Should You Buy the Easy SMX Pro Controller for the Nintendo Switch?

In this episode, we unbox and test out the Easy SMX Pro controller for the Nintendo Switch.

Chapters
0:00 - Introduction
1:03 - Unboxing
4:41 - Battery Concerns
5:26 - Pairing
6:52 - Amiibo Support
7:11 - Super Mario 3D World
8:54 - Street Fighter II
10:22 - Super Mario 35th
12:43 - 1943 & Turbo Problems
14:55 - Analog Trigger Test Horizon Chase Turbo
16:14 - Initial Thoughts
17:02 - Final Thoughts

There are a number of different controller options out there for the Nintendo Switch, some that are wired, some that are wireless, some that emulate other systems controllers, some that work well, and some that don't. The folks over at Easy SMX sent us two controllers recently, one that is designed to emulate the GameCube style controller that I wasn't the biggest fan of but it did work. The other is the one that you see here, designed to emulate a Pro Controller more directly.

From the box, it includes the controller itself, a USB-C charging cable, and an instruction booklet. I was a bit surprised that the controller did not turn on at all straight from the box. Looking in the instruction manual, it does include a LiPo battery, which left me very concerned. You should never take a lithium polymer battery below 3 volts per cell as you can permanently damage them. I use the included cable to charge up the controller, and it did so without any issues.

The controller itself promises a number of features, but doesn't deliver on all of them. LEDs behind the A/B/X/Y buttons offer a good level of personalization and can be made brighter or more dim. You can also adjust the level of rumble feedback in the controller, and you can connect it to a PC to use via USB c. One feature I could not get to work no matter what was the turbo functionality. The instructions indicate that you hold down the capture button and press whatever button you want to have turbo assigned to for a few seconds. The controller is supposed to blink a different color at you to indicate turbo has been activated. No matter what I did I could not get Turbo to work.

Pairing to the Switch is super easy. Simply hold down the home button and the Y button and pairing is almost instantaneous. The responsiveness felt good, I didn't feel any input lag at any point in time. Like many other third party controllers, it is not compatible with Amiibo, so if that's a focus of yours you will have to look elsewhere.

During gameplay, I definitely felt the analog stick was much more precise than what the D-pad was. I feel like the D-pad mold itself and the case around the D-pad hampers the performance here significantly. During hard presses on the D-pad it felt like it would get hung up underneath the edge of the top of the controller. in games like Street Fighter 2, I felt like I could pull off moves more easily with the analog stick such as the dragon uppercut than with the D-Pad. Finally, we have to talk about the triggers. While they have an analog throw to them, the ZL and ZR triggers are in fact simply digital. It's disappointing to see, but not entirely unexpected.

Why it RoX:
- Less expensive than the Nintendo Pro Controller
- The LEDs look terrific
- USB-C charging
- Powerful Rumble
- Comfortable to hold
- The analog sticks feel great

What could be improved:
- Battery had no charge from the box
- No Amiibo support
- ZL and ZR are digital and not analog
- I could not get the turbo functionality to work at all
- D-pad design needs refinement

Should you buy one?
Overall the Easy SMX Pro Controller worked very well, just as a straight clone to a Pro Controller. It doesn't have Amiibo support which, for me, is not a major deal but I know for some it is. I keep coming back to the fact that there are other controllers that do the same, or more, for less money. It doesn't wake the Switch from sleep, the turbo functionality never worked, and they're just a few other things about this that, if you really like I won't try to talk you out of it, but I do think that there are better options out there.

#NintendoSwitch #Controller #Review

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