Looking for a third-party Nintendo Switch Joy-Con alternative is a nigh-on impossible task. Especially with some decent attempts lacking some kind of core functionality. Attempting to provide a third-party Joy-Con with an improved grip and form factor is Gioteck JC-20 controllers.
Featuring a ten-hour battery life with a two-hour charge time, the JC-20 package looks like a promising one. The first let down was the forced external charging ports. This isn’t too much of a problem given their fantastic battery life but is still a functional and aesthetic letdown.
Form-Factor
Gioteck always nail form-factor with their controllers, and the Gioteck JC-20 is no exception. The controller features a curved design with an extruded backplate for a more comfortable grip.
On paper, this makes for a much comfier experience when playing in handheld mode. Due to the JC-20 thumbstick placement being to low down on the right-hand joy-con, extended use of the controllers requires an angular grip which feels unnatural. Maybe a little sadistic.
Gioteck controllers seem to run with slightly taller thumbsticks too, but its only achievement is a muscle memory challenge and a love letter to the dreaded dead zone.
The face buttons of both sides try to re-create the kinetic click the vanilla Nintendo Joy-Cons have with some success. This is quickly overshadowed by the flimsy wiggling of all face and shoulder buttons, rendering the build quality to that of a Chad Valley alternative. Another issue is that the buttons seem to press below their registered value. For example, pressing A continues down slightly after the controller has registered the button press.
Functionally Close
In terms of its wireless functionality, it works in the same manner as another Joy-Con, using a sync button in the grip order menu to tether. The wireless range is apparently eight metres, which is a big ask for a controller, but has been tested within this range and lives up to the hype. No loss of signal or input delay was detected.
Gioteck JC-20 comes with a double-headed USB-C charging lead and a controller adaptor for docked gameplay. The adaptor is literally a block that indicates battery power. But it helps players have a more traditional home console experience with no back handles like its first-party alternative.
Potential but Still a Spare
It’s quite cool making a Nintendo Switch look like a PS Vita and Gioteck has once again proved that they can make third party controllers with some great ideas. Said great ideas, like those of Gioteck WX4, fall flat during execution. This leaves players with a spare Mario Kart set of Joy-Cons or an interim Joy-Con drift alternative until they can grab a first-party set.
Gioteck is by no means the worst third-party controller manufacturer and JC-20 is promising. A few small adjustments in design could lead to competitive Nintendo Switch Joy-Con alternatives in the future.
