That is the entire pitch for this new bundle, and the attachment can be purchased separately.

The attachment is more attractive to first-time buyers than it is to current Split Pad Pro owners. If you spend more time using the Switch on the go than on docked, I would suggest getting the gamepads to save some money. It feels limited to be connected to the switch via a cable, not to mention that headphones will dangle another cable between you and the TV. Depending on your gaming setup, the cable may not be long enough.

Buy for $79.90 from Amazon

Hori would make a valid argument that the price of Joy-Con controllers is the same as the price of the product. The Split Pad Pro pads are not as good as Nintendo's Joy-Con. They don't have rumble, they don't have gyroscopic aiming for games that support it, and they can't work wireless. When they are connected directly to your switch, each has a remappable rear paddle. The paddle on the left gamepad can be mapped to any function on the left Split Pad Pro. On the right side, the plus and home buttons are missing.

I enjoy using the Split Pad Pro Attachment because of how good it feels to use. If you love Nintendo's wireless Switch Pro controller as much as I do, this Hori controller emulates it nicely as a comfy, regular-sized gamepad. The Split Pad Pro's buttons and sticks feel the same as Nintendo's, with the added benefit of being wired and never needing to replenish.

I enjoyed using it to play games on the PC. I didn't mind the lack of vibration with that game. It's a seamless experience if you can get past some of the face buttons not matching up with what's on-screen, at least in terms of controls. Audio passthrough with its jack doesn't work because the attachment can increase or decrease the volume in Windows. It's difficult to say that a flaw in a product that's meant more as a switch accessory is disappointing.

When I showed the Split Pad Pro Attachment to people in our office, the initial delight became confusion as I explained the pricing and just how little the attachment is capable of. It would be a different story if Hori included it with the Split Pad Pro for a smaller price difference. The attachment is not an essential part of the bundle because the Split Pad Pro pads are.

The Verge has a photography by Cameron Faulkner.