The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is a

video game controller A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device or input/output device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers in ...

developed by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

for use with the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

hybrid console. It serves as an alternative to the

Joy-Con Joy-Con are the primary game controllers for the Nintendo Switch, a hybrid video game console. A set of Joy-Con consists of two individual units, each containing an analog stick and an array of buttons. They can be used while attached to the mai ...

controllers. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, which features additional buttons, serves as an alternative controller for the

Nintendo Switch 2 The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo, released in most regions on June5, 2025. Like the original Nintendo Switch, Switch, it can be used as a Handheld game console, handheld, as a Tablet computer, tablet, or connected via ...

console.

Design and features

The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller incorporates a button layout similar to the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

's Classic Controller Pro, but uses a staggered analog stick layout used by the

GameCube controller The GameCube controller is the standard game controller for the GameCube video game console, manufactured by Nintendo and launched in 2001. As the successor to the Nintendo 64 controller, it is the progression of Nintendo's controller design in ...

and

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

's family of

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

controllers. Up to eight Pro Controllers can be used at a time with the Nintendo Switch. The Pro Controller also supports

near-field communication Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of communication protocols that enables communication between two electronic devices over a distance of or less. NFC offers a low-speed connection through a simple setup that can be used for the boots ...

for use with Nintendo's

Amiibo (, ; stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Ni ...

toys, as well as HD Rumble and

motion controls In computing, a motion controller is a type of input device that uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, or other sensors to track motion. Motion controllers see use as game controllers, for virtual reality and other simulation purposes, and ...

. The controller's battery takes around 6 hours to fully charge, and is user-replaceable with the same battery (CTR-003) as the 3DS/ 2DS

handheld game consoles A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the con ...

and Wii U Pro Controllers. When fully charged, the battery duration for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller lasts for around 40 hours. The controller uses a

USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...

connector for charging. It comes with a USB-C to USB Type-A charging cord, which can be connected to one of the USB-A 2.0 ports on the Switch dock.

PC and phone support

The Pro Controller can also be paired with or connected to a PC for use with PC games, such as those on

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

which added support for the Pro Controller through a beta client update on May 9, 2018. Official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller support was added to the

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

and

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

, alongside other

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

video game controllers as part of the

iOS 16 iOS 16 is the iOS version history, sixteenth major release of Apple Inc., Apple's iOS mobile operating system for the iPhone. It is the successor of iOS 15, and was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 6, 202 ...

update.

Nintendo Switch 2 support

The Pro Controller can also be used to wirelessly pair with the Nintendo Switch 2 console or use the USB cable to connect it to the Nintendo Switch 2 dock to pair with the Nintendo Switch 2 console, it can be charged by connecting it to a Nintendo Switch 2 dock via a USB-A to USB-C cable. When used with the Switch 2, the Pro Controller cannot wake the console from Sleep Mode.

History

The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller was unveiled along with the Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2016, and was released on March 3, 2017. A new version of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller was spotted in stores around October 14, 2019, although the only changes to it were slight parts changes, and its

Universal Product Code The Universal Product Code (UPC or UPC code) is a barcode#Symbologies, barcode symbology that is used worldwide for tracking trade items in stores. The chosen symbology has bars (or spaces) of exactly 1, 2, 3, or 4 units wide each; each decimal ...

being updated from 104889D to 104889E. As of 2024 revision is up to 104889G.

Special editions

The base version of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is only available in black, but special color editions of the controller have been released, including: *''

Splatoon 2 is a 2017 third-person shooter game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It was released on July 21, 2017, as a direct sequel to ''Splatoon''. As with the previous installment, ''Splatoon 2'' consists of online multip ...

'' edition: green handle (left), pink handle (right) with an ink splat design *''

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the third installment in the '' Xenoblade Chronicles'' series and the sixth main entry in the ''X ...

'' edition: pink handles with a Pyra-inspired design *''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...

'' edition: white handles with a white '' Super Smash Bros.'' logo design *''

Monster Hunter Rise is a 2021 action role-playing game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Switch. It was released worldwide in March 2021, with a Windows port released in January 2022 and ports for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Se ...

'' edition: black with a gold Magnamalo design *'' Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak'' edition: black with a silver Malzeno design *''

Splatoon 3 is a 2022 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the third game in the ''Splatoon'' series and the sequel to ''Splatoon 2''. Like its predecessors in the ''Splatoon'' series, the gam ...

'' edition: blue handle (left), neon yellow handle (right) with an ink splat design *'' The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom'' edition: black handle (left), white handle (right) with a black Hylian crest and logo on it and gold circles. A special ''Splatoon 2'' edition Pro Controller with golden handles was awarded to the winning team of the PAX East 2019 Inkling Open. A special Pro Controller imprinted with the ''Super Smash Bros.'' logo was awarded to the winners of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' tournament at PAX East 2019, as well as to Shuto Moriya, the winner of the ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' tournament at EVO Japan 2020.

Reception

TechRadar ''TechRadar'' is an online technology publication owned by Future plc. It has editorial teams in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia that provide news and reviews of tech products and gadgets. It was launched in 2008 and expanded t ...

'' and ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' similarly praised the controller's handling, build quality and battery life, but criticized its high price. They also criticized its rear triggers for being too shallow.

Secret message

On the controller's

motherboard A motherboard, also called a mainboard, a system board, a logic board, and informally a mobo (see #Nomenclature, "Nomenclature" section), is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in general-purpose computers and other expandable systems. It ho ...

, if a player holds down on the right stick and looks closely into the transparent plastic surrounding its socket while shining a light on it, there is a hidden message that reads "THX2ALLGAMEFANS!". The message was first discovered by Japanese Twitter user Geo Stream on March 4, 2017, one day after the Switch's launch.

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller

The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is the successor to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller for use with the

. Along with the Joy-Con 2, it comes with HD Rumble 2 and the new "C" button, which enables voice and video chat control for the new

Discord Discord is an instant messaging and Voice over IP, VoIP social platform which allows communication through Voice over IP, voice calls, Videotelephony, video calls, text messaging, and digital media, media. Communication can be private or take ...

-like GameChat application. It includes new remappable GL and GR buttons on the backside as well as an audio jack at the bottom. The Amiibo connectivity of the predecessor is still supported. Although Nintendo originally announced it with a price of $80 in the United States, the price was raised to $85 due to "market conditions" surrounding U.S. president Donald Trump's ongoing implementation of tariffs. Design-wise, the controller is visually very similar to the original Pro Controller. They both share the same shell shape and general grey color. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is not translucent like the original Pro Controller, and the space under the joysticks is white rather than the black seen on the original controller. Additionally, the triggers, shoulder buttons, and space surrounding them at the top are white rather than the black used on the original Pro Controller.

References

{{Nintendo hardware Nintendo controllers Nintendo Switch accessories Gamepads Products introduced in 2017