My Switch 2 thinks the $40 S10 Lite is Nintendo’s $90 controller

Crowning the EasySMX S10 the best Switch 2 controller last fall was easy. The $60 wireless gamepad, which is often well below $50, mimics or improves on many of the $90 Switch 2 Pro controller’s best features. The S10 has great-feeling rumble in games, TMR joysticks that will last longer than Nintendo’s, plus amiibo support, comfortable grips, and buttons and triggers that offer satisfying clicks. The new S10 Lite trims away some of those, but builds on EasySMX’s lead with one big, new feature that I expect other companies to copy.

The EasySMX S10 Lite is the first third-party controller to offer native support for the Switch 2. It’s an improvement on all non-Nintendo wireless controllers, which rely on macros to execute system-level commands, like GameChat, and require a strange, yet common first-time setup process (EasySMX’s S10 included) to be able to wake the Switch 2. The S10 Lite is instead treated like a first-party controller by the console (the system interface even thinks it’s a Switch 2 Pro). It can quickly pair to your console and remotely wake it by tapping the Home button, just like Nintendo’s pricey controller. It’s also compatible with the original Switch, despite EasySMX’s site implying otherwise, though the S10 Lite’s native OS-level integration and GameChat button don’t work on that platform.

This native support also lets you configure the S10 Lite’s GL and GR rear paddles through the Switch 2’s operating system by holding the controller’s Home button while in-game. It’s the only controller not made by Nintendo that can do this. This lets the S10 Lite take advantage of the fact that the console can remember custom GL/GR mappings on a per-game basis, which is easier than manually configuring button mapping every time you change games on other third-party controllers.

Native support is the most obvious perk of the S10 Lite versus the S10 and other controllers. However, it has a few omissions that make deciding between it and the original S10 tougher than it needs to be. For instance, the S10 Lite lacks amiibo support, and its rumble doesn’t feel as high quality as the S10 (although, the Lite’s rumble is still better than what 8BitDo’s Switch 2-compatible controllers offer). Lastly, it features Hall effect sticks, not the more efficient TMR sticks in the S10, though either stick tech is superior to the $90 Switch 2 Pro controller’s.

The $39.99 S10 Lite simplifies connectivity and customization — two pretty big accomplishments — at the expense of some minor, yet nice-to-have features. If easy setup and seamless integration means more to you than amiibo support and superior rumble effects, the S10 Lite is the better, cheaper choice over the S10. However, it’d be ideal to have one EasySMX controller that was good at everything — perhaps that day will come.

Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge