Back when the Switch 2 came out, I looked at some Snakebyte accessories that appeared at launch. They were fine. You know, standard bags and extra charging options. They weren’t exciting or colorful, but they were practical items for a system at an affordable price. Now that we’re a bit more into the thick of things, I’ve been using the Snakebyte Switch 2 Ergo Grip S2 for the Joy-Con 2 controllers and Gamepad Pro S2 controller and they’re a bit more exciting. Especially since I hit a point at which there are more multiplayer options or situations when I will play for hours at a time.
Both of these items are docked Switch 2 sorts of controller options. So if you’re playing in handheld mode primarily, these probably aren’t for you. That’s totally fine! I could see the Ergo Grip S2 maybe being helpful if you switch to tabletop mode for a while and want to use the Joy-Con 2 controllers like that instead of separated whiel playing the Switch 2.
Speaking of which, the Ergo Grip S2 is the Snakebyte Switch 2 accessory I played with the most, since I always have my Joy-Con 2 controllers on-hand. But that’s primarily because of its usefulness for certain situations. It’s handy for if you’re going to play away from home and perhaps are taking the dock or plan to go with tabletop mode. It relies on the same sort of magnet system as the console to quickly pop them onto the grip. It has an over six foot long cable for charging purposes, in case you want to play while it is connected to a dock or charging cable. There are also gaps so you can see battery life indicator lights while using the grip, so you can tell if charging is needed. It’s comfortable and I sort of feel like a budget version of the $40 official Nintendo option, considering Snakebyte is selling it for $20.
Like that being Snakebyte’s budget option approach to one Nintendo Switch 2 peripheral, I kind of feel like the Gamepad Pro RGB S2 is a budget alternative in some ways for the official Pro Controller. That’s $89.99 after all, and this is $50. It isn’t an exact double, of course. There’s no HD Rumble 2 as an example, and it requires a Bluetooth dongle. It does feature two additional programmable back buttons, and there are locks on M1 and M2 to keep them from being triggered accidentally. Similar locks are present on the triggers. The RGB lighting is there, for those who like that type of thing. But I think the most valuable parts are the Hall Effect sensors on the joysticks and the fact it has its own firmware. Considering we saw third-party docks stop working on the Switch 2 after a firmware update, it’s reassuring.
Basically, both the Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2 are something of economy options for folks who might not want to pay for the official Nintendo Joy-Con 2 grip or Pro Controller. They might not have all the same features, especially in the case of the controller. But what is here is stable and strong, especially when they’re at least $20 cheaper.
The Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2 are available now.