Third-party controllers have had a bad rap since the NES. And looking back to my ‘Competition Pro Mega Drive II’ days, I’d side with the negative viewpoint of third-party pads. However, it’s not always possible for some families and gamers to have four controllers for a game of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or to shell out for an official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Enter a budget Pro Controller alternative, Gioteck WX4.
With no firmware to update, Gioteck WX4 is ready-to-go out of the box. Unfortunately, the issues with the controller start as soon as the tethering process starts.
After multiple attempts of following the included instructions, I resorted to linking Gioteck WX4 via the included USB with the dock. The lack of dock for this backup method could prove to be an issue for Switch Lite owners.
Handfeel
Once connected, Gioteck WX4’s form factor feels amazing with all buttons within easy reach. The thumbsticks are set a little too high which is a shame considering the brilliant design of the controller’s shell. The face buttons have a familiar feel with push distance set at a reasonable distance.
The trigger buttons feel quite cheap and flimsy, with the shoulder buttons loving a good wiggle when being pressed. The D-Pad is abnormally stiff which leads to an uncomfortable experience when playing any title that relies on it. This is especially disappointing when considering expectations are lower when looking at the overall quality of a third party controller.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Pokémon Shield and Munch’s Oddysee were used to test the performance of the WX-4 which provided four genres to grasp what Gioteck’s Pro Controller alternative was capable of.
Having been spoilt with HD rumble, Gioteck WX4 doesn’t cut it in terms of its dull/shaky rumble. The Bluetooth connectivity showed signs of noticeable delay when playing 3D platformers which is never good news, this lead to gameplay becoming disorientating and in some situations, unplayable.
Some Use
However, Gioteck WX4 shone when playing Mario Kart due to its light demand on controller input and natural gameplay mechanics of predicting twists and turns before they happen. Whilst the shoulder and triggers were responsive, they just didn’t feel great in action which is a shame.
The battery life, however, held up well which is a plus, but is ultimately a wasted feature considering this pad will likely be the backup pad for party games. Oh, but it does have a Gyroscope for motion gameplay, everyone still loves that, right?
As much as Gioteck produce some great products, WX4 falls flat in terms of expectations. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend one as a main controller, they serve just fine as a spare for party games such as Mario Kart. However, even at its sub-£20/€27 price tag, players can find a better alternative when it comes to spare third-party controllers that are officially endorsed by Nintendo.
