Taking a Look at Snakebyte’s Latest Switch 2 Accessories

It’s been over half a year since the Switch 2 launched, and there have been plenty of accessories released during that time. And unlike the PS5 and Xbox Series, this also includes a number of controllers. We recently had the chance to check out Snakebyte’s latest set of accessories for the console, which aim to offer a decent balance of price to performance.

Gamepad Pro S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2

Headlining Snakebyte’s new items are a duo of Switch 2 controllers. The Gamepad Pro S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2 are both functionally identical – despite only one mentioning RGB, both make use of it. The main difference is in appearance, the standard Pro S2 featuring a black shell over transparent plastic on the Pro RGB S2.

Both feature a fairly standard design, mirroring most conventional controllers. The face buttons and d-pad are both membrane, but you do get Hall Effect sticks – something first party controllers still don’t have. There’s also a pair of back buttons, which can be locked if you don’t feel like using them. While I don’t use back buttons too often, they’re perfect for specific inputs like having to hold in either stick.

On the top you get clicky shoulder buttons, and (for some reason) analogue triggers. I’m not sure why the latter was included, since the Switch 2 like its predecessor does not make use of analogue trigger inputs at all. The included trigger stops do allow you to change them to digital inputs, even if they feel a little too stiff like that.

Everything else is seemingly as you’d expect, including the new C button on the front. Seeing this, you’d think this was a proper Switch 2 controller. However, like the EasySMX S10 we reviewed last year, this is not quite the case.

Neither the Gamepad Pro S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2 support a direct Bluetooth connection to the Switch 2, instead requiring either a wired connection or the included dongle. Attempting to use the controllers for the first time, I also found out that they wouldn’t connect.

That’s because, like the S10, the Pro S2 is essentially using some sort of workaround to act as a Switch 2 controller. Both the controller and the dongle had to be updated before they would work, and the initial connection requires a specific series of steps to actually work.

Once you go through the initial setup, the Pro S2 does function mostly as you’d expect. Unlike the S10, the C button works normally, and you’re able to map the back buttons directly via the Switch 2. However, I found that connection to the dongle is far weaker than official Switch 2 controllers, leading to lag even while in the same room.

The Gamepad Pro S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2 are both decent controllers that are far cheaper than an official Switch 2 Pro Controller. And yet, they’re also not actual proper Switch 2 controllers even if they mostly function as them. At any point a Switch 2 firmware update could stop them from working again, which could render them useless if support ever ends.

Ergo Grip S2

The default Joy-Con 2 grip included with the Switch 2 is decent enough, but does not include any option to charge them at the same time. While you can pick up an official charging grip, they’re a not-inexpensive £30. Snakebyte’s Ergo Grip S2 is half the price, offering charging while in use but without any additional buttons.

The Ergo Grip S2 features a slightly different design to Nintendo’s offering, with the added grips wrapping around the sides of the Joy-Con 2s. To accommodate for this, you must tilt the central section to insert the Joy-Con 2s before pushing it back down into place. Not exactly elegant, though it’s a natural side effect of the switch to magnets over the first console’s rail design.

With everything in place, it’s a decent enough grip. I would have preferred if it angled each Joy-Con 2 since that would make it more comfortable to hold, but overall it’s an improvement over the default Switch 2 grip.

Granted, my personal preference (if I’m not just using a different controller) is to use Joy-Con’s separately without any grip, so it’s not something I plan on using in the future. If you just want a cheap upgrade to the standard grip, then this does the job.

Quad Charge S2

Rounding out this accessory drop is the Quad Charge S2. It’s a simple charger for one or two sets of Joy-Con 2s, with a weighted base and RGB lighting on the front.

Honestly, there’s not too much to say about this one. It’s relatively heavy which means you don’t have to worry about it falling over, and controllers stay in place via magnets (similar to how they work on the console itself, but far weaker.) Since the charger holds each Joy-Con 2 vertically, it also doesn’t take up that much space.

I’d say this only really has much use if you plan on using two sets of Joy-Con 2s constantly. They already charge up relatively quickly when plugged into the Switch 2, and battery life is far better than their PlayStation and Xbox equivalents.

Overall, this is a decent set of accessories, but one that will likely also be improved upon in the coming years. After all, while a lot of third parties released their own peripherals for the original Switch, most of the truly excellent offerings didn’t come until a lot later after launch.

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All accessories were provided by Snakebyte for these reviews.

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