Joy-Con alternatives typically provide improvements aplenty, but this prototype doesn’t.
Joy-Con alternatives typically provide improvements aplenty, but this prototype doesn’t.
Gaming accessory company Abxylute has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its upcoming N6 and GameCube-style N9C Switch 2 dock-style controllers. If the ergonomics of Nintendo’s Joy-Cons don’t jibe with you, these aim to be solid alternatives, particularly for people with medium-to-large-size hands.
Both of Abxylute’s new controllers have bigger, more comfortable grips than Joy-Cons offer, along with longer-lasting Hall effect joysticks. I tested a functioning prototype of the N6, and it has almost everything that people might be looking for to level up their gaming experience: full-size sticks, vibration, motion controls, customizable back paddles, and turbo mode for spamming commands.
What the N6 is going for isn’t anything new. CRKD popularized the slide-in form factor with the original Switch. It adds thick grips to your console to make it look and feel more like a Steam Deck. For as much as it added to ergonomics, it stood out as a solution for the Switch’s Joy-Con drift drama by offering Hall effect sticks that won’t degrade. The N6 doesn’t mess with that formula very much. It has full-size Hall effect joysticks that are grippier and feature a concave top so your thumb can rest instead of sliding off. It has thick grips that go around the console’s back to let your fingers spread out, and its triggers are bigger and offer more tactile feedback.
The thing is, the N6 doesn’t feel like as much of an upgrade over Joy-Cons as the Nitro Deck, based on my time with a functional prototype. For one, the left and right sticks are too low for my medium-size hands to comfortably reach with my fingers fully extended around its grips, making the D-pad and any of the system-level buttons below them especially tricky to access in a pinch. People with larger hands would likely have more trouble.
You might not experience issues if you have small hands, and/or if you primarily play games that don’t require fast reaction times. The N6 can handle fast reactions, but I never felt confident enough in my grip to execute twitchy commands with precision.
The ergonomics could be improved if Abxylute made the left and right sides of the controller taller and spread out the sticks and buttons more. That would make it easier for more people to fully grip the N6 without struggling to reach the sticks or buttons. As it is, I have to hold it in a precarious claw grip to play some games. Taller controls would also cover the top left and top right edges of the Switch 2, which are inexplicably exposed by the N6’s design.
Several aspects of the N6 remain in development, including how the rumble feels (strong, not attempting HD rumble, but also not terrible), and how the buttons and triggers sound (very pronounced — I’d get in trouble using this around my wife while she’s reading at night).
Abxylute proactively shared a list of known issues it’s working to address before the final release in April, which I think is a good move from a company that’s hoping to earn your pledge:
- Shoulder Buttons (L/R): You might hear a louder clicking sound or feel a slight wobble/instability. We are currently optimizing the components to ensure a more comfortable feel.
- ABXY Buttons: On some units, these may feel stiff, have inconsistent travel, or make a loud rebound sound. We are switching to a new conductive silicone pad in mass production to ensure a consistent, quiet, and comfortable press.
- Vibration/Haptics: The motor is currently too aggressive/noisy, and it may miss some subtle low-frequency vibrations. We are tuning the driver to fix this.
- Cosmetics: For the Blue model, the silk-screen text on the back is currently too dark.
- Build Tolerance: On individual units, you might notice slight inconsistencies in the feel of +/- buttons or a small gap on the right side. These will be tightened in production.
- Also, a note from the author: the prototype gets firmware updates through its USB-C port (it included a female to male USB-C cable to update it), but the mass production models will get wireless OTA updates from your smartphone.
Abxylute is asking HK$ 618, or about $80, for the N6 as an early backer special price. It offered a limited allotment at this price, and it has already sold through most of them by the time of publication. Whether it gets more expensive after crowdfunding or not, it’s within the price range of the $99.99 CRKD Nitro Deck 2 coming this Spring that offers many extra features. Based on my experience with an early N6 prototype, I’m not convinced it’s worth getting a controller that leaves much of your console exposed and struggles with ergonomics.
Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
