Hori is producing a Joy-Con that solves one of the Switch’s biggest issues

Peripheral manufacturer Hori has revealed an industry first, a third-party Joy-Con controller for the Nintendo Switch. Better still, it’s equipped with a ‘real’ D-pad, rather than the four separate buttons on Nintendo’s official model. 

While third-party controllers for consoles are nothing new, they tend to be lower quality than the official controllers, and aimed at consumers on a budget.

But the inclusion of a proper D-pad on this model means that for many people this is actually going to be preferable to the Joy-Con that actually comes with the console.

There are a couple of caveats, the biggest of which being that no UK or US release has been confirmed yet for the console. The controller was spotted by Famitsu (as reported by NintendoLife), and will retail for roughly £18 when it releases in Japan in July. We’ve got our fingers crossed that the controller will be available to import.

Two steps forward, one step back

More problematic is that the controller won’t support motion controls and will only include the left-hand side of the Joy-Con pair. Depending on your needs, that might make it pretty badly suited.

Finally, if you’re thinking about importing one for yourself, you should note that the new D-pad means it won’t be as good for using each Joy-Con as an individual controller (where the D-pad act as the A/B/X/Y face buttons).

Still, we’re thrilled that the traditional D-pad will soon be available to use on the Nintendo Switch without having to buy a Pro Controller, and we’ve got our fingers crossed that a motion-controlled version might be possible at some point at the future.

How do you feel about the Switch’s unusual D-pad? Let us know @TrustedReviews