I Love The Hori Split Pad Pro

I personally never had any issues playing the Nintendo Switch for long periods of time (thanks to my relatively small hands). However I do have issues with the analog drift on my Joycons. My launch day Switch was relatively problem free until Super Smash Bros Ultimate came out. Not long after playing the game, my left Joycon started to drift. Thankfully I was able to fix the issue cheaply by ordering some replacement parts on AliExpress.

Considering that I mostly play my Switch in handheld mode, having to replace the analog sticks every so often isn’t a long term solution. I went online to search for a suitable replacement and came across the Hori Split Pad Pro.

When it comes to build quality, I personally feel that Hori products are fantastic and the Split Pad Pro is no exception. The full sized analog sticks are solid and feels great, had no issues pulling off special moves in Street Fighter with the d-pad and the buttons are responsive. The overall design of the product makes it really comfortable to hold, further reducing hand strain when gaming for long hours. You can also assign turbo / auto fire to buttons and there are also 2 extra mappable trigger buttons at the back.

The Hori Split Pad Pro is not without its caveats however. They lack wireless capability (meaning they have to be attached to the Switch in order to work), no gyro sensors and also no rumble. The Split Pad Pro adds a bit of extra weight and the larger size also makes the Switch less portable, in the sense that it will not fit into most ‘made-for-Switch’ pouches.

To sum things up

Pros

  • Good build quality
  • Great analog sticks, dpad and buttons
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Able to assign turbo  / auto-fire to buttons. Additional 2 mappable trigger buttons
  • Able to fit into the Switch dock without having to remove them.

Cons

  • Lack wireless capability
  • No gyro sensors
  • No Rumble
  • Add a bit of extra weight
  • Larger body means less portability.

Overall, I love the Hori Split Pad Pro and it has been my daily driver ever since I got it. If you are interested in getting your own Hori Split Pad Pro, Play-Asia has quite a number of selections, including the really awesome Pikachu Cool edition. (Affiliate links)

Using Hori Zero Air Pitahari Filter

 

zero-air-pitahari-filter-for-new-3ds

NOTE: This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase through that link. This helps to keep my blog going. Thanks for your support!

Over the years of owning portable game consoles (from DS / PSP to 3DS / Vita), Hori will always be my first choice when it comes to accessories. While I do admit that their products are a little high on the price side, their quality outweighs it. Just make sure that the Hori products you get are authentic ones. There are a lot of fakes out there.

For my New 3DS (n3DS for short), I went ahead and purchase the Zero Air Pitahari Filter. The difference between this and other Hori screen protectors is that small dirt particles doesn’t cause air bubbles to appear. Having said that, you would probably presume the price would be higher compared to regular protectors due to its ‘tech’. Surprisingly, Zero Air is actually cheaper compared to Hori’s Standard Film screen protector. Go figure.

I really have to give credit to Hori for coming out with ingenious ways to apply screen protectors. Just take a look at the video below and you will see what I mean.

*Sigh* if only such methods were available during the DS / PSP days. I remember going through 3 screen protectors while applying them on my PSP. Either it was misaligned or there are dust particles beneath it.

Overall, I’m satisfied with the Zero Air Pitahari Filter. It was easy to apply, there’s no loss in screen quality and there are no ‘rainbow’ effects from all viewing angles. The only negative point I can think of is that, once it’s applied onto your screen, it is pretty much ‘glued’ onto it. I personally had trouble peeling the bottom screen portion off to get rid of dust particles. To avoid this problem, just make sure the screen is dust free before applying the protector.

If you are looking for more Hori accessories, do check out Play-Asia.com. It’s one of the few places I know that sells authentic Hori products. Been buying from them since 2008.