Review: NexiGo Controllers for the Nintendo Switch are Decent for the Price

NexiGo makes a number of controllers for the Nintendo Switch. They recently reached out to me to ask if I’d be willing to check some of them out. I agreed and they sent me a few of the colors for the NS53 Joypad controller and a model of the NS32 controller. All the thoughts below are my own, but if you like what you read you can grab your own NexiGo controllers from Amazon.

I am lumping both the NS32 and NS53 into a single review because they have a lot of similarities. First, they are very lightweight. This is really shocking to me because they both have haptic feedback motors (read rumble) and gyroscopic sensors. They do feel light enough where they almost feel super cheap and I will say, they’re not the most durable physically. I had one of the NS53s fall on the floor thanks ot one of my children and the bumper button broke cleanly off of it. Also, the NS53 are designed to work like JoyCon controllers where they attach to the Switch of a block. I found that more often than not, at least one of the sides would not smoothly glide into the block but rather I would have to be more forceful with it. That being said, they smoothly slide on and off of the Switch, so this is indicative of a problem with the center block used. Both models also have LED lights around the thumbsticks and you can adjust the colors and patterns displayed on them which is fun. Also, the thumbsticks are concave with textured rims for a grippy feeling. They feel okay, but it is a very steep change from the smooth center to the textured rim versus something like the Xbox Series S controller that feels like a smoother transition between the center and rim. The final similarity is that you use a USB-C cable to charge all of these although the NS53 can be charged while attached to the Switch.

Now, let’s dive a bit more into the NS32 which is designed to be more of a Pro Controller competitor. I really like that it has rumble and you can even adjust how strong the rumble is. These are definite perks. It fits well in the hands (I consider myself to have average-sized hands) and anyone that likes a Pro Controller will feel at home in general. The weight is considerably lighter than a Pro Controller and the buttons feel cheaper. They don’t have that nice finish feel that a Pro Controller has. I also think that they should color in the letters and other marks to make it easier to see those. Whether it’s white or different colors or something else, it would help a lot.

As for the NS53, this was very different. When I first saw it and held it, I didn’t see how it could be comfortable. These are absolutely massive. If you have big hands, It feels more comfortable according to some friends although they did note that the placement of buttons and thumbsticks felt off to them. One issue I had was that the block they connect to is not as thick and so it doesn’t feel as well connected as I had hoped. When connected to a Switch you have that feeling once again and I was a little scared that something was going to happen to my Switch. That being said, when I had to set my Switch down it was kind of nice to have it elevated off the surface because of this. The size of the NS53 made it feel like I wasn’t securely holding my Switch when in handheld mode. However, I never had a problem with my Switch dropping or the controllers snapping (outside of the aforementioned shoulder button). I’m not a huge fan of the flat buttons used on the NS53, but I did eventually get more accustomed to using it. That being said, I would only use it attached to my Switch. Also, if you want to split an NS53 among two people like Joy-Con, it’s really awkward to hold. It has a wing-like design which is good for holding it as a normal controller, but when you turn a single one sideways it just gets awkward. I found the wing tip helped it feel secure in my hand, but the very curved other end was difficult to hold onto. It is cool that each half can be charged via USB-C separately though.

When it comes to the NexiGo NS32 and NS53, they work and they work well, especially for the price. Its hard to find 3rd party Switch controllers with rumble, not even the officially licensed ones have rumble for a decent price. NexiGo also offers a lot of really fun colors and designs. The LED rings around the thumbsticks are fairly simple to adjust to your taste and add some flair to your controller. All that being said, they do feel a little on the cheap side and I would only use the NS53 in handheld mode unless you have huge hands which makes me wonder if one of their other controller models would be a better suit for me. They’re not bad controllers though. I think they could just use a bit of polish.